Lead Pastor Of Charlotte Megachurch Put On Paid Leave For 'Inappropriate Conduct'

The pastor of one of the largest churches in Charlotte, North Carolina has reportedly been put on paid leave after alleged "inappropriate conduct."

 John Munro, the lead pastor of Calvary Church in Charlotte, was not presiding over this past Sunday's service. Rather, a spokesman for the church told the congregation at the end of one of its morning masses that Munro, who has been at the church's helm since 2006, had been put on administrative lead after the church had received an "H.R. complaint."

Bill Bailey, an elder at the church, told congregants on Sunday that Calvary Church had hired an independent investigator to look into the complaint issued against Munro.

"Because we, as elders, are charged with protecting our flock and seeking truth," Bailey said, "we retained an outside investigator to assist us in gathering facts and information from all involved to ensure impartiality and neutrality."

According to the Charlotte Observer, another group affiliated with Munro, the "Back to the Bible" radio ministry, had severed its contract with the senior pastor in regard to a similar H.R. complaint.

According to The Christian Post, Dr. Arnie Cole, CEO of Back to the Bible, told ministry affiliates in an email that the firing of Munro was "a very difficult situation."

"I wanted to personally share with you a very difficult situation," Cole wrote in his email. "Back to the Bible has terminated its relationship with Dr. John Munro due to inappropriate conduct and behavior that is detrimental to Back to the Bible's mission of leading people closer to Jesus on a daily basis."