South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Canceled Christmas pageant causes chaos
Parishioners of First Baptist Church say they fired pastor; leaders dismiss the rebellion
A self- styled “Advocacy Group” of members of First Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale is about to find out how difficult it is tow rest control of a pulpit fromits recognized leaders.
The church was roiled by a divisive decision earlier this year to permanently cancel its signature event, the spectacular Fort Lauderdale Christmas-Pageant, which sold thousands of tickets each year. Thedecision exposed deeper divisions that have some members trying to stage a coup.
A group of more than 150 defiant members met after services a week ago and fired head pastor James Welch, the nine-member board of trustees, and half the church’s deacons — hours after listening to a sermon on congregational unity. At least, that’s what they say they did. Welch and the church’s established leadership see it differently.
“They called an unofficial business meeting. Itwas off-site and private,” Welch said in a video message emailed to the congregation. “Ineed you to knowthat none of the decisions they made at that meeting have standing in our church.”
According to interviews, letters, a list of grievances published online, and statements from the church, the rift at First Baptist began soon after Welch arrived on the scene in the spring of 2019. Appointed after a three-year search to replace retiring pastor Larry Thompson, Welch promised a fresh start and vision for the 113-year-old church.
What he delivered was not what everyone expected.
“Since his arrival, Pastor Welch made the very difficult decision to transition some staff out of their positions,” church leaders
said in an email to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, “but only after it became evident their vision for the church was not in alignment with his, their skill set was no longer a good fit for the future, or due to job performance issues. Other staff chose to resign and pursue other opportunities on their own.”
The Christmas Pageant was permanently canceled, even though it helped fund about a third of the church’s annual budget, according to the person who sold the tickets.
Dissenting members accused Welch of an ironfisted rule, a “my-way-orthe-highway” leadership style, and wasteful spending.
“Our church is in serious spiritual, relational and financial situations due to the improprieties and lack of concern of our leadership,” said church and Advocacy Group member Deanna Weilhouwer in a September letter to trustee and church administrator Steve Blount.
Weilhouwer oversaw ticket sales for the pageant for 24 years.
“An astute business person, especially a pastor, does not go into a spending frenzy and make changes before they assess programs, the facilities and get to know the people/ congregation.”
The Advocacy Group enlisted the services of a professional parliamentarian to walk them through the process of confronting the church using the procedure established by the organization’s bylaws. They called for a special meeting, announced it at the end of a church service on Nov. 8, then proceeded to meet outside the Northeast First Street entrance after services ended on Nov. 15.
From there, the Advocacy Group members adjourned, only to gather a half-hour later at a steamy warehouse on U.S. 1. Their agenda was to vote out the church’s leadership. The motion to remove Welch was opposed by only one of about 150 present. The votes against the majority of trustees was unanimous. About half the 45 deacons were retained — some were members of the Advocacy Group. Others were supportive of Welch.
None of it mattered, church leaders said this week. “Church leaders have received no communication from the Advocacy Group regarding a vote last Sunday or a list of names that could be vetted as to whether individuals in attendance at their meeting ... are indeed members,” they wrote. The church’s bylaws “contain no provisions for removing the pastor to be initiated by a vote of no confidence from any portion of the congregation.”
Church leaders defended Welch’s personnel decisions and the decision to cancel the pageant, which they portrayed as a drain on the church’s resources that could be better spent advancing evangelism.
They also acknowledged spending more money than the church was taking in. Revenue has been down
$70,000 a month due to COVID restrictions, they said. An audit team is developing guidelines to prevent future overspending.
Outside auditors, including the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, have reviewed the financial records and found no wrongdoing, the church leaders said. Allegations “of any financial impropriety are misinformed and simply not true,” they said.
Welch planned to take the pulpit Sunday — his announced topic is “Unexpected: When God does unexpected things to work in the midst of mess to make a miracle.”
Whether vote on Nov.
15 is the opening salvo of a war for control of the pulpit, or the last, loud gasp of a resistance on its way to other local congregations remains to be seen.
Church rules prohibit the use of secular lawsuits to resolve conflicts. Instead, church members are supposed to enlist the aid of Peacemakers, a ministry that uses Biblical principles to settle disputes. Advocacy Group members say the church leadership is hiding behind Peacemakers to avoid accountability. Their lawyer, Todd Payne, said Friday the group is considering its legal options.
First Baptist is a member of the Southern Baptist Convention, which exerts no control over leadership appointments and does not intervene in such disputes.