Posted on 10/01/2024 12:20:31 AM PDT by Morgana
On Sept. 25, the pastors of Winder Church (formerly War Hill South) found themselves locked out of their own sanctuary in Winder, Georgia.
The move to have the locks changed came, they said, without warning, but was not entirely unexpected.
Five months prior, the small satellite campus, which draws an average of 45 people on a typical Sunday and hosts a Cub Scout pack, had disassociated from its parent organization, Church at War Hill, due to a string of scandals previously covered by MinistryWatch, including an alleged robbery cover-up and abusive treatment of PTA moms.
In an April 28 letter, Winder Church cited its 13-year history of partnering with War Hill “at every opportunity” and participating in “priceless opportunities to serve others” in the hope that War Hill Senior Pastor Don Allen and his board would relinquish any claim to the satellite campus property.
Allen responded several weeks later with a letter suggesting a formal meeting and indicated that “corporate changes already in progress” would make the split unnecessary.
Then, according to Associate Pastor Johnny Hicks from Winder Church, War Hill leadership ceased all communications, despite multiple follow-up letters. Hicks told MinistryWatch that War Hill never formally asked the Winder congregation to vacate the building, and no eviction notice was posted. And until recently, it also did not removed the satellite campus’ donation button from its website, though Winder had ceased receiving funds through War Hill.
This month, Hicks and Senior Pastor Steve Price learned War Hill had secretly solicited a potential buyer for the property. After Price contacted the buyer and explained the campus was currently occupied, the buyer backed out.
For Hicks, that seeming underhandedness was indicative of what had caused the split in the first place. He said the stories in the news about suspected mismanagement of federal PPP money and state special-needs education vouchers caused him to realize War Hill’s business model did not align with Winder Church’s values.
Hicks also suspected War Hill of skimming Winder’s offerings, all of which were previously funneled through War Hill before being distributed back to the satellite campus. That suspicion, he said, was bolstered as monthly donations suddenly rose by $2,000 to $3,000 as soon as the Winder campus began managing its own offerings in April.
“What we expected [from joining War Hill] was oversight and accountability,” Hicks said. Instead, he says they ended up in a “corrupt system.”
Accepting they would likely lose the building that had been their home since 2018, Winder’s board members had arrived at the decision to secede by a 6-1 vote. However, the church is now working with an attorney in hopes that state law might offer some recourse. As for the changing of the locks, the local magistrate declined to intervene on Winder Church’s behalf due to the dispute being an organizational rather than residential matter.
Price detailed the investments Winder Church has made into Church at War Hill. “If War Hill chooses to not grant the request for the property, they will obtain a building purchased and paid for by a local business man, $170k,” he wrote on a social media page for War Hill critics and whistleblowers. “More than $100,000 of renovations were done, paid for by the giving of the Winder congregation. Current value is near $500k.”
“The Winder campus gave $8k towards War Hills new student building while asking for permission to use the equity in the Winder campus to build our own multi purpose building, we were denied,” Price added. “Winder gave $5k towards the Toccoa campground, Winder paid a portion of Pastor Dons insurance monthly, Winder gave $200 a month to the radio station for 12 years, Winder campus supported a War Hill mission in Germany for several years.”
Though Winder Church is currently a flock without a home or an alternate plan to obtain one, Price has no regrets.
“Winder Church, we counted the cost and paid it,” Price posted Thursday on social media. “If any one of you has been helped by this, it was worth it! Setting our eyes on what God has in store for us! No turning back, no turning back.”
War Hill Church did not respond to requests from MinistryWatch for comment.
It sounds like the typical Baptist Church split............
Ping
That's mighty bigoted of you.
>> It sounds like the typical Baptist Church split...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was on a walk along a bridge when I saw a man about to jump off. I tried to dissuade him from committing suicide and told him simply that God loved him. A tear came to his eye.
I then asked him, “Are you a Christian, a Jew, a Hindu, or what?”
He said, “I’m a Christian.”
I said, “Me, too, small world. . .Protestant or Catholic?”
He said, “Protestant.”
I said, “Me, too, what denomination?”
He said, “Baptist.”
I said, “Me, too, Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?”
He said, “Northern Baptist.”
I said, “Well, ME TOO, Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?”
He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist.”
I said, “Well, that’s amazing! Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist or Northern Conservative Reformed Baptist?”
He said, “Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist.”
I said, “Remarkable! Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Great Lakes Region or Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Eastern Region?”
He said, “Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Great Lakes Region.”
I said, “A miracle! Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?”
He said, “Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912.”
I said, “DIE, HERETIC!’ and pushed him over the rail.
I’m a Baptist!.............
I saw something about PTA moms and thought it had something to do with MILFs. 😊
And classic small Baptist issue. I know from experience.
I don’t have a stake in this, but the leaders of the faction that was removed from the property are morons. They (and their congregation) apparently put a lot of money and energy into a property they don’t even own, and have no claim on it through a lease or other agreement.
I have one word: Congregationalism.
>> the leaders of the faction that was removed from the property are morons
I’m not familiar with the Morons. Isn’t that an Episcopalian subsect?
(dodging cans and bottles thrown from the audience)
No, they are part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Saturday Saints, the Morons.
I have been in the ministry for more than thirty years, and it is not rare at all for people to show up and try to steal church members to help them with their own “ministry.”
I haven’t ever suffered from a church split. I think it’s because I preach honestly, they know I’m not in it for the money and I know how to balance my pastoral authority with genuine friendship. I have their backs, and they have mine.
When someone comes in and starts asking other members to join them for private bible study or to do other things, they simply tell me. I am discerning enough to tell when someone is up to no good. In fact, I had a conversation with someone doing this just a few weeks ago in the presence of one of my deacons. He never returned.
Does your church have small groups which meet regularly?
Are these groups located at the building, or in the homes of believers?
Shake the dust from your sandals and move on..time to let God deal with it.
Proverbs warns about going to court with an unjust person, lest the courts decide against you.
5 minutes of welcome,
45 minutes of rock concert,
10 minutes of the pastor talking about whatever and 1 or 2 Bible verses and
10 more minutes of more live music, with the lead singer calling everybody to sing along, give your heart to God. Etc..
very profitable! they make a lot of money for more electronics and cameras.....
all mush, no meat. I got more meat in a luthern Sunday scholl school as a 3rd grader than this entire 1 hour setvice..
Bigoted? Hardly.
In fact, it’s probably a bit too localized - could just as easily substitute ‘Protestant’ with the ‘Baptist’.
Very ear tickling!
There is nothing typical about a baptist church or any church break up. It’s bigoted to say such a ignoramic thing.
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