Parishioners question why pastor in Arlington Heights was put on sudden leave

Parishioners at Faith Lutheran Church in Arlington Heights are seeking answers about why their pastor was placed on a sudden six-month leave, announced at the end of last week's Sunday services.

The Rev. Michael Johnson said he received the news a few days before Sunday's service, calling it a decision made by the Rev. Jamison Hardy, president of the English District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and the lay leadership group of the church.

"I have not been privy to the information. That is one of the reasons why I have held back on sharing," Johnson said of the news.

Johnson was chosen in 2020 as the first Black pastor of the all-white Faith Lutheran Church. He was placed on sabbatical starting Monday, May 1.

Hardy could not be reached for comment, and church board members have declined to comment on Johnson's status. Parishioners were told further information would be forthcoming at the next congregation meeting.

"This decision is a complete surprise," said church member Marilyn Bertram of Arlington Heights.

"We love our pastor," added her husband, Ed Bertram, himself a retired pastor. "Somebody owes us an explanation."

Johnson's supporters said the sabbatical is the culmination of a campaign against him by church board members. They say Johnson had his pay withheld and was locked out of his office. His belongings, including his ministerial robes, were in boxes in April, supporters said.

"My concern is the way he was treated, bagging his spiritual robes in garbage bags, locking him out of his office, not paying him," said the Rev. Clyde Brooks, chairman of the Illinois Commission on Diversity and Human Relations, who has attended services at the church but is not a member. "It's strange. I have never seen this in my nearly 30 years in the ministry."

Johnson said he will continue living at the church during his sabbatical.

In the meantime, church members who support Johnson say they're left grasping for answers.

"I've never seen anything like this in a church before," said Lynn Janke, a Des Plaines resident and a new member of the church who said she was attracted to Faith Lutheran because of Johnson's sermons.

"It was quite shocking to me. It's very upsetting. I'm not happy with what the board has been doing."