Church Ordered To Elect Executive Council

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – A church has been ordered to elect an executive council in order to determine who the next senior pastor will be.

The ruling comes after certain members had a major disagreement over the appointment of a pastor by the outgoing leader. Jared Higgs has the details.

The matter stems back to a disagreement between factions of the Golden Gates World Outreach Ministries over who should be its next senior pastor.

Back in 2020, Bishop Rostin Davis, who led the church since 2001, attempted to appoint his son Trent Davis to the post.

A pastoral board made up of 7 pastors opposed the move, even disrupting a church service to get their point across.

Davis hired a lawyer and claimed that the pastoral board cannot make resolutions that could determine who is appointed as senior pastor because they are not a part of the church’s executive committee.

The pastoral board on the other hand asked the court to determine which members make up the church’s executive committee, and to examine their evidence to determine whether a senior pastor could be thrust upon the organization.

Attorney Ramona Farquharson-Seymour, who represents the pastoral board, says it is crucial now that the different factions in the church move forward based on the ruling.

She says those who still hold the view that Bishop Davis’ actions were valid, are now mistaken.

Farquharson Seymour says although the court found that the church operated in a particular mode, that mode wasn’t consistent with the church’s articles of association.

She says if any faction of the church should find itself not following the court’s decision, they will find themselves back before the courts.

Reporting for Our News, I’m Jared Higgs.