Pastor JD Hall arrested for DUI hours after threatening to disrupt SBC annual meeting
Hall did not have alcohol in his system, passed police blood alcohol test; church says pastor has vitamin D deficiency
Fellowship Baptist Church in Sidney, Montana, declared Monday that it has rejected an offer from Pastor Jordan Daniel “J.D.” Hall to resign following a recent arrest on weapons and DUI charges which they attributed to a vitamin D deficiency.
A report from the Sidney Police Department cited by Sidney Herald said Hall, 40, who has been a fierce critic of the Southern Baptist Convention and high profile church leaders through his now defunct website Pulpit & Pen and more recently, Protestia, was arrested on May 11 at approximately 11 p.m. on suspicion of carrying a concealed weapon and multiple traffic violations while driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs.
His arrest came just hours after he threatened to “control the mics” and offer strong rebuke at the upcoming Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting to be held in Anaheim, California, next month.
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“Dear #SBC2022, me and my boys will control the mics, and rebuke is on the agenda. My attorney will be with me in person and any attempt to silence us will swiftly [be] handled with immediate litigation,” Hall tweeted.
Police said in an officer's report that when they approached Hall, he spoke slowly, his eyes were watery, closed slowly and deliberately, and his speech was slurred and mumbled. He also stumbled, displayed poor balance and performed poorly on a field sobriety test. No alcohol, however, was found in his system when a blood alcohol test was administered.
Hall, who is now scheduled to appear in the Sidney City Court on June 6 at 9 a.m., also had a Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 Shield handgun which was found under his coat in an inside-the-waistband holster during his arrest, the report added.
Here's the initial report from the Sidney Police Department's arrest of far-right Montana pastor JD Hall for DUI and carrying a concealed weapon while intoxicated. I have received no charging document yet from the local prosecutor. pic.twitter.com/cj0fPdwwIZ
— Hunter Pauli (@paulimeth) May 16, 2022
Fellowship Baptist Church said Hall, 40, who is also known for his abrasive street preaching, offered to resign a day after his arrest “for bringing the stain of rumor upon the church” when news of his DUI began spreading on social media, but they rejected it because he did no wrong.
“Pastor Hall tenured his resignation to the church Thursday after being charged with DUI on Wednesday evening. There was no alcohol in his system and he blew 0.0 on the administered breathalyzer. However, police insisted Pastor Hall failed the administered field sobriety test,” Fellowship Baptist Church said in a statement Monday.
“Pastor Hall has suffered from documented vitamin D deficiency, which can result in poor coordination, slurred speech, word displacement, etc. This medical issue has been discussed openly for some time and has been the subject of our church’s prayers. Nonetheless, Pastor Hall felt responsibility for bringing the stain of rumor upon the church and thus offered his resignation,” the church added.
Hall did not immediately respond to questions from The Christian Post on Wednesday about the kind of Vitamin D supplements, if any, or other specific medication he was taking that caused the symptoms he exhibited during his arrest. He was also asked why he offered to resign when his church said he had done no wrong.
“The deacons and elders met … and rejected his (Hall’s) resignation in consultation with three well-respected and Godly pastors of other churches, as it was unanimously determined that, as no alcohol was used and Pastor Hall’s coordination/health issues have been well known, this unfortunate incident was not ministerially disqualifying,” Fellowship Baptist Church said.
The church further noted that: “The deacons, elders, and consulted pastors were apprised of Pastor Hall’s prescription medication, health issues, and spiritual, emotional, and physical state, and expressed great concern for his health and overworking.”
They concluded that “Hall was exhausted, potentially addicted to working, and must rest, do nothing for 3 months, and change his phone number (to not be bothered by outsiders).”
Along with other leadership support, the church said the elders will now handle Hall’s responsibilities while he rests and “leadership will place Pastor Hall’s wife in charge of when after that period he is well enough to go back to work, in consultation with the elders.”
Church leaders also made it clear that the congregation fully supports their actions.
“Pastor Hall spoke to the congregation to say he would submit to their requests, would come or go at our pleasure, and agreed to remain in his office at our request. He cautioned us solemnly to be ready for what enemies of Christ would do with his situation and to brace themselves,” the statement said. “The congregation spoke openly to assure Pastor Hall he should not be ashamed, that we do not care what the world thinks, as [sic] that we know the truth.”
