Pastor Schaap's Former Church First Baptist of Hammond Plan Lay Offs

Pastor Schaap's Former Church First Baptist of Hammond Plan Lay Offs

The First Baptist Church of Hammond is laying off  a quarter of the church's staff, a church spokesman confirmed last week.

The layoffs happen to come in the wake of a federal guilty plea by the church's former head Pastor Jack Schaap, who admitted to a sexual relationship with an underage parish girl he had been counseling.

Even though church donations have remained the same, church leaders decided to include a $1 million per year loan payment into its budget, which just happens to forced the church to have to layoff staffers, said Eddie Lapina, the church's interim pastor.

Lapina said outside donations have been used to support the payment, but those have not met expectations. The church took out the loan when it expanded and built its auditorium nearly seven years ago and has $16 million remaining to pay.

“I just have never had to do anything more difficult in my life,” said Lapina of the layoffs, calling people who were laid off excellent workers.

Layoffs began Thursday and may continue through the week, said church spokesman Eddie Wilson. The cuts left the church's radio station, WRTW-FM 90.5, with one employee.

Along with the loan payment, the church has seen a steady decline in donations and gifts since 2008, Wilson said. Lapina estimated donations are down 10 percent from last year.
“In looking at this, it has been a long time coming,” Wilson said. “And we've had some major donors that have not been able to give at the same level as they have."

Read more about the restructuring of finances due to a new pastor and buildings HERE.

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Indiana Pastor Jack Schaap Fired for Committing Adultery with Young Woman

Indiana Pastor Jack Schaap Fired for Committing Adultery with Young Woman

Pastor Jack Schaap was under investigation and is no longer the head of the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana.

Schaap, 54, was pastor of the First Baptist Church since 2001, and was fired by a 100 male deacon board, according Eddie Wilson, director of public relations for the church.

Wilson said Schaap is under scrutiny for an inappropriate relationship with a young woman. Schaap is married.

Sheriff John Buncich confirmed the church contacted him and Schaap's actions were under investigation by detectives.

"He was very open and very ashamed and very, very sad by his actions," Wilson said.

FOX Chicago News learned information about the affair was sent to the Lake County Sheriff's department to determine if the girl was 18 at the time of the relationship. The young woman may have began her affair with the pastor as young as 16 years old.

The director of public relations for the church stated: "The church will move on and begin the process of calling a new pastor."

While declining to offer details on his firing, Wilson said church bylaws state adultery is a sin - a violation – and constitutes grounds for dismissal.

A press release from the church stated:

"Our church grieves over the need to take this action and the impact it will have on our people. We ask that everyone pray for the families involved and pray that the situation will be handled in a Christ-honoring manner."

Pastor Schaap built the First Baptist Church to more than 15,000 members and co-founded Hyles-Anderson College in Schererville.

Jack Schaap had been pastor of First Baptist Church for more than a decade.

"The pastor made an error - obviously made a mistake," Wilson said. "He was a charismatic leader, and he helped a lot of people in their struggles. Obviously there's still a fondness there for him. The one thing we want to be sure we bring is reconciliation to him and his wife. They are off together trying to reconcile their marriage, and we wish them the best."

According to the church website, Schaap graduated from Hyles-Anderson bible college in 1977 with a bachelor's degree in pastoral theology.

He and Cindy Hyles married in 1979 and Schaap began teaching at Hyles-Anderson. The couple have two children. He became vice president of the college in 1996 and became pastor at First Baptist after Jack Hyles' death in 2001.

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