Jonathan Greer says he was unanimously voted out as pastor of Mt. Sterling Baptist Church in Butler after being told by church leadership to not invite black children to Vacation Bible School.

"There was pushback about where the types of children we were bringing in, and I was asked to not invite black children to VBS," Greer said in an interview with WTOK-TV.

Attempts made by AL.com to reach Greer and church leadership on Tuesday were unsuccessful.

Greer, who spent a year and a half at the Choctaw County church, said he was told repeatedly that black people weren't allowed. That's why he chose to preach Sunday on racism.

"I wanted the church to know that this is not consistent with the gospel," he told the news station. "This is not consistent with God's word that we honor and give dignity to all people. That's what the Bible teaches us, and all people are worthy and in need of the gospel, and racism denies that to a certain amount of people."

Freddie Moore, who is a deacon at Mt. Sterling Baptist Church, said Greer's statement isn't true. Black residents are welcome at the church anytime.

He said WTOK-TV that Greer was fired for not working with the deacons and not visiting church members.

In an interview with SBC Voices, a blog that takes on issues related to the Southern Baptist Convention, Greer said the only reason he was given for his firing was that "they didn't want black people to come to their church."

He said some members of church leadership give him a list of reasons for his firing, "but they were all related to negative things happening if black people started coming."

According to SBC Voices, Mt. Sterling Baptist Church's membership is all white, but it is located in a neighborhood where the residents are predominately black.