2 thoughts on “The Hostile Takeover of Faith Baptist”

  1. I watched the entire video and don’t know exactly has happened th Faith Baptist Church.

    It is clear that the church made a huge mistake in hiring Pastor Jason Little and failed to take affirmative action to remove him

    There has to be some more to the story. Is this it?

    Eastern District of North Carolina
    RALEIGH DIVISION
    Bankruptcy Petition #: 24-01592-5-DMW

    Assigned to: Judge David M. Warren
    Chapter 11

    Faith Baptist Church of Knightdale, N.C., Inc.

    2728 Marks Creek Rd.
    Knightdale, NC 27545
    WAKE-NC
    Tax ID / EIN: 56-1649469

    represented by
    Kathleen O’Malley

    Stevens Martin Vaughn & Tadych PLLC
    2225 W. Millbrook Road
    Raleigh, NC 27612
    919-582-2300
    Fax : 866-593-7695
    Email: komalley@smvt.com

    Stevens Martin Vaughn & Tadych, PLLC

    2225 W. Millbrook Road
    Raleigh, NC 27612
    919-582-2300

    Trustee

    George M. Oliver

    The Law Offices of Oliver & Cheek, PLLC
    PO Box 1548
    New Bern, NC 28563
    252 633-1930
    represented by
    George M. Oliver

    The Law Offices of Oliver & Cheek, PLLC
    PO Box 1548
    New Bern, NC 28563
    252 633-1930
    Fax : 252 633-1950
    Email: george@olivercheek.com

    Voluntary
    Asset

    03/04/2025 228
    Certificate of Service filed by Kathleen O’Malley on behalf of Faith Baptist Church of Knightdale, N.C., Inc. (RE: related document(s)227 Second Application for Compensation for Kathleen OMalley and Stevens Martin Vaughn & Tadych, PLLC, Debtor’s Attorney, Fee:$40,463.50, Expenses:$1,971.09.). (O’Malley, Kathleen) (Entered: 03/04/2025)

    03/03/2025 227
    Second Application for Compensation for Kathleen OMalley and Stevens Martin Vaughn & Tadych, PLLC, Debtor’s Attorney, Fee:$40,463.50, Expenses:$1,971.09. filed by Kathleen O’Malley (Attachments: # 1 Notice of Motion) (O’Malley, Kathleen) (Entered: 03/03/2025)

    03/03/2025 226
    Order Granting Motion to Extend Time (Related Doc # 225) (Gibson, Aileen) (Entered: 03/03/2025)

    02/28/2025 225
    Motion to Extend Time to File Monthly Reports filed by Kathleen O’Malley on behalf of Faith Baptist Church of Knightdale, N.C., Inc. (O’Malley, Kathleen) (Entered: 02/28/2025)

    02/18/2025 224
    Order Granting Application for Compensation (Related Doc # 217) for George M. Oliver, fees awarded: $2662.50, expenses awarded: $27.49 (Brock, Anna) (Entered: 02/18/2025)

    02/06/2025 223
    BNC Certificate Of Mailing – Hearing Notice Date 02/06/2025. (Related Doc # 222) (Admin.) (Entered: 02/07/2025)

    02/04/2025 222
    Notice of Continued/Rescheduled Hearing (related document(s): 40 Motion to Allow Payment of Severance filed by Kathleen O’Malley on behalf of Faith Baptist Church of Knightdale, N.C., Inc., 62 Chapter 11 Plan filed by Kathleen O’Malley on behalf of Faith Baptist Church of Knightdale, N.C., Inc., 71 Motion to Dismiss Case filed by Matthew W. Buckmiller on behalf of Brian Hopper Sr., Bill Iffland filed by Creditor Brian Hopper, Creditor Bill Iffland, 83 Motion for Relief from Stay filed by Matthew W. Buckmiller on behalf of Brian Hopper Sr., Bill Iffland) Hearing scheduled for 3/17/2025 at 12:30 PM at Raleigh Courtroom (3rd Floor) (Donleycott, Sarah) (Entered: 02/04/2025)

