Quite right! Sadly,

I have to admit there does seem to be a propensity to engage in [sometimes] malicious gossip

among church members ... the very folk you'd think ought to be "above that sort of thing"! And, there's often a tendency towards *cliquishness also! But, of course, this is liable to be the case WHEREVER large numbers of people are initially gathered together ... and *then drift off into small groups of like-minded souls.

... you mention 'pastor' - as opposed to priest - do you belong to the Protestant faith, like me?