Scenario 1: You were about to start a church building program. Your congregation has paid off its current building, and has been saving to start a building expansion. But satan raised up an accuser in your church who spoke a false witness against a church leader, accusing them of _________ (fill in the blank). The church began to split.
AG response: The local AG District office inserts itself into your church’s situation, thanks to newly-approved Resolution 12 (Organizational Assistance), and “bring(s) the church under district supervision” by reclassifying the church a “District Supervised Church”. Unbeknownst to you, the District’s Rules for a District Supervised Church allow the District to seize your church property and assets at its discretion. (For example, consider the AG Michigan District ‘Rules of Order for District Supervised Churches’, which state: “…if the Presbyter Board determines, in its sole and unrestricted discretion, that a church has ceased to be a viable church, or no longer adheres to Assemblies of God doctrine and practices, then the Presbyter Board shall have the option to take possession of and full title to all real, personal, intellectual, tangible and intangible, or other property of whatever kind of the church…”) The District Presbyter holds a meeting with his Presbyter Board and is able to convince them that your church’s leadership is renegade, and that the false witness from the accuser is true. The Presbyter Board begins to take possession of your property. They dismiss your entire church leadership without any charges or explanation. Your congregation still believes in your church leadership, and follows them to a new church, leaving your church property behind.
(NOTE: The scenario above happened to Gospel Lighthouse in Warren, MI from 2004-2009.)
Scenario 2: Your church feels the Assemblies of God has compromised the gospel by embracing incorrect doctrine. After much discussion, you decide to hold a special meeting to vote on removing your church’s affiliation with the Assemblies of God. Your local church’s bylaws reserve your church’s right to hold such a meeting and to disaffiliate upon a 75% vote of the congregation. You invite the District Presbyter to the meeting to allow him the opportunity to make his case for continued AG association.
AG response: The local District Presbyter, upon hearing of your church’s special meeting, claims this is an emergency situation and declares his intent to reclassify the church as a ‘District Supervised Church’, in order to bring the church under district supervision. In accordance with newly-approved Resolution 12 (Organizational Assistance), he meets with his District Presbyter board, who votes to reclassify the church. Your church is notified of the reclassification, but holds the special business meeting anyway. The District Presbyter makes a passionate appeal at the meeting, but your congregation still votes to disaffiliate with a 92% vote. The next week, the church receives a letter from the District Presbyter’s lawyer, stating that the church’s vote was null and void, thanks to newly-approved Resolution 13A. This resolution removed the statement, “Final disposition of the matter may then proceed in accordance with the constitution and bylaws of the local church,” from The General Council Bylaws Article VI, Section 4. The District declares the constitution and bylaws of the General Council and District to be in effect, and the church’s constitution and bylaws to be null and void. The District’s constitution and bylaws do not allow for a District Supervised church to disaffiliate or to modify its own corporate documents without District approval. The District dismisses your Pastor for unethical conduct, because it considers the act of leading a church out of the AG to be unethical. The District declares your church property to be its own possession, and sues you for it. You lose after a lengthy court battle, because in its court briefs the AG claims it is a hierarchical ecclesiastical organization. The court agrees, and therefore cannot interfere with the AG property takeover due to the separation of church and state.
(NOTE: The scenario above has not happened to a particular church, but elements of this scenario have happened to Gospel Lighthouse in Warren, MI from 2004-2009, and Michiana Christian Embassy in Niles, MI from 2007-2008. Fortunately, Michiana Christian Embassy was able to successfully keep its church property because Resolution 13A had not yet been adopted, and so the language of the General Council Bylaws Article VI, Section 4 gave authority to the local church’s constitution and bylaws. Now Resolution 13A has removed that authority.)
AOG
Dear Chris,
After nearly 5 years, I am still being contacted by A/G Churches and credential holders concerning the issues all of you went through. Some inquiries are from ministers [A/G credential holders], others are from representatives of A/G Churches who are in litigation, or almost in litigation.
I received an inquiry last night [4th one this month] concerning the NY District trying to seize the property and assets of their Church, and were told that they were one of twenty two in the NYDAG being taken over. They want to fight the A/G, but as [you] know by now [and as I told my good friend Jeff] they will lose.
I did not see in your article[s] any reference to how the A/G brings [innocent] ministers under “charges” – dismisses them – and then goes after the Church and its assets. I believe these cases, going on all over the U.S. needs more exposure.
Further, this sister who wrote to me tells of how the Presbetery came into their Church on a Sunday morning during service [as they did in my Church after I was "dismissed"] as though they were the Schutzenstaffel of infamous Nazi Germany.
Perhape [we] can work together to write, collate, and post article[s] in order to expose these criminals, and especially to the unsuspecting Churches that are in the [nefarious] purview of the A/G “hierarchy.”
Let me know your thoughts.
Love in Christ,
Pastor Ray Barnett