Ma$e Leaves Atlanta Church to Focus on Rap Career Full Time
Mason Betha, a multi-platinum selling rapper known as Ma$e, reportedly left his position as pastor of his multisite congregation, El Elyon International Church, to focus on his rap career full time.
TMZ reports that Betha has decided to leave his ministry behind following the divorce with his wife, which he kept secret from his church. The Christian Post contacted Betha and his church based in Atlanta but no response was received by press time.
While it is unknown if he has decided to leave his ministry, if he did, then it wouldn’t be the first time. In 2004, he made an announcement that he was returning to rap music and subsequently released an album called “Welcome Back,” which sold 500,000 copies. He eventually did return to his minstry full time after that.
But this time, TMZ reports that after his marriage of 12 years came to an end in April, Betha’s church members became upset and left his church as many began to claim that he was a hypocrite. Furthermore, Betha continued to preach about the value of marriage during his separation without addressing his own situation with his congregation.
In a recent interview at the BET Award festivities, Betha also made it clear that he did not want to delve into his church issues while promoting his forthcoming album, set to release later this year that will feature Kanye West, Rick Ross and P. Diddy. The rapper even reprimanded a Baltimore radio DJ for asking him about his church’s thoughts regarding his music career.
“Actually the interview right now is about music … It’s time for us as Black people to realize that we can do more than one thing,” Betha told 92 Q Jams. “I think to put someone in a box is somewhat narrow-minded.”
He added, “I only get questions like that from the east coast like Baltimore and New York. I can’t be focused on church questions with hood people.”
Betha initially left the music industry in 1999 to devote his time as a pastor and has amassed a following of thousands between two church locations in Phoenix and Atlanta since then.
Blog Editor’s Comment
Oh the sad end of the defiled human will! Even after becoming a Pastor, ministering and serving God, and HIS Church, and seeing God’s goodness, his double-minded heart could not muster the resolve to fix its eyes on the blessed prize which lay ahead, but rather like the proverbial dog, returned to the vomit of yesterday’s defilement. Our minds are recalled to the sad account of Demas, the companion of the Apostle Paul: “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world” (2 Tim 4:10).
We are all well reminded that even in this blessed age of grace we must check our motives and affections, arming ourselves against potentially eternal loss.
Coercion Code - "Dark Times are upon us" 
would never of been a true pastor in Gods eyes anyway. There are many pastors who have their positions only because of man and satan. This would of been one of them. Now he has left them , to go back to what satan called him first to do. sing rap, be famous,make loads of money and indoctrinate the world with satan’s words. No great loss to the church world in terms of him being a pastor. My prayers are for the flock who put their trust in him as their pastor. May God give them a pastor who is a true man of God, and who is willing to teach them from the bible only, with the Holy Spirit as his only guide.