Hal Cowart was an intelligent man with a relatively progressive theology. As mentioned previously Hal had the unenviable assignment of following the charismatic Bill Denlinger, and it was my observation that he really didn’t possess the necessary skills for taking control of a congregation that was still in the throes of the separation anxiety that resulted from having the only pastor it had ever known taken from it. Added to this mix was the sometimes no-so-subtle manipulation of local church politics by born-again fundamentalists that saw their opportunity to remake Denlinger’s church in their own image.
Hal probably realized that his time at Trinity Heights was going to be short. The United Methodist Church, as a rule, has no provision for interim pastors and so it substitutes sometimes brutal appointments that are intended to absorb the ire of a disgruntled congregation (Denlinger was clear that he had not wanted to be moved to Phoenix, and the congregation had been clear that it wanted him to stay; this is a deadly combination in the politics of the UMC that is usually most keenly felt by the sacrificial lamb that is the resident bishop’s tool for demonstrating that s/he is still in charge).
The net result was a schizophrenic church that wanted to continue in the glory of its former pastor while puzzling over why the new pastor seemed more than willing to just put in his time. Hal was courting a perky airline attendant that was a divorcee with an adolescent daughter (he had never been married) and that pursuit was obviously of more interest to him than wrestling with the issues of a congregation that more than likely would not be his responsibility in a couple of years. Hal knew how the UMC worked, and it was not long before the Staff-Parish Relations Committee was being notified that it needed to be preparing for yet another appointment: The Reverend Doctor Nate Holt, J.D.
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