What Did Pastor Keion DO?

Thanks to social media and a camera phone, we do not have to wonder. Unlike most of the Christian community, I had no idea what the memes circulating across the major social media outlets were about. I guess I missed the memo. Fortunately for me, Pastor Keion Henderson, Founder/CEO, and Senior Pastor of The Lighthouse Church in Houston, TX, was the topic of discussion at a recent graduation dinner for one of my childhood friend’s daughters.

Everyone at the dinner table was giving their opinions on his actions. Some thought he was completely out of order. Others thought his actions were mildly offensive. A small margin of the guests agreed that what Pastor Keion did was merited and necessary. The dialogue was intense and escalated as each opinion was given so much so that I burst out and asked just WHAT DID PASTOR KEION DO?

The entire table turned to me and blurted, almost in sync, “It’s on The Shade Room” … “He even made the Tamron Hall Show”! I was completely intrigued at this point and grabbed my phone to watch it for myself. My inner man began to leap the more I watched the videos. When I finished, I addressed the table and told them “He did what needed to be done!.”

Scripture mentions in 1 Corinthians 14:40 that all things are to be done in a manner that is decent and in order(paraphrase). From what I watched of the incident, Pastor Keion was restoring order. As the priest of that house, he is responsible for setting the order in the service. The loud noise that the individual was making was, in my opinion, out of order and a distraction to those attempting to hear what the Lord was saying. Had it been her first time making the noise I would have recommended someone pull her aside and talk with her. This was said to be a repeat offense. Something had to be done abruptly to not allow the noise to distract the rest of the participants in the service any longer.

The comments under the video of the incident ranged from the thought of Pastor Keion being wrong for preventing her from worshipping to being glad he finally did something about her noise making during service. What I heard on the video was not worship. In my over 20 years of experience as a worship leader, worship unifies and edifies; it is not disruptive, nor does it seek attention. There were others worshipping at the same time and not one sound was as noticeable as the sound from that one individual. Was I there? No. Do I know everything? No. I do know that it is extremely important for the worshippers in any service to be in one accord; especially when they are on the platform officially a part of the worship team.

It was exciting to see a man of God who had no fear of what the congregation or others, like you and me, would think or say. That speaks volumes to the reverence for God that Pastor Keion has. He understood the assignment and he executed, accomplishing the mission. Too often in the modern-day church we see some Pastors and said-to-be Christian leaders shrinking and watering down the gospel of Jesus Christ to appeal to an audience. Sadly, there are many who are afraid that the highest paying tither may get upset and leave the church if they adhere to the letter. That was not the case that day at The Lighthouse Church in Houston, TX.

Because of Pastor Keion’s boldness to usurp his authority and publicly address the situation we are now able to have open dialogue across cultural lines about the order of service, true worship, and in some circles, how to address a flagrant demonic presence operating in a worship service. Do not worry. I am not going to get too deep here. Drop your rocks…lol.

So much of everyone’s attention was drawn to the incident with Pastor Keion that many missed the beautiful launch of his wife Shauni Henderson’s new book. The book is titled Undefeated: Changing the Rules and Winning on My Own Terms. That was her time to shine, and social media wanted to drag him through the mud. I have so much more appreciation for him because he did not allow the chatter about him to diminish her accomplishment. He boldly addressed it during their recent appearance together on the Tamron Hall show and set the record straight.

Pastor Keion Henderson is truly one of today’s most influential voices in the Kingdom. He is not afraid of the modern-day Sanhedrin Council or any Pharisee. He is a verified voice in a land where many may have been called but few were chosen.

Theresa Shawn McIntosh, KBN Contributor