“Papa, under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t even be suggesting this, but it’s time to move him somewhere else. The way I see him, he will be better suited to pastor a branch outside of this region. He might even be able to build a new one from the ground up.”
Bishop Kusi Bremah was in no mood to beat about the bush. He’d spent the entire meeting making a strong push for Bishop Wilson to be removed. No matter what Rhamses said, Kusi had an answer for. Rhamses’ resolve to try to keep Wilson in place kept getting chipped at with each counter from Kusi, and the details that he was giving were so in-depth that Moses had to be sent out of the room to maintain some level of privacy.
After what seemed like an eternity of a meeting, Archbishop Rhamses finally gave in. “Alright, Kusi. You have made your point very clear. I still have to ponder on all this, but who do you suggest we put in Wilson’s place?”
“Reverend Charles Carlson, sir.”
“Wilson’s number two?”
“Well, Archbishop, Wilson doesn’t have a clear number two. It’s part of the madness going on there, sir.”
“Yes, but Carlson is the longest serving assistant pastor out of the lot, isn’t he?”
“Yes, sir. He is.”
“So you want me to essentially promote Carlson?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Why not just make Carlson the head pastor over another branch, then? Because I don’t believe he can handle this one.”
“I thought you might say that, so I had a backup. How about Reverend Quaye? He used to be there, they loved him, and then he had to go help the Ridgeway branch. Now they are thriving, we can bring him back to grow this one. Maybe we send Wilson there in exchange. They are a young congregation; they’ll love him.”
“There’s a reason we sent Reverend Quaye there, and its not just church growth.”
“Well, then Pastor Sandra. We haven’t had a woman branch pastor in some time.”
“There’s already a plan in place for Pastor Sandra. Now, let me try one on you. Reverend Mason.”
Kusi’s face immediately darkened. “Respectfully, sir, that sounds more like Erica’s suggestion than yours.”
Rhamses lifted his eyebrow. “Are you implying that my daughter has bad judgement?”
Kusi immediately backed down and tried to save face. “Not in the least, sir.”
Rhamses went for the jugular to appease his ego. “Because that would be a comment on your fitness to be her husband as well, wouldn’t it?”
Kusi looked visibly hurt, but he ate it and proceeded. “Sir, Reverend Mason founded this branch with me. He’s been instrumental in growing the brach right alongside me. He practically took over the weekday services and most of the behind-the-scenes stuff so that I could raise my kids while still fulfilling my calling. Nothing would please me more than for him to get his own branch. He’s a leader and will make an excellent branch pastor, but he’s not ready.”
“You weren’t ready to start a church either, but look how that turned out. Your branch is the biggest on this side of the world now.”
“It only got this way because I had a lot of help and a lot of guidance. I also built it from the ground up. This is an already-established church which is still recovering. They need someone who can do the hard work to get them where they need to be. I believe Reverend Mason is more suited to a church that’s already there.”
“Bishop Wilson is who I chose to get them there, but now you’re asking me to replace him. I’m being made to choose between my two sons-in-law, which my daughters will absolutely view as a referendum on their choices of partner. And it’s all because you two can’t put your egos aside. Wasn’t Mason already starting up a cell in the area?”
“Yes, he is, with our full support.”
“Eh-heh, so we can just sell it as a merger of the two churches. At least he will have some familiar faces to look upon while he navigates his first year of leadership.”
“The Honest City congregation actually knows him very well. He has a standing invitation to their Friday all night services, which he’s honored on several occasions. He even preached for Wilson one of the times where he had travelled to help you.”
“Even better. The transition should be a smooth one, then.”
Kusi’s face fell, his worry showing fully on it. “Bishop, I really think making him the new head pastor there would be a mistake.”
Rhamses stood up. “Well, I’m having to make a move I don’t like so I can solidify your very insecure mind as to how much value you have to our global church. So your opinion is noted and appreciated, but this is still my church. The only thing I will tell you is this: You are responsible for Mason’s success as a leader. You are to provide him with whatever help he needs to make the transition and continue to progress. If anything happens to that church, I will hold you responsible. When I started that branch, I labored to build it and still helped you while you built this one up. Now it is your turn to help your brother. Make sure he does not fail.”
Kusi stood up and nodded. “Understood, sir. If I may ask, what will you do with Wilson?”
Rhamses knocked on the door. “Don’t worry, Bishop, I’ll think of something.” The guards opened up and escorted him back to the car.
