If you have followed GetReligion for nearly two decades and, of course, the omnipresent Ryan Burge’s Twitter feed, you know the rise of nondenominational Christianity is one of the most important trends in the religion marketplace — in America and around the world.
Ancient churches and Protestant denominations are very, very complicated and require journalists to sweat lots of details about doctrine, traditions, polity, etc. But, with a nod to Gertrude Stein, we can note that there IS a there there when journalists dig into “organized religion.”
With nondenominational flocks, it is often impossible to find the kinds of structures and shared, on-the-record beliefs, policies and laws that bring some coherence to the wild world of religion news.
With that in mind, let’s look at a tragic USA TODAY story — “California megachurch leader, grandparents charged with murder, torture in death of 11-year-old daughter” — that demonstrates some of these challenges. Let me stress that I am not trying to poke holes in it. After all, reporter Natalie Neysa Alund was one of my Milligan College reporting students in the late 1990s. I’m trying to note some of the challenges in this kind of short story about life in nondenominational churches.
Note, for example, the problematic word “leader” in that headline. I kept looking for some specifics there and I have NO IDEA what short, accurate, “better” word I would have used to improve that headline or the lede. Hold that thought.
The bottom line: At some point, editors need to give reporters a few extra inches of space to include the kinds of details that help readers understand just how independent most of these churches are, in terms of supervision and accountability. Here is the overture:
A California megachurch leader and her parents have been arrested on charges including murder and torture in the death of the woman's 11-year-old daughter.
Leticia McCormack, a leader at Rock Church in San Diego, founded and led by former NFL player Miles McPherson, was booked in jail … on a charge of murder, three counts of torture, and three counts of willful cruelty to a child in the death of Arabella McCormack, the San Diego County Sheriff's Office reported.
What do we know about this church? If you dive into that helpful church URL, you will learn next to nothing about this multi-campus congregation’s doctrinal roots or its ties to any other group. The key is the superstar pastor, of course. His biography points to a school with a blend of evangelical and charismatic influences. That’s pretty much that.
How is the church organized? Who is — legally speaking — in charge? Are there deacons? A board of trustees? Does the founding pastor literally choose everyone who works under his authority?
Is there a there there?
Readers soon learn that Leticia McCormack is a “49-year-old church elder” in this congregation. “Elder” is one of those terms that can mean pretty much anything. A female elder is perfectly normal in many, if not most, charismatic circles, especially in independent churches. But is there a way to demonstrate that in one or two sentences? No way.
There are all kinds of tragic details here, including the death of the girl’s father. How?
During the investigation, deputies contacted the girl's father, Brian McCormack, near the family's home. According to the release, he died by suicide in their presence.
The crucial question, in terms of the Rock Church, is the degree to which Leticia McCormack was a “leader” who played a role in ministry to children and families. Who supervised her work? Who, in a legal sense of the word, might be responsible for her role as an ordained “elder”? Did Arabella McCormack attend the church and take part in programs for children?
Yes, the word “ordained” comes into play and, again, I have NO IDEA what that means in this context. Ordained to some kind of diaconate? Ordained as a minister who spoke with authority? Here is what we know:
… A Rock Church spokesperson told USA TODAY that Leticia McCormack began volunteering with the Rock Church in 2013 and has helped in various capacities, including administrative tasks and helping coordinate events and other ministry activities.
The spokesperson also said that her ordination at Rock Church was previously suspended and … was in the process of being revoked.
The Rock Church released a press statement, part of which was included in the USA TODAY report:
"We continue to grieve for Arabella and her sisters. We are so sorry that their family and friends are experiencing this unimaginable loss and pain. We send our deepest condolences to all that are grieving at this time. Our hearts go out to each of them.
The legal process will run its course and we hope justice for Arabella and her sisters will be served. We are praying that God’s love and grace will bring comfort and healing.
The Rock no longer has any official relationship with Leticia."
A report by NBC News added some additional language to this mix:
Leticia McCormack was an ordained elder at The Rock Church, an evangelical megachurch in San Diego. A church spokesperson said … that she was not on staff and that she operated in a volunteer capacity to help with various ministry tasks. Volunteers are not responsible for church operations and governance and "do not have any leadership or other authority," the spokesperson said.
Her ordination at the church was suspended and later revoked.
The church spokesperson is saying (repeat after me): “Volunteers are not responsible for church operations and governance and ‘do not have any leadership or other authority.’ “ Oh, and the church never “hired” her. See you in court.
Thus, she had zero salary? No one hired her? No one supervised her? When was this woman’s “ordination” suspended? Why?
Would things be different if this church was part of a denomination of some kind? That depends. Does the Rev. Miles McPherson answer to anyone? Is there any supervision for this church? Who ordained the founding pastor? Does he have any ties to ANY network of clergy or a church tradition?
In the end, as anyone knows who has covered decades of Catholic sexual-abuse scandals, what matters is the honesty and candor of the men (and in some cases women) who supervise clergy. Then again, there have been abusive bishops, too.
But what are reporters supposed to do when attempting to cover the church side of this story?
Yes, click this link once again.
FIRST IMAGE: Screen shot of photo provided to media by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.