Goodbye, Gospel Lighthouse
This week the Assemblies of God is liquidating our former church property, proving they never were really interested in preserving the property for the Assemblies of God. Listed 11/3/09, asking price $279k. Sale pending.
I have included the link to the real estate listing, but since the listing is likely short-lived, I have also included the contents of the listing below.
http://www.churchrealestatesales.com/14010_toepfer_warren.htm
Full text of the listing:
Short Summary: This re-post of the article in my previous post titled ‘Assemblies of God – Abusing Local Ministers and Confiscating Church Property’ documents why proposed resolutions 12, 13, and 14 of the 53rd General Council of the Assemblies of God are extremeley dangerous in the hands of our current AG leadership. They increase AG ability to steal your church’s property. Before you conclude that this is an overstatement, read the article below, which documents the actions of Assemblies of God Michigan leadership, and the backing of those actions by Assemblies of God national leadership. Innocent ministers are being abused. All appeals regarding district abuse are ignored by AG national leadership. The AG has misutilized contributions from member churches and minister’s tithes by using these funds to file lawsuits to steal property from local congregations, creating case precedent for the same actions against other churches. The AG is claiming they are a hierarchical organization (denomination) in courts of law. The last 2 pages of the article focus on the danger of the 53rd General Council proposed resolutions 12, 13, and 14. You will need to read the entire article to understand why these proposed resolutions are so dangerous.
The text in this post is only for the benefit of search engines.
Short Summary: In a warning to Michigan Assemblies of God (AG) member churches, this article documents the actions of the Assemblies of God Michigan District over the past 5 years to:
This article documents the actions of Assemblies of God Michigan leadership, and the backing of those actions by Assemblies of God national leadership. Innocent ministers are being abused. All appeals regarding district abuse are ignored by AG national leadership. The AG has misutilized contributions from member churches and minister’s tithes by using these funds to file lawsuits to steal property from local congregations, creating case precedent for the same actions against other churches. The AG is claiming they are a hierarchical organization (denomination) in courts of law. The AG is arbitrarily dismissing as ‘unethical’ any innocent minister who decides to disaffiliate from the Assemblies of God. The last 2 pages of the article focus on the danger of the 53rd General Council proposed resolutions 12, 13, and 14.
The text in this post is only for the benefit of search engines.
Assemblies of God vs. Christianity, Part 6
(see entire series)
Here is some online documentation about our court case, including the latest opinion from the Michigan Supreme Court. Please also read my comments further below in this post to see how the courts made the wrong decision by overlooking key evidence. I have also documented how the Assemblies of God changed their constitution and bylaws while this case was in litigation, and how the Assemblies of God deceifully submitted their updated constitution and bylaws as evidence which the courts used in deciding the case. In future posts I will document other details which further expose the deceit of the Michigan District of the Assemblies of God, as well as things the Michigan courts have overlooked in deciding the case.
ONLINE DOCUMENTATION:
2.a.: First appeal timeline. Opinion from first appeal 07 19 2007.
2.b. Second appeal timeline. Opinion from second appeal 06 18 2009.
3. California case where AOG lost because California uses neutral principles approach.
MY COMMENTS: (Martin Luther mode ON)
The Michigan Court opinions prefer and quote the Assemblies of God (AG) constitution/bylaws (c/b) over the local church’s c/b, despite the following facts: Read the rest of this entry »
Assemblies of God vs. Christianity, Part 5
(see entire series)
Dear friends,
The property and assets of the church I attend (Gospel Lighthouse) is being taken over by the Michigan District of the Assemblies of God (AOG), who sued us for the property after we left the denomination in 2004. Yesterday the Michigan Court of Appeals (COA) ruled in favor of the Assemblies of God. Their unpublished opinion was placed on the internet on Thursday, and affirmed the lower court’s decision that the Assemblies of God is hierarchical over our local congregation. The court is basically ruling that the AOG Michigan District owns the property of Gospel Lighthouse. Read the rest of this entry »
Assemblies of God vs. Christianity, Part 4
(see entire series)
UPDATE: Case is scheduled to come before the Michigan Court of Appeals on Wed, Jun 3, 2009.
BACKGROUND: The Assemblies of God, Michigan District has sued a small church for its property of 25 years, despite never having contributed a dime for the property’s purchase or upkeep. Why? Because the church decided to break its ties with the AOG fellowship of churches. In its legal briefs, the AOG Michigan District claims the AOG is hierarchical, and therefore the local church forfeits all its rights after voluntarily joining the AOG. The church disagrees. The legal battle was originally won by the church, but the AOG Michigan District appealed to Michigan Court of Appeals. The Appeals Court sent the case back down for a determination of whether AOG is hierarchical. The local judge ignored the facts and made a decision in favor of AOG Michigan District (probably based on his own church affiliation, which is hierarchical). The church appealed. Now their day in court is scheduled for June 2009. Read the rest of this entry »
Assemblies of God vs. Christianity, Part 3
(see entire series)
An update on the situation. The church being bullied by the Assemblies of God Michigan District is appealing the circuit court’s decision. So the saga continues, perhaps another year or two… AOG? Or the local church being bullied by the AOG? The church fights back!
Assemblies of God vs. Christianity, Part 2
(see entire series)
Beware, American churches! Affiliation with a religious denomination may cost your church its property! Welcome to the death of American religious freedom. Beware of putting your blood, sweat, and tears into the property owned by a local church ministry that is affiliated with a formal religious denomination! (Did I just say that?) Read the rest of this entry »
Assemblies of God vs. Christianity, Part 1
(see entire series)
Sorry for the strange title, but we are starting in the middle of the story. Actually, possibly very near the end. Perhaps I’ll fill you in on the background another day. But for today, suffice it to say that the Assemblies of God (AOG) Michigan District may be on the verge of successfully stealing the property belonging to a small church in Warren, Michigan. This church has never received a dime from the AOG, either for the purchase/upkeep of the building or grounds, or for carrying out the ministry that Jesus Christ intends this local church to accomplish. Yet because the church decided to affiliate with AOG (on the basis of theological agreement with AOG fundamental doctrines), AOG decided it has the right to force the church to sign over its property and bank accounts. This despite the fact that the church is registered with the State of Michigan as an independent nonprofit corporation. Read the rest of this entry »
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