HOOVER, Ala. — Rev. Marcus Galley, lead pastor of Calvary Bridge Church, described Donald Trump as a "flawed vessel" during Sunday's message, the third consecutive Sunday he has used that phrase, members of the congregation confirmed.
"God has always worked through imperfect people," Galley told the congregation during the pastoral commentary portion of the service. "Moses was flawed. David was flawed. Peter denied the Lord three times. God is not limited by the vessel."
The congregation, which has heard Galley preach on vessels for approximately eleven years, confirmed familiarity with the concept.
"He's mentioned vessels before," said Donna Whitaker, 58, a Calvary Bridge member since 2014. "The vessel message is not new."
Galley said he was not endorsing any candidate. He then said the nation needed strong, principled leadership. He then returned to the vessel framework.
The phrase "flawed vessel" was used seven times in the message, according to a congregant who counted. The word "vessel" was used fourteen times. The word "flawed" was used eleven times, including twice in reference to the pastoral search process the church concluded in 2019.
Galley has led Calvary Bridge since 2019.
He was asked after the service whether there was a specific vessel the congregation was meant to recognize. He said the message was about biblical leadership generally.
He was asked whether he had any political figure in mind when he prepared the message. He said Calvary Bridge is a place of worship, not politics.
He was asked what vessel he had been thinking about while writing the sermon. He said he had been thinking about the Apostle Paul.
The Apostle Paul's name did not appear in the message.
Calvary Bridge's Sunday service is available on YouTube. The message is titled "Vessels: Part 3."