Church trustee: 'I feel like we got the devil in the pulpit'

Members of a Gastonia church are suing their pastor, accusing him of lying on his résumé, misusing church funds, and refusing to leave after some in the congregation voted to fire him.

The lawsuit was filed Oct. 19 by Mount Calvary Baptist Church against Pastor Daimon Rawlinson Sr.

It alleges that Rawlinson, who was hired in October 2022, falsely claimed that he received a Master of Divinity certificate from Ohio Christian University, but members of the church's Board of Trustees later found that Ohio Christian University doesn't offer a Master of Divinity program, according to the lawsuit.

Additionally, it alleges that Rawlinson made other false claims, including that he was the pastor of Red Branch Baptist Church in Charlotte from 1998 until 2008. Red Branch Baptist Church was foreclosed upon in 2007, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit also alleges that Rawlinson violated the terms of his employment contract by taking unauthorized offerings during Bible study. He also, according to the lawsuit, is alleged to have failed to conduct monthly board meetings, failed to conduct church conferences, and refused to meet with the trustees, ultimately creating a schism in the church.

The most serious allegation the lawsuit makes is that Rawlinson and others misappropriated church funds and have not produced proper accounting to show how church resources are being used. The lawsuit names several deacons and the treasurer of the church as defendants with Rawlinson, alleging that they conspired with Rawlinson to obfuscate the trustees' efforts to review the church's financial statements.

On April 29, 2023, the Board of Trustees conducted a meeting, where they voted 39-10 to remove Rawlinson as pastor and terminate his employment with the church, according to the lawsuit.

They then sent Rawlinson a letter announcing his termination, but Rawlinson failed to turn his keys in to the church and has continued working as pastor, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit asks for an unspecified amount of damages, an order that Rawlinson account for all transactions made on behalf of the church, and the removal of Rawlinson as pastor of the church.

Rawlinson referred questions from the Gazette to his attorney, Shannon R. Wright, who declined to comment.

In a letter to the Board of Trustees, Wright called the allegations against Rawlinson libel and ordered that the Board of Trustees stop any further attempts to harass Rawlinson.

Wright wrote that the vote to oust the pastor was not a properly scheduled meeting, and that an independent mediation process was conducted by the Gaston County Missionary Baptist Association, which found that there are no legitimate grievances against Rawlinson.

A letter from The Gaston County Missionary Baptist Association seems to support this allegation. According to the letter, the April 29 meeting was held right after a different church conference adjourned. Essentially, the letter said, after the first meeting, a different group of 52 people held an unofficial meeting and voted to terminate the pastor. In June, minutes from that second meeting were submitted to the dispute committee, and they lacked the proper signatures of the church clerk and the pastor.

The Gaston County Missionary Baptist Association concluded that Rawlinson remains the proper pastor of the church.

Sherman Mason, one of the trustees named in the lawsuit, said in an interview that he's been so upset over the situation that he's reluctant to go to church. He said that he and other trustees have held fundraisers to try to pay for their lawyer, Jesse Caldwell IV.

"I'm 65 years old, and I've never met a man like this," he said, referring to Rawlinson. "It really has been a nightmare."

He said that after the church voted to remove Rawlinson, members called the police when Rawlinson showed up to preach anyway.

They also tried filing civil litigation that would have, if their request was granted, prevented Rawlinson from having contact with them. That request was denied.

Mason said that he has attended Mount Calvary since he was a child, and he joined as a member 25 years ago.

"It's a complete mess. I don't even like going to church no more," Mason said. "I feel like we got the devil in the pulpit."

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Church trustee: 'I feel like we got the devil in the pulpit'