Perry Noble Fired Due to Alcohol Abuse, Church Confirms

After speculations online last week, NewSpring Church has confirmed that they have fired their founding and senior pastor Perry Noble as of July the 1st. NewSpring Church, a popular megachurch in South Carolina with a weekly attendance of 30,000, confirmed Sunday that Perry Noble, has been asked to leave the senior position because of  alcohol abuse and other "unfortunate choices and decisions" and is currently under psychiatric care.

"While this is the most difficult and painful decision we've had to make, unfortunately it was necessary. Perry has made some unfortunate choices and decisions that have caused us much concern," NewSpring Church Executive Pastor Shane Duffey said at the 9:15 a.m. service.

Noble did not appear to be at the church Sunday morning.  At the start of the 9:15 am service, Duffey read a statement in which Noble expressed remorse and a plan to "immediately seek spiritual guidance." Noble said he "will no longer be pastor on July 1," indicating his statement had been written at least 10 days earlier.

"I wish this were a joke, and part of a sermon illustration," Noble said in the statement regarding his termination, "but it is true."

Noble said he "never claimed to be a perfect pastor and never claimed to be a perfect Christian" and confirmed that in the past year, he had "allowed myself to slide into an overuse of alcohol."

He also said the job had "created a strain" on his marriage. In the statement, Noble said had recently "come to depend on alcohol instead of Jesus." He said there was no infidelity nor abuse in his marriage.

"No one is more disappointed in me than I am in myself," Noble said. 

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