A dispute between an evangelist and a female pastor over who should occupy an office at a church in Clarendon, has led to a split in the congregation.

THE STAR has learnt that a new female pastor was recently appointed to lead the flock at the church. However, prior to the individual's arrival on September 5, an evangelist was asked to be in charge of the flock, due to the resignation of its male pastor some weeks before.

This appointment is said to have magnified an already existing problem.

Reports are that before coming to the Clarendon church, the female pastor had hosted a weekly fasting service in Manchester. It is understood that the evangelist used to attend the service but stopped doing so and instead conducted one of his own at his Clarendon church. The number of persons who attended the Manchester service is said to have reduced.

"Things took a turn for the worse when the female pastor was asked to be in charge of the flock at the Clarendon church, relieving the evangelist of assigned duties. This resulted in the evangelist having to vacate the pastor's office from which he usually operated," said a member.

The decision did not go down well with the evangelist, a few members of the church who sided with him and some persons whxo thought the office should be given to the new pastor.

Despite suggestions that the evangelist should leave the pastor's office and carry out his activities in another office, the evangelist and his supporters would have none of that.

"A meeting was called between the pastor and the evangelist to have the matter settled, but things got out of hand," another member said. It is reported that there were loud quarrels, which caught the attention of members of the community, who have since been crying shame on the group of Christians.

"The quarrelling of the church members was so bad, that at one point the situation almost turned into a fight between members of the groups," the source told THE STAR.