Island Chapel members to vote on Gill's future

The Rev. Kenneth Gill believes that the controversy surrounding his tenure at Longboat Island Chapel boils down to this:

What kind of church do we want to be?

“For 50 years, we’ve been what we’d call an ‘open-door church,’” Gill told the Longboat Observer. “Some have wanted something more traditional, and we’ve had discussions of affiliating in the past. But what we’ve decided was that we want to be open to all denominations.”

On Dec. 21, the chapel’s board of trustees voted 9-2 to hold a congregational vote about whether to retain Gill. The vote will occur after services Sunday, Jan. 29, and will require the approval of two-thirds of members present to be approved. In a Dec. 28 letter to members, the board outlined eight basic themes of concern they had with Gill.

“Has not demonstrated leadership” and “Not focused on growing the congregation” were among the concerns. They also addressed multiple financial issues, accusing Gill of using the minister’s discretionary fund to help family members.

Gill clarified that with the Longboat Observer, saying he used money from the fund for an outreach program for low-income children in Anderson, Ind., — a program that his daughter is in charge of but that the board has, in the past, voted to support.

The letter also outlined a controversy surrounding an interfaith stained-glass symbol proposed for the sanctuary that would have taken the place of the large white cross currently in place. The letter also accuses Gill of pushing his own agenda, not being reachable for pastoral needs and not supporting efforts such as the Aging in Paradise Resource Center.

“Collectively these issues paint a portrait of a chapel in crisis with a senior minister who is focused on his own agenda versus putting the best interests of the chapel first and foremost,” the letter states.

Gill has retained attorney Jonathan Fleece of Bradenton-based Blalock Walters to represent him.

Gill said the first signs of discontent from some members came about eight months ago after the issue of the interfaith stained-glass piece arose. The symbol was originally intended to be placed above the front entryway to the elevator of the Aging in Paradise Resource Center. When plans for the elevator changed, Gill said he proposed it for the sanctuary.

Some members expressed concern about the removal of the cross symbol that is currently in place, so Gill’s wife, Connie, created an alternative, interfaith symbol design that featured a large cross at the center. Gill said he supported holding off on the design until the congregation could give further input.

But the letter from the board describes a questionnaire sent to church members, in which a majority favored the revised design. The board described the questionnaire as “designed to elicit a positive response” and perceived by many members as a “hard sell.”

Gill later proposed what he believed would be a win-win situation: placing the stained glass in the Fellowship Hall while leaving the cross in place.

John Holtzermann, who petitioned the board to hold the vote on Gill and was elected to the board at Sunday’s meeting, criticized the handling of the stained glass.

“The way he approached that was like a done deal,” Holtzermann said.

Three other board members contacted by the Longboat Observer declined to comment.

Gill responded to allegations in his report at the congregation’s Jan. 8 annual meeting.

In his report, Gill addressed the stained-glass symbol controversy:

“What it means to be an ‘interfaith, Christian church and an open-door church’ is a discussion worth having and needs to be had but to label me ‘self-serving’ and only interested in my agenda is unfair in this matter.”

He addressed financial concerns, noting that he signs no checks and has little authority on the financial status. He addressed allegations about the minister’s discretionary fund, which he said is used at the minister’s discretion to help anyone in need, saying that he believed he made an error in judgment but did not violate any chapel policies.

Gill labeled issues surrounding the Aging in Paradise Resource Center as a “power struggle” and said the chapel hired a board member on a salary of $30,000 for six months to oversee the installation of an elevator and develop a business plan for the center. After six months, Gill said the contract was not renewed due to a lack of progress and because the Outreach Committee funds used for the salary were needed elsewhere in the community.

Gill said that situation created friction between him and the board. As a church employee, the board member was accountable to Gill; as the senior minister, Gill is accountable to the board.

He also discussed allegations about the church’s alleged decline, pointing out that the church has netted new members in the past year but constantly loses members due to death, transitions to assisted-living facilities or members moving off the island. But he said he has not taken a cavalier approach to members who have said that they may leave the chapel.

Gill wrote that he believes there are right reasons and wrong reasons for choosing to leave the chapel.

“If a person is looking for a fundamentally different approach to religion, say a fundamentalist approach to Christianity vs. a more inclusive one, then the Chapel may not be your best choice,” he wrote. “That is not to say that they will not be welcome.”