Second Baptist pastor, deacon held liable in lawsuit; ordered to pay $500K
Tears and hugs were abundant among members of Second Baptist Church in Starkville on Wednesday afternoon.
The 12-day trial for a five-year lawsuit in Oktibbeha County Circuit Court ended with financial penalties against Pastor Joseph Stone and Head Deacon Terry Miller, after the jury found them responsible for negotiating a May 2013 contract with Long Beach-based TCM Construction to build a new sanctuary without the church’s board of trustees’ approval and withholding money collected through church offerings from the trustees.
Second Baptist leaders claim they followed majority of congregants’ will
Pastor Joseph Stone and Head Deacon Terry Miller of Second Baptist Church in Starkville denied wrongdoing from the witness stand last week in a civil trial over a church dispute over the failed construction of a new sanctuary.
Witness: Second Baptist pastor created ‘cult-like following’ over failed sanctuary project
Tasers. Threats of violence. Police alerted to show up at the first sign of trouble.
Business meetings at Second Baptist Church in Starkville had become contentious, even dangerous, as the congregation was divided due to a years-long dispute over a failed construction project, Charles Ware, a spokesman and adviser for the church’s board of trustees, said Tuesday on the witness stand in Oktibbeha County Circuit Court.