Lawsuit dropped as Greater Beulah pastor quits
The divisive by-laws issue sent the matter to court but, ultimately, the congregation decided the issue.
DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) - The pastor of Dothan’s Greater Beulah Baptist Church resigned amid a disagreement over the church’s bylaws that landed in court.
According to documents, Pastor Darryl Roberts stepped down after a majority of members on September 16 recognized the 2015 bylaws that Roberts had contested. Two sources told News4 the vote was about 6-1 against Roberts.
Houston County Circuit Judge Maurice J. “John-John” Steensland issued an order Friday removing Roberts, who became pastor in 2019, from Greater Beulah financial accounts. He also dismissed the lawsuit.
Church leadership obtained a temporary restraining order last month barring him from the church’s Headland Avenue campus.
They claim he manipulated church documents to discount bylaws that ultimately prevailed.
As those on both sides of the divisive issue gathered in Steenland’s courtroom for an August 18 hearing, a compromise returned Roberts to briefly return to work.
“The court felt like it was best for the members to make their own decision based upon what bylaws that (they) are supposed to operate under,” attorney M. Hampton Baxley said that day of that compromise.
Attorney Ben Irwin, who represented Roberts, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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