A Houston megachurch has been in the news due to member concerns about the ways its bylaws were amended and governance was effectively removed from the congregation and entrusted to a small group handpicked by the senior pastor. While this…
Lawsuit against Second Baptist Houston tossed out
Finding the definition of a “biblical church” became a linchpin in the unsuccessful lawsuit filed by some members of Second Baptist Church of Houston against the leadership of their megachurch. Texas Business Court Judge Grant Dorfman dismissed the entire case…
Second Baptist Houston lawsuit headed to trial
A lawsuit brought against leaders of Second Baptist Church of Houston will proceed to a jury trial scheduled for July 27, now that mediation efforts failed. Nothing more about the mediation efforts is publicly stated, as the letter from the…
Ed Young says Trump is not a racist
President Donald Trump is not a racist, according to Southern Baptist megachurch pastor Ed Young of Dallas. On Saturday, Feb. 7, the pastor of multicampus Fellowship Church based in Grapevine, Texas, posted a set of four slides on Facebook addressing…
Where does a multi-site megachurch find a new pastor?
When Gateway Church in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex announced its new senior pastor, most attention fell on Daniel Floyd’s role in picking up the pieces of his predecessor’s sexual abuse scandal. But his appointment is significant for another reason: He…
How to steal a Baptist church
With his father and brother in the news for taking control of a Houston megachurch, Ed Young of Fellowship Church in Dallas is now hawking a downloadable Church Bylaws Kit for other pastors who desire to become Controlling Executive Officers….
Houston lawsuit is a tale of pastoral succession, megachurch wealth and family dynasty
Pastoral succession, megachurch wealth and family dynasties combine in a lawsuit filed against Second Baptist Church of Houston and its leaders April 15. The Southern Baptist congregation is the 17th largest church in America, according to Outreach magazine, with average…
87-year-old Ed Young steps down at Second Baptist Houston, to be succeeded by his son
When Ed Young became pastor of Second Baptist Church in Houston, Jimmy Carter was president of the United States. Forty-six years later, at age 87, the high-profile pastor is stepping down and has named his 60-year-old son as his successor….
Ed Young calls immigrants ‘undesirables,’ ‘garbage’ and ‘raff’
A former president of the Southern Baptist Convention and a leader in the denomination’s “conservative resurgence” told his Houston megachurch Feb. 25 migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border are “undesirables, “garbage” and “raff.” Roaming back and forth on a stage adorned…
What Trump (and evangelical pastors) learned from pro wrestling
Every Friday night, good collided with evil in Calgary, Alberta. It was a preacher’s kid who turned me on to Stampede Wrestling in the 1960s. I was riveted. Especially when Archie (The Stomper) Gouldie launched into one of his patented…
Of politicians and pastors who can’t quit
Politicians and pastors may share more things in common than you would imagine, but one common trait is ego. It takes a strong ego to subject yourself to a run for public office, and it takes a strong ego to…
SBC president calls for investigation of churches accused of harboring sexual predators
The president of the Southern Baptist Convention on Monday urged officials to investigate whether 10 churches identified in a Houston Chronicle/San Antonio Express-News series of articles about child sex abuse remain “in friendly cooperation” with the nation’s second-largest faith group…