Second Baptist Church: Return Our Right to Vote!

It is with a broken heart that this letter is written to inform the members of  Houston’s Second Baptist Church that in May of 2023, all 90,000+ members were deceived and stripped of their right to vote on church matters.

How was this done? 
A meeting of the church body was held in 2023 during the Memorial Day week,  with only approximately 200 members present. Notification of the upcoming meeting was quietly posted in the bottom of an email that the majority of the  90,000 members did not see and casually mentioned at one of the least attended services of the year, the day before Memorial Day. Of those attending, many were staff members or close friends of the senior pastor at that time who were personally asked to attend the meeting.

What happened during the meeting? 
The stated purpose of the meeting was to amend the by-laws of the church to defend the Church against the woke agenda. No other reasons for these proposed amendments were stated and certainly nothing was stated in the notice about eliminating the vote of the members or the dramatic governance changes. Those at the meeting were not given a copy of the proposed new by-laws, nor were all  of the proposed changes to the by-laws explained to those in attendance,  including the elimination of the vote or the extraordinary powers given to the  Senior Pastor or any future Senior Pastor.

 
There were many changes proposed in the new by-laws, but the most important, and the reason for this letter was this: The attendees were not told that if they voted in favor of the new by-laws that all 90,000+ members of the church would be stripped of their voting rights. A right that all members have had since the founding of the church nearly 100 years ago.

The vote was presented in a way that was meant to mislead the church body. Another word for misleading is deceptive.

Why does this matter? 
The new by-laws stripped from the members all powers to manage the church, and its more than $1 Billion in assets, paid for by members faithful tithing and gifts, into the hands of the Senior Pastor, who now controls the church with no oversight by an independent board.

What does this mean? 
This means the Senior Pastor can now at any time for any reasons, without a vote of the members or a Board of Trustees elected by the members: 

• Sell or merge Second Baptist with any other church, even to a family  member 

• Close or sell any campus

• Close or sell Second Baptist School 

• Raise the Senior Pastor’s salary and that of his leadership, to any amount, in  total secrecy 

• Appoint the next Senior Pastor to lead the church, without a search process.

 

Future Generations: 
There are many other powers given to the Senior Pastor in the new by-laws, but the greatest concern to highlight is that this unchecked control does not stop with the current leader.

The new by-laws not only give unconstrained power to the current Senior Pastor,  but also to every Senior Pastor that follows.

How do we know this? 
We encourage every member of the church to read the new by-laws for themselves.  Do not let the by-laws be interpreted for you. READ THEM. And compare them to the old by-laws to have a complete understanding of what took place in May 2023.  (The old by-laws may be found on this website: www.jeremiahcounsel.org)

The current church leadership has chosen to make it very difficult for anyone to read the new by-laws, which is why they do not publish them on the church website. As of the typing of this letter, in order to read the by-laws, you must schedule an appointment with the business manager of the church. Once you get an appointment, you will be informed that you may only read the by-laws in the church office, and no copies of the by-laws may be removed from that office.

Items of Note in the By-Laws: 
When reading the by-laws, it will appear that there is a “board” that the Senior  Pastor must answer to, referred to as the Ministry Leadership Team (“MLT”). This  naturally begs the question, “Why would anyone be concerned about the new  governance if there is a board in place?”

What you will see when reading the by-laws, is the Senior Pastor is the only person who can appoint board members. And the Senior Pastor cannot be removed from the MLT at any time, for any reason.

Who sits on the MLT? The church leadership also keeps that information concealed, with no listing on the website or in any other church publication. The likely reason for the secrecy is that, as of this writing, the overwhelming majority of the MLT are family members of the Senior Pastor or employees/service providers who are paid by the church. Of note: the majority of the MLT are not even members of Second Baptist Church.

What has transpired since May 2023? 
Many long-time church members, current and former deacon officers have attempted to discuss their concerns with the Senior Pastor about the dangers to the church created by the changes to the by-laws.

How was this done? 
In accordance with the four steps outlined in Matthew 18:15-17 

• First: Talk to the person privately: “…go and point out their fault, just  between the two of you.” 

  • This was done on multiple occasions with senior leaders of the church. 

• Second: If they do not listen, bring one or two others with you: “…that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three  witnesses.”

