Disgraced Megachurch Pastor Teases Return to Ministry
Despite being suspended disqualified by his church, former megachurch pastor Stovall Weems has teased a return to ministry in a newsletter sent out to supporters, lamenting that this past year has been “by far the most difficult and darkest season of our lives ” but that he’s looking forward to a ‘fresh season, a new wineskin” while inviting supporters to attend an online event where he will share more about his plans.
Though he doesn’t say exactly what the new ministry opportunity will be, it will 100% be him announcing a new church plant.
Three months ago, pastor Stovall Weems resigned from the Jacksonville megachurch he founded nearly 25 years ago, leaving his position of Senior Pastor, CEO, and chair and member of the board of trustees, the result of an ongoing lawsuit with the 12,000-member multisite Celebration church that he’s been embroiled in and publicly feuding with.
The church suspended Weems over what they viewed as financial irregularities, claiming he’s been misusing over a million dollars, as well as deep and debilitating personality flaws, alleging that the Weemses acted like divas, outlining their insane staff demands.
In a report that was commissioned by the church and prepared by the law firm Nelson Mullins, which specializes in internal ecclesiastical investigations, they summarize.
“The Weemses…leadership is inconsistent and unbiblical (and) marked by rampant spiritual and emotional abuse, including manipulation, a profound sense of self-importance and selfishness, superiority and entitlement, overbearing and unreasonable demands on employees’ time, a lack of accountability or humility, and demands of absolute loyalty….Spiritually, the Weemses have acted with arrogance, pride, deception, manipulation, selfishness, dishonesty, greed, entitlement, conceit, and unrepentance. In short, the antithesis of biblical leadership as described in scripture. REPORT OF INVESTIGATION to CELEBRATION CHURCH OF JACKSONVILLE, INC. April 24, 2022
ht Ministry Watch
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