Vangie Armiger Response to the R. G. Finch story

I would like to thank Keith Drury for researching and writing a worthy piece concerning the “Finch dissention” that occurred within Pilgrim Holiness Church history during the first half of the 20^th century.

As a granddaughter of R.G. Finch (I did not know him since I was born four years after his death) and Ruth Finch (she lived in my home on several occasions until her death when I was 15), I believe my grandfather was a natural born leader who tried to fit into the structure and discipline of a denomination to a point. However, because he felt he had been unfairly treated (I cannot and will not try to determine from reading the historical accounts whether he was treated unfairly or not), he eventually succumbed to his "need to lead" that most natural born leaders seem to succumb to in order to remain legitimate as a person and fulfill their calling. Some leaders, especially religious leaders, find another outlet to lead within the "system," but others reject the existing system entirely and create their own. Why else would there be so many denominations, splinter groups, independent churches, and parachurch organizations since the Protestant Reformation?

In order to legitimize their existence, each of these denominations or groups perpetuate some "peculiar" reason or reasons to exist, whether or not other people and/or history deem these reasons legitimate or not; the first generation seems to understand these "peculiarities," but future generations often become confused and disillusioned concerning the all-consuming reasons to "separate" from an existing denomination or group and "begin" a more enlightened one. What one generation views as “the will of God” is often viewed as “petty and ridiculous” or even “sinful” by later generations. Next generation judging often becomes vindictive and petty itself, however, and it behooves every Christian to thoughtfully and prayerfully discern if, what, and why certain beliefs and practices need to be corrected or changed. Change, simply for the sake of change, often leads to disastrous results that take many generations or yet another “splinter group” to repair the mistakes made in being either progressive or protective thinkers.

In American history, of course, such thinking dates back to the time of the "Separatists" of England, who felt that to remain true to their religious beliefs, they must "separate" from the King's church; this group eventually became known as the Pigrims, that is the Pilgrims of 1620, Plymouth Rock, Mayflower, and the first Thanksgiving with the Wampanoag Indian tribe of Massachusetts fame; these are not the Pilgims of Pilgrim Holiness Church fame, though those who were brought up in this church were often asked if our church ancestors came over on the Mayflower. On the other hand, the English Puritans did not wish to "separate" from the Church of England of their day, but to "purify" it. Of course, it was true then as it is true now, that existing denominations, groups, and even independent churches don't always take kindly to the notion that they need "purified." Both the Pilgrims and Puritans changed American history and the history of the world forever, despite their reasons for coming to a new land seeking religious freedom.

Thus, in a country of "religious freedom" such as the United States, there have always been and will continue to be smaller groups of grieved, disgruntled, and perhaps more independent minded people who disagree with what is happening in their "church" or denominations; someone with natural leadership abilities will "lead" these people away from the existing church to begin a more "enlightened, spiritual, scripturally pure, or progressive” church, depending on the debated subject and the leader’s strength . Other grieved, disgruntled, and or independent minded individuals will try to "purify" or perhaps "enlighten" their given churches while remaining in them. Unless all Christians around the world rise up to unite and organize a new and yet original "Catholic Church, “I believe that Jesus, the head of the invisible "Church," will use all kinds of denominations, splinter groups, independent churches, or whatever we may call ourselves to "go into all the world and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

As the youngest daughter of J. R. and Naomi Finch Mitchell, I often heard the stories of how my mother's father, R. G. Finch, began a new church and how it hurt a lot of people in the process, including my immediate family. I knew my father and mother originally left the Pilgrim Holiness Church to be a part of this group simply because my mother was a member of the “Finch” family. I learned that as a pastor and preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, my father eventually told my mother he could not stay in the "Finch" church because of some of its teachings; because my father also was a very strong leader and preacher in his own right, his disagreements with the splinter church of his "in-laws" created enough problems that they did not want my father and mother to stay. With his leadership and preaching abilities, my father, J. R. Mitchell, could have started his own church or parachurch ministries as some of the Finch family eventually did. I am grateful that my father chose to become associated once again with the Pilgrim Holiness Church and eventually The Wesleyan Church. I am likewise grateful that my mother, though hurt and grieved due to family rejection and separation, did not hold bitterness in her heart toward her family or my father for asking her to leave the situation.

I thank the Lord for men like Keith Drury's father who welcomed my father and others like him back into the Pilgrim Holiness Church one year before I was born. I was privileged to be raised by parents who loved their denomination although never claiming it to be “perfect or the best or the only" denomination or body of Christ believers. Although I never personally heard him articulate it, I wonder if it was not his association with the "exclusive" thinking of the "Finch" group that drove my father to be a major force in favor of merger with The Wesleyan Methodist Church and later The Free Methodist Church, although the latter has not happened as of yet. He always spoke and championed the merger of denominations of "like-minded brethren “(my father's use of this word did not exclude women because his own mother was an ordained Pilgrim Holiness preacher), and refused to believe that we should remain "separated" simply because "becoming one" was logistically difficult.

Although history proves that merger sometimes creates a more "liberal" church than the original churches, my father believed, as do I, this does not need to be the case. It is possible that "laying all the cards on the table" or "starting from scratch" in the process of creating a merged church allows leaders of original churches to retain that which is eternally, scripturally, and culturally important for the proclamation of the Gospel and at the same time eliminate that which is not; perhaps, even more importantly, the merging of one or more denominations may actually force the original groups to rethink and/or reclaim beliefs, practices, and behaviors that they had allowed to slip away through pressure and democratic voting of their members over the years. Although this is not often done, there is no reason it cannot and should not be done.

As Christians together, however, and because of or despite our religious affiliations and peculiarities, the Church of Jesus Christ marches on in this world of spiritual poverty. In order to penetrate the spiritual darkness and poverty of this world, the Lord still uses spirit-filled natural born leaders and spirit-filled reluctant leaders to cajole, remind, demand, inspire, and drag, and enlist Christ believers to fight the good fight, to persevere to the end, to cross the finish line, and to be holy even as God is holy. One thing is clear in scripture and to this end Christian leaders are responsible in leading their people: “Without holiness, no man shall see God.”

--Vangie Armiger, Granddaughter of R. G. Finch