Some pastors in the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma have raised concerns over the recent demotion of six pastors, claiming it stems from poor leadership, lack of training, and absence of proper evaluation processes.
They say the pastors cannot speak out due to fear of victimisation, noting that those who do not tow the line are often sent to rural or outer island circuits.
The pastors argue that the demotions were attributed to poor performance, yet no Key Performance Indicators or mid-year evaluations were in place to measure progress.
They add that in professional organisations, KPIs are clearly set and communicated to ensure accountability, but this is lacking in the church.
They further criticised the church leadership for not personally discussing performance issues with the pastors before making such decisions, calling it unprofessional.
They stressed that the President should act more as a fatherly and Christ-like figure in guiding the church.
General Secretary, Reverend Doctor Jolame Lasawa says that when a pastor has been demoted from their status, the sole authority lies with a meeting of the church, in accordance with the church constitution
