The distrust, disharmony and accusations were difficult. The interjection of lawyers, the inevitable lawsuit and the presence of police ready to step between the aggrieved parties made a tough situation worse.
An hours-long mediation settlement conference failed to produce a mutually agreeable settlement.
Appearances aside, we're not talking about dissolving a business partnership or a nasty divorce. We're talking about a schism that's threatening the survival of St. Stephen Missionary Baptist Church, a bedrock of the faith community for 75 years.
"Nobody wanted it to go this far," said Michael Lowe, a longtime member of the church. "Nobody wanted to go to court.... But we've done everything we can think of to do.
"We just want our church back."
Mounting frustration
The tug-of-war over St. Stephen, located on Noble Street near Carver High School, started shortly after the Rev. James E. Cook was hired to lead the congregation in 2007 at an annual salary of $60,000.
The by-laws that had governed church operations since 1974 were amended, and the annual meetings that traditionally were used to discuss financial and other matters ceased. Stories circulated that Cook had received a substantial raise without it being approved by the congregation.
"When we asked what he's making, (Cook) told us that he doesn't know what we make on our jobs so why should we know what he makes on his?" Lowe said.
Frustrated with a lack of satisfactory answers, 10 members of the church (including nine deacons) filed a lawsuit in June 2009 against Cook and 11 others in church leadership.
In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs maintain that the church by-laws had been changed through deception, and they demanded detailed accounting of records, including a list of church assets, copies of employment contracts and salary records. They also asked for a court injunction to prevent the sale of church property and claimed that church membership had decreased from 1,200 in 2006 to less than 300.
No wrongdoing was alleged in the lawsuit.
"We just want to see how money was spent," said Clifford Hubbard, one of the deacons who filed the lawsuit.
As the lawsuit made its way through the tedious process of filing interrogatories, motions and answers, tensions escalated. Cook and his supporters attempted to bar some members from attending services, and off-duty police were hired to patrol church grounds. No one was ever charged, but intense discussions occurred on at least some mornings.
Lawrence Rucker Sr., the chairman of the church's board of directors, did not return calls. When I talked with Cook, he expressed more concern about how I'd gotten his phone number at home in Kernersville than with answering a few questions.
"Somebody will be calling you in the next 24 hours. It'll be a board member," he said before hanging up.
The next day, a member of the church board of directors named Nate Barber rang to speak for the defendants. He didn't want to talk specifics, either, saying that the dispute was an internal matter.
Remaining hopeful
Weary of the legal back-and-forth, the disgruntled church members agreed to a mediation conference.
They received some information -- a year-end financial report from 2009 that showed total income of $650,961 and some general information on expenses such as mortgage costs and insurance -- but not in enough detail to show the salary figures.
"Let the congregation decide. Majority rule," Lowe said, referring to how the church should be governed going forward. "That's all we're asking."
The members have the option of refiling their lawsuit -- they took a voluntary dismissal to see if mediation could work -- and despite the acrimony, they remain hopeful that St. Stephen can be healed.
"If you've been somewhere for 50 years, you get attached to it," said member Clarence Burton, another plaintiff in the lawsuit. "You come to love it, and you're not going to let somebody run you off."
ssexton@wsjournal.com
727-7481
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