Yet Another Memorial Day Deception: Senior Pastor Dr. Ben Young - First Installment

If you have not yet read it, we call your attention to a recent article: “How to Steal a Baptist Church”: https://baptistnews.com/article/how-to-steal-a-baptist-church/

Is this what has been happening at Second Baptist?

Fortunately, an email just sent by Senior Pastor Dr. Ben Young should allow for a path to resolution. He was very effective in making the case as to why the alleged new bylaws create an irresponsible governance structure for Second Baptist. This letter addresses his statements directly and, because he personally signed the email, we will cite his actual words, referring to him as Pastor Ben Young, followed by our response.

On Friday, May 23, 2025, Memorial Day weekend, at 10:20 p.m., Second Baptist Senior Pastor, Dr. Ben Young, sent an email to church leadership, including Deacons, teachers, and directors. It is more than ironic that Pastor Ben Young chose the Memorial Day weekend in 2025, as this conflict regarding SBC governance started during Memorial Day weekend in 2023, when then Senior Pastor, Dr. H. Edwin Young sent a cryptic email to the membership. Buried near the end of that 2023 holiday weekend email, Dr. Ed Young announced a Church Business Meeting for the following Wednesday, to “update our bylaws to protect our ability to continue operating as a biblical church.”

That non-descript email disguised a campaign by church leadership to facilitate an illegitimate vote, by approximately 200 of the ~90,000 members, to approve new bylaws ostensibly to “protect the church from the woke agenda,” but which were actually intended to strip all members of their right to vote, forever, without them knowing what was happening.

The space required to appropriately refute each of Pastor Ben Young’s comments will make a single letter too long, so we are going to provide some overriding points in this first installment. We will then distribute a series of detailed follow-up commentaries over the coming weeks. Each of those replies will provide irrefutable facts that address Pastor Ben Young’s statements.

With that overview, here is your first installment!

THE TALKING POINTS VS. THE FACTS:

On the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend 2025, Pastor Ben Young sent a letter attempting to defend the events surrounding the May 2023 alleged bylaw changes, and resulting governance, at Second Baptist Church. He painted a picture of order, unity, and legality.

But, in his OWN WORDS, Pastor Ben Young acknowledges that accountability is important and then provides information that explains precisely why the governance structure designed by the alleged bylaws are dangerous and is not in the best interest of Second Baptist Church.

This quick summary lays out a side-by-side factual check and then will be followed by an in-depth report on each subject that will be sent over the next few weeks. The items below are backed by timelines, firsthand accounts, and legal context.

• Pastor Ben Young said: “We’ve always been a staff-led church.”

  → The Facts: Second Baptist has been a member-led church for nearly a century. That ended with one vote, in one meeting, where fewer than 0.2% of members were present, none of whom were told they were voting to eliminate their own rights.

  
  

• Pastor Ben Young said: “The trustees unanimously approved the new bylaws.”

  → The Facts: The Board of Trustees received the draft of the revised bylaws just 48 hours before the meeting, over Memorial Day weekend. They were never told the changes would eliminate member voting. One trustee, falsely accused by Pastor Young of helping write the bylaws, did not even see an unfinished draft until May 24 and specifically asked for the May 31 meeting to be postponed so Trustees would have more time to evaluate what was being proposed in the alleged new bylaws. His request was denied.

  
  

• Pastor Ben Young said: “The church body voted with clarity and unity.”

  → The Facts: Fewer than 200 of 90,000 members were present. No one received the bylaws in writing and no mention was made that the vote would permanently strip member voting rights.

  
  

• Pastor Ben Young said: “The bylaws were not deceptive.”

  → The Facts: The provision removing voting rights was a single sentence that was buried in a section on Marriage and Family, never disclosed to members, and never explained before the vote. This was a textbook case of concealment.

  
  

• Pastor Ben Young said: “This was done biblically and legally.”

  → The Facts: Texas Nonprofit Corporation Law requires advance notice and clear disclosure of any amendment removing member rights. That did not happen. The process was not only unethical; it did not comply with the Texas statute.

  
  

• Pastor Ben Young said: “We have strong checks and balances.”

  → The Facts: Every so-called oversight committee, Finance, Personnel, Budget, is appointed and removable by Pastor Young. Members can no longer see the financial audit, a right they had for decades. There is no independent board elected by the congregation.

  
  

• Pastor Ben Young said: “Self-dealing is not allowed.”

