Church News and Exposing the misdeeds of Leaders in the Church
The bishop who oversees AME churches in the western United States abruptly transferred Hunter to a church in San Francisco in late October. But that church took the rare step of rejecting Hunter. On the day he was supposed to deliver his first sermon, church members physically blocked him from taking the pulpit.
Now Hunter is fighting to regain his position as pastor at First African Methodist Episcopal. He continues to live in the posh Encino home that the church pays for while the new pastor, the Rev. J. Edgar Boyd, lives in a hotel and is not receiving a salary. Hunter's wife is also refusing to relinquish control of the church's nonprofit organizations, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges that Denise Hunter orchestrated a "coup" to seize control of the nonprofits that she ran "as her own personal fiefdom." Federal tax records show the nonprofits have assets worth several million dollars.
One day after Hunter was moved from the Los Angeles church, Denise Hunter filed documents with the California secretary of state's office, appointing herself the corporations' new "agent for service," allowing her to act on behalf of the organizations, according to the state agency.
The lawsuit alleges that she removed all the corporations' files from church offices and told 100 employees that she — not the new pastor — was the chief executive. Since then, she has denied the church access to the financial records, the lawsuit states.
"She recently admitted to Pastor Boyd that her coup is designed to sever any supervision, control and influence" of the church and its parent over the corporations, the lawsuit states.
As a result, the church has asked a court for an immediate injunction barring the Hunters from access to corporation facilities, records and funds. The church also asked for a court-appointed receiver to take control of the corporations.
Hunter defended his wife's actions, saying she was simply completing long-planned changes.
"There was a vision to separate the corporations and church before I became pastor," he said. "Nothing illegal or wrong is done here. Everything is proper."
"There was a vision to separate the corporations and church before I became pastor," he said. "Nothing illegal or wrong is done here. Everything is proper."
“Once they take their vows, which we do each year, you go where you are sent. I was assigned [as bishop] to the Fifth District. I’ve served four years [as head of the district]. I have a lot of rebuilding of the walls to do,” he said, referencing the book of Nehemiah. “My whole program was to restructure the district. Some in the East needed to come West and some in the West needed to go East.”Kirkland makes note that pastors go where they are needed and take a vow to go wherever the bishop and the presiding elders send them.
Asked whether the congregation had any involvement in the decision, Kirkland said: “The congregation is always involved. They don’t determine [who stays or goes]. They will have some input, but the bishop and presiding elders take all that into consideration, based on what’s in the best interest of the church and the community.”Well, sounds like he's talking on two sides of his mouth when ultimately he's stating the church does not have control over who 'stays or goes', even if they can voice it. What an arrogant response to those who help build and keep that organization going in the name of Jesus!