    02/04/2025
    Note to Courtroom Deputy – Remove from Calendar –
    Other- motion allowed (related document no.215 Notice of Hearing (related document(s): 208 Motion to Approve Compromise filed by Creditor Brian Hopper, Creditor Bill Iffland) Hearing scheduled for 2/10/2025 at 12:30 PM at Raleigh Courtroom (3rd Floor)) (Brock, Anna) (Entered: 02/04/2025)

    02/04/2025 221
    Order Granting Motion to Approve Compromise (Related Doc #208) (Brock, Anna) (Entered: 02/04/2025)

    01/31/2025 220
    Monthly Report for the Month of December 2024 filed by Kathleen O’Malley on behalf of Faith Baptist Church of Knightdale, N.C., Inc.. (O’Malley, Kathleen) (Entered: 01/31/2025)

    TC is this rest of the story or is there more ?

    Church Reform Initiative debuts trailer of upcoming new documentary: ‘J.D. GREEAR UNMASKED: How Faith Baptist Church Defeated a Ruthless SBC Elite’

    The Baptist Report
    Jun 01, 2025

    The Church Reform Initiative has debuted a trailer on YouTube about its upcoming documentary, which alleges a takeover attempt of Faith Baptist Church in Knightdale, N.C., by Summit Church, a Southern Baptist megachurch in Durham, N.C.

    “J.D. GREEAR UNMASKED: How Faith Baptist Church Defeated a Ruthless SBC Elite,” recounts how leaders of Summit Church, pastored by J.D. Greear, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, led an effort to take over the church’s property for a new satellite location.

    The video details the contentious closure of Faith Baptist and its subsequent attempted acquisition by Summit Church. Members of Faith Baptist are interviewed, alleging a hostile takeover orchestrated by Greear, claiming that he and other leaders pursued a deliberate strategy to acquire the Faith Baptist building, ultimately leading to the church’s dissolution and bankruptcy.

    Faith Baptist members interviewed say there a pre-determined plan to obtain the Faith Baptist facility and shut down the church by Summit Church, preventing them from accessing the building for worship. One member describes the emotional toll this had on the congregation and the pain of seeing their church sit empty for a year. Another member emphasizes the feeling of betrayal and the perception that the acquisition was not a genuine merger, but rather a forceful takeover disguised as a partnership.

    A key allegation is that Summit Church injected $170,000 into Faith Baptist on the same day the church filed for bankruptcy, which was strategically used to fund legal battles against Faith Baptist members who opposed the takeover. One member calls the situation “evil,” emphasizing the emotional distress and spiritual damage inflicted upon the congregation.

    The video concludes with a plea for others to learn from Faith Baptist’s experience, preventing similar situations from occurring in other churches, and serves as a cautionary tale about the potential for power imbalances and questionable practices within religious organizations, highlighting the importance of transparency and accountability in church leadership.

    The Church Reform Initiative previously released “The Real David Platt: The Hijacking of McLean Bible Church” on October 20, 2024. The documentary featured interviews with numerous McLean church members, including the former church treasurer and elders, who described the alleged leadership and financial deception by Platt after coming to the church. Platt served as president of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board from 2014 to 2017 before leaving for McLean.

    1. Fred, there is going to be at least one other installment of this documentary to tell the rest of the story.

      I think this is a cautionary tale for churches. It is very important not to place too much authority in the person of the lead pastor or the pastoral staff. It is also very important to screen thoroughly potential pastors for what they plan to do when they arrive, and what they don’t plan to do. Also, churches obviously must be very careful when they hand over control of the church to another organization, and to avoid this at all costs.

      A church culture– and the way the church is governed– should not change substantially after a new pastor arrives. These ought to remain stable as long as they are not in direct opposition to scripture. Transitions are critical times for churches, and a poorly managed transition can be very harmful.

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