Court Ordered Church Election Dismisses Pastor

In Beaumont, Texas last Friday, a federal district judge announced the results of a court-ordered church election. Yesterday's Beaumont Enterprise reports on the case that began last year when members of the Sunlight Missionary Baptist Church delivered a letter of dismissal to their pastor, Curtis Jean Johnson. Members charged him with intimidating people from the pulpit and using church money and a credit card for personal expenses. Last June the chair of the church's deacon board filed for a restraining order and temporary injunction to enforce the dismissal. The court granted the request and ruled that a vote of members should take place to resolve the matter. By a vote of 84 to 59, members have now decided that Johnson should leave the pulpit.