California Pastor Sued For Trying to Sell Church For Personal Profit
A California pastor has been sued by a member of his congregation for allegedly trying to sell his church for personal profit.
Arthel Coleman, a former church deacon and member of the Born Again Christian Center located in Palo Alto, California, filed a lawsuit this week against the church's current pastor and several of his family members, accusing him of trying to sell the church and a nearby home, donated by a former deacon and intended to be used as a home for the church's residing pastor, for personal profit.
The lawsuit alleges that Pastor Andre Harris and his wife Gloria Harris recently sold the house and were planning on selling the church for personal profit, without the permission of the congregation. The lawsuit states that the couple violated California's law regarding the sale of nonprofit religious buildings, as well as a breach of fiduciary duty, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
According to the lawsuit, several of Harris' family members were involved in putting both the house and the church on the real estate market. His two nieces, along with him and his wife, were the only four people on the church's board of trustees, and they signed off on the sale of the buildings without receiving permission from the congregation.
Additionally, Harris's brother and his wife are real estate agents with Century 21 and reportedly brokered the sale of the home and the church.
The lawsuit accuses Pastor Harris and his wife of planning to sell the church properties "and personally pocket the proceeds of the sale."
The defendants named in the case have reportedly declined to comment to local media outlets, and the Born Again Christian Center was allegedly closed for worship this past Sunday.
"[Pastor Harris] claims that the properties were gifted to him by the board. The church belongs to the members," Deacon Coleman, who is being represented by Palo Alto Attorney Stephen Pappas, told Palo Alto Online.
