From congregation to vicar : Live what you preach or you are out

The Rev Jonathan Gould’s lawyers claimed he would not have been sacked if his marriage had worked
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Marriage split vicar goes to court

Rightly, the Rev Jonathan Gould, 59, was counselled to take a four-month sabbatical from St John’s Downshire Hill in Hampstead, northwest London, where he had served as an Anglican minister for over 20 years, to attempt to save his marriage.  Sadly, he failed and it was assumed that he would not return to work.

The lawyer-turned-vicar is now taking his church to court for discrimination after he was dismissed when his marriage ended.

Mr.Gould, saddened and shocked for being dismissed after his marriage failed

In May 2015 one of the church’s five lay trustees sent an email to the priest asking: 

“What if the worst scenario occurs? Your marriage fails and you get divorced. I assume then your pastoral ministry at [St John’s Downshire Hall] will come to an end.”

Two months later Mr Gould met three of the trustees, who told him:

“You preach marriage, but you do not display biblical marriage yourself.”  They also said:

“Marital breakdown is a ‘terrible testimony’ to believers and non-believers alike.”  

His lawyers claim that he would not have been dismissed if he had been single.  Mr Gould’s first attempt to sue was thrown out by an employment tribunal judge in March.  That was overturned on appeal in October, when the judge concluded that Mr Gould had an “arguable case that it was his married status and his marital difficulties as a married man that led to his dismissal.”