Large rift at Assemblies of God church
David Roman
WAVENEY ANN MOORE. St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Fla.: Oct 17,
2004.
The Rev. Deon Lett, who resigned amid controversy at one of the area's
largest Assemblies of God congregations, has gathered his followers
and set up a church of his own.
Meanwhile, Assemblies of God leaders will review ecclesiastical
charges against Lett this week that could lead to his dismissal from
the denomination's clergy.
"At the moment, he is suspended pending the action of our presbytery.
He is not a pastor in good standing," said the Rev. Terry Raburn,
superintendent of the Peninsular Florida District Council of the
Assemblies of God in Lakeland.
Raburn told Suncoast Cathedral members that charges had been brought
against Lett during a specially scheduled Oct. 3 meeting. The
superintendent said he could not give details of the completed
investigation until after this week's meeting of church leaders from
the Peninsular Florida District, a jurisdiction of 350 churches from
the Suwannee River at the Georgia border south to Key West. Raburn
said Lett has been instructed to attend the gathering to answer the
charges.
Any recommendation the council makes about Lett's status will have to
go before the national body of the Assemblies of God Church for a
final ruling. Lett can appeal a dismissal.
Lett, 40, ran into trouble within months of his arrival at Suncoast
Cathedral in the summer of 2002. Some in the congregation questioned
his leadership style, truthfulness and financial acumen. Church elders
asked the district council to mediate, but Lett resigned abruptly in
August before the process was complete.
His New Destiny Church, which he heads with his wife, Carmen, meets at
11200 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N, in the back of a business park
in the Gateway area. Lett did not return calls for this article, but
Linda Brinton, a staunch supporter, said in a telephone message that
Lett had instructed supporters not to speak to reporters.
The turmoil at Suncoast Cathedral, at 2300 62nd Ave. N, is expected to
have a ripple effect on other area Assemblies of God churches, to
which those disenchanted with Lett had fled.
"There is no question that this will impact the other Assemblies of
God churches in Pinellas County," Raburn said.
"However, those congregations are strong within themselves and I
expect them to continue to grow and move forward."
Some who used to attend Suncoast Cathedral are already returning to
the fold. Conversely, the Rev. Dillard J. Burrell, Suncoast
Cathedral's interim pastor, acknowledged that Lett had taken quite a
few members to his new church.
But things are quietening down, he said.
"I've been here about nine weeks and we have resolved most of the
hurts and the ill feelings that have been generated during his tenure.
It's over," said Burrell, recently retired as executive treasurer of
the district council.
"He had a different style of ministry. He was not a relational person.
You couldn't go and share with him, and a lot of people did not like
his style and they left. Some that have gone with his church have come
back."
Hired to revive an aging congregation, Lett alienated many longtime
members. Some questioned his financial accountability. There were
complaints about the loudness of the music he introduced. He also was
accused of being unapproachable and vindictive and of chasing away
older members. In his defense, Lett has said he increased church
membership, with more than 850 people at worship on Sundays. He
acknowledged that he did things differently from the Rev. Cortez
Frazier, who retired after more than a decade at Suncoast.
During service on Aug. 1, he announced his resignation. Church elders
scuttled his plan to remain until the last Sunday in August and asked
him to leave sooner.
His answer was New Destiny Church, "born out of a desperation to throw
off everything that would hinder the presence of God from moving among
His people," its Web site says.