  → The Facts: Section 5.10 of the new bylaws allows self-dealing. The Senior Pastor, together with his handpicked MLT, holds near-total authority over the church’s assets, including real estate, compensation, and major financial decisions, without member oversight.

  
  

• Pastor Ben Young said: “You can access the bylaws at any campus.”

  → The Facts: Only after months of public pressure were members allowed to view the bylaws at their home campus. But access is limited: by appointment only, under supervision, with no copies or photos allowed. That is not transparency, it is intimidation.

  
  

• Pastor Ben Young said: “The Ministry Leadership Team is balanced and responsible.”

  → The Facts: The MLT is composed of family, paid staff, and loyal affiliates, all handpicked by Pastor Young. Not only that, but the bylaws also give the senior pastor the ability to have TWO VOTES to break a tie! This is not oversight; it is insulation.

Name	Role	JCC Comment
David Tauber	Church Member	Can be removed at any time from the MLT
Lee Maxcy	Finance Pastor (Staff)	Paid staff; removable by Pastor Ben Young
Cliff Young	Global Worship Pastor	Pastor Ben Young's Brother
Dennis Brewer	Attorney	Paid church lawyer; is CFO of Fellowship Church in Dallas, run by Pastor Ben Young’s brother, Ed Young
Mac Richard	Pastor, Lake Hills Church	Pastor Ben Young’s family member
Dr. Ben Young	Senior Pastor	Appoints the board; has the ability to cast two votes

• Pastor Ben Young said: “This model fits the size and scope of our church.”

  → The Facts: The alleged bylaws mirror a $70 “Church Bylaws Kit” sold by Pastor Young’s brother, Ed Young Jr., through https://creativepastors.com/product/church-bylaws-kit/. That kit is explicitly designed to help churches eliminate member voting and place centralized power in the hands of the Senior Pastor, which is exactly what has happened at SBC.

  
  

• Pastor Ben Young said: “I don’t understand what this is all about.”

  → The Facts: If true, this reflects a dangerous level of detachment. But the more likely truth is this: Pastor Ben Young knows exactly what this is about, a consolidation of power with no transparency, no independent oversight and no way for members to hold the staff accountable.

Is this what Dr. H. Edwin Young meant when he told multiple witnesses, “This was the biggest mistake of my life!”?

If this model is truly right for Second Baptist, then let the members vote on it, freely and transparently.

The members of Second Baptist Church were never given the opportunity to have an informed vote. It is not too late to make it right. A church-wide vote, with full disclosure, independent verification, and equal time for representatives from both sides to present their case whether SBC should be a member-led church or a staff-led church. This is the best path forward to restore integrity and trust.

Pastor Ben Young – Do the Honorable Thing – Right the Wrong of 2023

What is most concerning is how Pastor Young cannot see that this structure could be used inappropriately by anyone who becomes Senior Pastor AFTER him. The leader’s role is to protect the church, for generations!

Here within is the obvious solution that would remove this matter from the court system and allow the church to heal and be unified. Pastor Ben Young, we are calling on you to lead, as you have the power to resolve all issues with the stroke of a pen, if you are truly willing to do what is best for Second Baptist Church.

Call a meeting of the church membership to vote on the alleged new bylaws that you believe should govern the church. If the membership votes to support the proposed new bylaws, everyone will know that it was the will of the church body, with full disclosure and no deception. These steps would provide a fair and transparent process:

Schedule a vote on the proposed bylaws with at least 60 days notice to all members of Second Baptist, at a centralized location for efficiency

Provide both electronic and physical copies to all members at least 30 days in advance so they can make an informed decision

Require every person who attends the meeting to sign in and have an independent third party verify their church membership

Let both sides of this issue present their case to the membership with equal time

Then let the members cast a written vote which is counted by an independent third party that is agreeable to both sides

This would allow this matter to be resolved within the church, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars of tithes that are being used to pay legal fees on behalf of Pastor Ben Young and the other defendants. 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.

If the membership votes to no longer be a member-led church, then everyone will know that is indeed their desire and the decision was made with full transparency. There is no reason that you, as the Senior Pastor, should not be willing to put the bylaws that you clearly support to a transparent and fair vote of the membership.

Stay tuned for the next installment, with a more detailed look at the facts.

Please send this to every Second Baptist member you know.

Yours in Christ,

Jeremiah Counsel