Audio of Gerald Smith, Brad Moore, JK Warrick at General Board meeting with Gerald Smith, president of NPH. Gerald Smith announces that he will not see re-election to NPH leadership.
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Former Nazarene 
After an emotional pause, Smith spent time criticizing his critics and tried to draw sympathy to himself and his family’s suffering. He identified the criticisms but did not respond to them in any significant way. He spent a lot of time “speeching” about a collection of his and the church’s accomplishments and his benevolences to the church, only to be on the receiving end of a “debate”. He now feels like a casualty but has not given up–just given in. He could not keep the naysayers at a distance. The entire time, there was an emotional “crack” in his voice.
Sadly, he did not deal with any substance, only generalities that would make him look better than his critics might suggest.
The next speaker also spoke of having to deal with some sort of opposition as if it caused their problems. Folks were asked to contact Brad Moore directly rather than instead of emailing others in discussion for straight answers. If that is typical of past experiences in trying to find answers, it remains to be seen if he would actually do that.
Moore appealed for increased support of NPH because their products are being used less and less, a significant decline by 45%. He never addressed the question as to why. The changes he suggests have nothing to do with quality and acceptability of materials, only administrative. Somehow, the term missional came up in the changes. The changes were all focused on cost and income structure “so that we can be missionally effective.” In fact, he asserted that curent products and services would continue without addressing what they were.
The last speaker emphasized the importance of NPH holiness literature as the denomination’s primary source. I think there is much to be explained in that category. He was more concerned with not being governed by rumors, innuendos, and half-truths but never addressed any of them.
Nashville First Church’s weekly email this week said that Dr. Jim Van Hook, former music director at NFCN, had been selected as the interim president.
My opinion is that there was a lot of talk about how they have been mistreated via Internet and not once addressed a single issue that has concerned far more than a few disgruntled bloggers. We are all expected to fall in line behind them and not be so doggone inquisitive. If they would actually deal with the questions they call unjust innuendos, they might find more support from those whose questions are answered, say about Barefoot and other things that trouble traditional Nazarenes. Let us be holiness, for sure, but the holiness of the Bible and not of some postmodern notion.