Seeking elections, Norfolk congregants sue church, pastor

NORFOLK

A few hundred members filed through First Baptist Church of Lambert's Point last Wednesday night, armed with ballots for a slate of deacons, trustees and officers.

The ballots, and prayers, came with a few secular touches: a court-appointed commissioner and a security guard to assure fair elections.

At the century-old congregation in Lamberts Point, state has met church.

A group of members sued their church last year, seeking valid elections they claim had not been held for 10 years.

"We're not angry with anyone," said James H. Robinson Jr., a retired public school administrator, third generation member and plaintiff. "We're sorry we had to do this."

The. Rev. Anthony C. Paige, the church's pastor and defendant in the suit, said the dispute stems from older members reluctant to embrace a different vision of the church's ministry. The church has stepped up local programs to feed the poor and has done outreach to Africa, he said.

"We're doing things a little differently than we did in the 1950s," he said.

The plaintiffs claim they have been deprived of a voice in church leadership. They charge that their civil rights have been violated by the denial of regular, valid elections as called for in the church's constitution. The suit also states the church leadership failed to provide an annual audit for 2008.

Robinson said the plaintiffs - seven members who have each belonged to the church at least 50 years - are willing to embrace new missions. But they're also concerned about the church's finances and future.

Church disputes are common but seldom end up in court, said Brad Jacob, a law professor at Regent University.

When courts do weigh in on a church dispute, however, they treat the church like a business or an association, he said. Courts will rule on bylaws, for example, but will stay away from questions about religious issues, Jacob said.

According to the suit, First Baptist Church of Lambert's Point had not had a valid election of trustees or deacons for the p ast 10 years. It further claims that "various office holders" have continued to hold office to solidify Paige's "complete power over the governance of the church."

Marie Boyd, a member since 1961, said she attends regularly, has tithed part of her salary and served as clerk for 20 years. She said the church has not been transparent in its operations. "We don't mind Rev. Paige making changes," she said, "but let him come before the church."

Robinson said a new, multimillion-dollar expansion of the church on 38th Street never received proper approval from the congregation. He said he has also looked at recent financial reports, and said the church has been running deficits for the p ast five years.

Paige declined to talk about specific church finances, but said it has embarked on a new effort to build a performing arts center. "We're in a growth mode," he said.

Paige, the pastor since 1990 and former city p lanning c ommission member, hired Mayor Paul Fraim, a lawyer, to represent him and the church leadership.

In January, Circuit Court Judge Charles Poston ordered a new election and appointed a lawyer, George A. Anderson Jr., as commissioner in chancery to observe, monitor and supervise the balloting.

Fraim and Anderson did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Jacob said there are other ways to settle church disputes - appealing to the church hierarchy or using a Christian mediator to negotiate a compromise.

But when a suit is filed, Jacob said, "You virtually never end up with reconciliation."

In an interview before the election, Paige said he could work with whoever was elected to the supervisory boards. "It's something that needed to be dealt with," he said. "We are a democratic organization."

According to both sides, Wednesday's election settled little. Participants said at least one nominee's name was inadvertently left off the ballot.

The church is scheduled to hold another election next month.

Louis Hansen, (757) 446-2341, louis.hansen@pilotonline.com