I know your comment is a year old, but it hit me hard and I am praying for you today. I too was blessed by Dr. Lawson's willingness to share his experience and by yours. Thank you for being faithful. I hope that God has already used this situation for good in your life in a way where you can clearly recognize His hand and praise His name. I find myself in a somewhat similar situation to what you described. I am an associate/youth pastor who recently served under godly lead pastor who was forced to resign. Some church leaders strongly opposed him primarily because he stood on the authority of the Bible and the doctrine of the church. It was his first senior pastorate and he did make some mistakes, but the real issue appeared to be his biblical convictions. I supported the lead pastor, but he chose to take all the blame. Basically, he won the battle over orthodoxy (at least temporarily) at the cost of his job. I thought about leaving when he left, but ultimately came to the conviction that God wanted me to stay and try to support the next lead pastor. I am still waiting for the next senior pastor, praying for God's wisdom, and steeling myself for battle. At any rate, please know that you have encouraged me. It is good to hear of other men who are seeking to serve faithfully in the role of an associate pastor. May God bless you as you serve and follow Him.