Are Some Worship Teams Discriminating Against the Overweight?
An Oregon church that instituted a ban on fat people as part of a slew of mandatory guidelines to be a part of the congregation's worship team has come under fire online for the discriminating rule it says is necessary, in part, for the anointing to flow through team members.
Officials at the controversial church identified as the New Creation Church, in Hillsboro, Oregon, initially had the "Worship Team Guidelines" posted on their website but removed it after it began receiving unwanted attention. A copy of the guidelines, however, was made available elsewhere and it details the ban on "excessive weight" among worship team members along with a number of other typical holiness requirements common to Pentecostal churches, like evidence of speaking in other tongues.
"No Excessive weight. Weight is something that many people have to deal with. Make sure that you are taking care of your temple, exercising and eating properly," the church warned.