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Posted on 09/29/2014 4:27:34 PM PDT by Gamecock
When Pastor Chuck Smith passed away last year, few expected a family feud. But that appears to be what's going down in Orange County, California.
ABC7.com is reporting a family fight over control of the megachurch that has morphed into an all-out legal battle.
Smith's daughter has filed suit alleging elder abuse and neglect in connection with the pioneering pastor's last days. Smith went on to glory after a hard-fought cancer battle in October 2013.
"It's still a shock. It's almost a year later and still I can't really process it. Why didn't they help my dad?" Janette Manderson, Smith's daughter, told ABC7.com on behalf of her 87-year-old mother, Kay, who suffers from dementia.
The suit names Smith's son-in-law, Brian Broderson, as a defendant. Broderson is married to Cheryl, Smith's youngest daughter. According to the ABC7.com report, the lawsuit alleges Smith's "death was hastened" and he suffered "significant pain and anguish" the night he had trouble breathing and died from a heart attack.
"Nobody had called 911 until my nephew finally stepped in and did it. The nurse wouldn't do it and told him not to call 911," said Manderson.
Smith, who initiated the rise of Calvary Chapel movement of "Jesus People" that was featured in Time magazine in the 1960s, started pastoring Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa in 1965 and was known for his less formal and contemporary approach to worship and church services.
Smith's ministry continued to grow until his death. In 2012, after he announced to his congregation he had been diagnosed with lung cancer, Smith established a 21-member leadership council to oversee the Calvary Chapel Association, a fellowship of more than 1,600 congregations in the United States and worldwide.
The lawsuit claims that board members took over Smith's office and computers and gained control of The Word For Today Incorporated property within 24 hours of his death. Word for Today spans books, DVDs and radio broadcasts. Manderson claims the church cut off Kay's $10,000 monthly annuity benefit after Smith passed away.
"The board is holding on to everything of dad's and not giving it to us," said Manderson. "It makes me sad, it makes me feel that they're dishonoring my dad and disrespecting his wishes."
Let's pray that the family can reconcile any differences and move forward in unity.
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What a shame.
While there was much I didn’t agree with in his preaching he did give a very clear, accurate presentation of the Gospel message.
why wasn’t the daughter suing more involved? It seems like she left the care to one sister.
Sadly I know this happens alot when one child does all the caretaking and after the parents death the other sibling nitpicks that care never being fully involved.
Not taking care of the widow is a shame. It seems like greed has played a part in the church’s board decision but having a will could have prevented this.
What to families argue about when family memebers die?
Survey Says!!!!
1-Money/Property
This is unfortunate. From what I know the last thing Chuck Smith would want to see is a fight over his church.
Unlike a lot of pastors of mega-churches he never intended to create one. It was a case of being in the right place at the right time.
Some of us had expected it...
"When an organization as large and powerful as Calvary Chapel is utterly devoid of checks and balances or doctrinal, financial, and moral accountability, the results will not be surprising: abuse, power-struggles, and the oft-unspoken fear of raising even the smallest objection to the whims of the powers that be."
-- Jason Spellman, former Calvary Chapel pastor, in Calvary Chapel and the Calvinists
"...the Calvary Distinctives [link now broken] are a whole lot different than the Westminster Confession. Anyone who reads the Calvary document should be troubled that Chuck Smith makes no reference to God as a Trinity, or to the Deity of Jesus Christ. You can believe in almost anything so long as you behave in the right way."Related threads:
-- Alex Murphy, October 9, 2009
There were plenty of responsible people looking after Chuck Smith. I’ll be very surprised if his widow Kay isn’t being cared for as well.
Chuck Smith had been ill with lung cancer for a long time. His oldest daughter is speaking as if calling 911 would have saved him. It looks like she is letting grief cloud her thinking.
well I can understand that having many family who have died from cancer. It is hard to acknowledge when its time to stop fighting when the cancer has served its death sentence.
Dancing on the grave, Alex?
I wouldn’t think doing that reflects too well on Calvinism.
That’s what it looks like to me. Chuck had been appearing on a weekly internet TV show his last couple of years and you could see him decline. I’m sure it’s hard for his daughter to accept that he was going to die.
He wasn’t an egomaniac or a fool and the article mentions that he had set up a 21 person leadership council to oversee the affairs of Calvary Chapel. Sounds to me like he had planned ahead.
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ragmop
Was he under hospice care at that point? Sounds like he might have been. At some point you have to decide whether to let an 86 year old with cancer die peacefully at home, or keep dragging him to the hospital to prolong the suffering.
As to the property issues - what do the legal documents say? What were the terms of the annuity contract?
The Board cut off the annuity? I thought those things were supposed to be pre-funded, or is that just one established by a court settlement??
I don’t see any problem with linking relating articles
I was thinking the samethings.
Done!
Which was the best one for you? The “I left Calvary Chapel 17 years ago and am an ex-Christian who calls CC a cult” or the numerous Gary Demar Christian Reconstruction vs Dispensationalism pieces?
These didn’t click.
I just remember hearing Smith in the 2002-2004 time frame. I know he didn’t embrace God’s sovereignty, but wow!
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