  • This was done on numerous occasions with senior leaders of the church. 

• Third: If they still do not listen, involve the church: “…tell it to the  church.” 

  • This was done in 2024 via multiple written letters to inform the church and the deacon body of what had transpired. 

• Fourth: If they still refuse to listen to the church: “...treat them as you  would a pagan or tax collector.” 

 

What were the results? 
The Senior Pastor has stated repeatedly that he has no interest in changing the governance, and he is unwilling to give the membership back their vote. He has removed from leadership the church members who have questioned his authority.

If a pastor has deceived church members out of their right to vote, or in any way manipulated the truth of what members were voting on when asked to change the by-laws, this is no longer just a spiritual issue, it is also a legal and organizational breach of trust.

What happens now? 
Deceiving membership and manipulating governance is both a violation of fiduciary duty and deception, which scripture condemns in leaders (Titus 1:7).

This is a clear situation where the church body was betrayed and manipulated by someone they trusted. They were not provided with the full document that showed what they were voting on, and the vote was conducted in a deceitful manner.  Further, the Senior Pastor has refused to listen to wise counsel from faithful church members. The only path forward to protect the church was to engage a third party to overturn the coup.

Why Now? 2-Year Statute of Limitations: 
For almost two years, long-time members of the church have tried to correct the wrong that was done to the governance of the church. They have tried to deliver  solutions that would be easy to implement and provide comfort to the 90,000+ members so they know there are proper checks and balances in place to protect the church. Their efforts have fallen on deaf ears.

The Senior Pastor appears to not want accountability and is unwilling to give up the power he possesses over the $ 1 Billion in assets owned by the church.

Unfortunately, the time has run out to protect the church. The 2-year statute of limitations ends in May 2025. If nothing was done by the end of May, there would be no legal recourse possible. The choice became to walk away, and hand everything over to one man, or take action to protect this incredible church for generations to come.

It is always better for conflicts within the church to stay within the church. But when all options have been exhausted, and there is no other course of action, it forces everyone’s hand. Those leading this effort seek nothing in return. No money and no positions of power. They only seek good governance at the great institution they have loved and served for decades.

The Senior Pastor has allowed this situation to get to a place where the only path remaining to safeguard the church, and its assets, is legal action to overturn the takeover that occurred in May 2023, before the two-year statute of limitations expires.

Give the Membership Back Their Vote: 
There is an honorable and fair way to resolve this matter, without involving the court system. The Senior Pastor should call a meeting of the church membership to vote on the by-laws he believes should govern the church. The vote should be  100% transparent and provide plenty of time for the membership to plan to attend the meeting. If the membership votes to support his proposed new by-laws,  everyone will know that was the will of the church body, without deception.

 

These steps would provide a fair and transparent process:  

• Schedule a vote on the proposed by-laws with 30 days’ notice to all  members of Second Baptist  

• Provide both electronic and physical copies to all members at least 14 days in advance so they can make an informed decision 

• Let both sides of this issue present their case

• Then let the members vote, which was their right for nearly 100 years, up  until it was taken away from them

Proceeding in this way would enable the membership to have a voice in the governance of the church they love, restore trust in the church leadership, and avoid a long and unpleasant public court battle. There is no reason the Senior  Pastor should not be willing to put the matter to a vote of his membership.

Church Members:  
You are not being divisive by seeking accountability from our leaders. You are being faithful! 

You’re not being divisive by seeking truth! You are honoring Christ’s call to truth, accountability, and protection of His church.

Call to Action: 
What can you do to right this wrong?  

1. Verify the facts of this letter. Call 713-465-3408 and schedule an appointment to read the by-laws for yourself to see where it is now written that members no longer have a vote (Article 4.03 (b) in the last sentence). 

2. Forward this letter to everyone you know at the church, stating that you have verified its accuracy.  

3. Please contact the Senior Pastor in person, in writing, and by calling 713-465-3408, and ask him to give you your vote back that was deceitfully taken away in May of 2023.

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Second Baptist Church of Houston has an outstanding heritage that has been built over nearly l00 years. Only through the immediate activation of the 90,000  members can that legacy be protected for future generations. 

Ask yourself: If not you, then who? If not now, then when?