In a surprising twist of events in Tennessee, a pastor who had initially seized the church’s assets and announced its closure has now agreed to return control to the congregation. This decision follows significant pressure from the church members, who were left grappling with the abrupt changes.
Former congregants of the now-defunct Connect Church in Halls revealed to WMC Action News 5 that Pastor Ron Smith declared on November 9th that the church would be closed immediately due to dwindling membership and financial difficulties.
“I’ve been in ministry 52 years. I have never in 52 years been through this. I’ve never had a church quit tithing,” Smith was quoted in a recording shared by WMC. “The church in its present condition cannot sustain itself.”
The church, which has operated as an independent non-denominational nonprofit since 1999, underwent several name and leadership transitions, most recently being rebranded as Connect Church by Smith in 2020.
Despite a congregational vote to keep the church operational, Smith dismissed the vote as invalid, citing that he did not authorize the meeting. “This little vote you had today was not called by me or approved by me. So, this little vote is null and void,” Smith stated in a recording.
Smith also suggested that if the community wished to continue worshiping at the property, they would have to form a new church entity and rent the building from the Connect Church Corporation, where he served as president and his wife, Donna, as secretary.
“Now, if you want to get together and you want to have a church in this building, then you’re welcome to create a new church and rent this property,” he said.
However, members like Regina Nash noted that the congregation owned the building outright, refuting the need to pay rent. “There is no rent on this building,” Nash asserted.
Following the closure announcement, Smith reportedly relocated the nonprofit’s address to Atoka, Tennessee, and replaced the church’s board members with new appointees.
According to local police in Halls, although Smith and his wife legally placed themselves as the sole signees on the church’s bank account by removing church secretary Anita Cates, they did not break any laws.
Cates challenged Smith’s financial assessment of the church, highlighting that there was approximately $13,000 in the bank and property assets valued around $400,000. “We own two other buildings right beside … and a property on the bypass, which could have been sold to help compensate if we did get too low,” she mentioned.
Smith has committed to returning the church’s assets following mediation, but the timeline for when he will relinquish control remains uncertain. The congregation has since reopened under a new name — Real Life Community Church.
This article was originally written by www.christianpost.com
