Church Without Walls Founders Divorcing
Fruitful Life Q & A
I just found this email from August that a family member sent to me
about Randy and Paula. It appears that he was to blame, after all, per
his own confession unfortunately. This is terrible............
Without Walls Founders Divorcing
By MICHELLE BEARDEN and BAIRD HELGESON , The Tampa Tribune
Tampa Bay Online
Updated: 11:59 p.m. ET Aug 23, 2007
TAMPA - Randy and Paula White, the founders and co-pastors of what has
been one of the nation's biggest and fastest-growing churches, plan to
divorce. Members of Without Walls International
Church reacted with tears and a chorus of "Oh, no's" after the Whites'
announcement at Thursday night's service. Randy called Paula to the
podium about an hour into the service. He was somber;
Paula appeared choked up. "It's the most difficult decision I've ever
had to make in my entire life," he told the congregation, describing
Paula as an exceptional woman, mother and preacher.
She pledged to return frequently to preach. Viewers who tuned in to a
live webcast of the service missed the announcement; the video and
audio were cut off for about 10 minutes.
The most shaken members left the service and went into the entryway to
cry or call loved ones.
Most said the news came as a shock, but it didn't shake their faith in
the ministry. "It's like hearing the news from your parents," said
Frank Murillo, who has attended the church for 10 years. "They are
great people. We all go through stuff. Pastor Randy will be here, and
I will be here."
Kerran Fuller has attended the church on and off since the beginning
of the year. The announcement "didn't weaken the church in anyway," he
said after the service. "I'll definitely keep going." The Whites,
who've been married nearly 18 years, said in interviews that the split
is amicable and comes after visits to counselors over several years.
They blame two lives going in different directions. Randy, however,
said he takes "100 percent responsibility" for the breakup. "I want to
apologize for the poor decisions I've made in my life, to my
congregation and to the body of Christ," he told The Tampa Tribune. "I
think I've let a lot of people down." Those regrets, he said, include
how he has treated some people, lifestyle changes and being seen in
public with women other than his wife, even if it was innocent.
He and Paula said the split involves no third party on either side.
Randy will stay at Without Walls as senior pastor while Paula
concentrates on her ministry, which includes a TV show broadcast on
several national networks including Black Entertainment Television,
conferences, and book and video sales.
She'll remain based in Tampa, with satellite operations in California,
New York City and San Antonio. Church attendance "will take a hit"
from the news, Randy predicted. Without Walls reports having 23,000
members. Its finances also will be affected: Paula's ministry brings
in about $50,000 to $80,000 a week, he said. An audit put total church
revenues at nearly $40 million last year.
Individual Pursuits
Although Paula will continue to financially support the church, the
Whites are in the process of separating operations. The couple have
pursued individual goals in recent months, rarely preaching
together at the church on North Grady Avenue near Raymond James
Stadium. They've also had to deal with the illness of Randy's grown
daughter, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor in December.
Paula, 41, is frequently on the road for her for-profit and nonprofit
ventures. One of those, Paula White Enterprises, changed earlier this
year when Randy's name was removed as a director, according to
Department of State records. In February, she created a new nonprofit,
PWM Lifecenter, listing as directors herself, church CFO Norva
Carrington, and Rick Hawkins, founding pastor of the Family Praise
Center in San Antonio, Texas. She has made many speaking trips
recently to San Antonio and this month purchased a $681,000 home
there. She serves as "oversight pastor" to Hawkins' son Dustin, who
now leads the church. Paula also frequently travels to New York City,
where she has a Trump Tower condo and leads monthly services at her
new Life by Design Empowerment Center.
Randy, 49, has spent several months commuting to Malibu, Calif., where
he signed a one-year lease on a beachfront dwelling. He had told his
congregation he planned to start another church there, but
now says those plans are on hold. This is the second marriage each for
the Whites, who came to Tampa after marrying in Maryland in March
1990. They have four grown children - three from his
previous marriage, one from hers.
Without Walls church board member Alick Clarke of Acton, Calif., a
longtime friend, said the impending divorce is sad news. "They were
like my heroes. I really love them," he said. "But I'm also a little
pissed off. I didn't help them build their dream to have them throw it
all away."
An Australian-born businessman, Clarke said he's given hundreds of
thousands of dollars to the church since it was founded by the Whites
in 1991 as the South Tampa Christian Center.
He partially blamed the couple's breakup on their devotion to
preaching a prosperity message, exhorting followers to give more money
to the church in order to be blessed with greater wealth.
"Too many ministries have become big business. That message is
desecrating the church today," said Clarke, adding that he was
disturbed to learn that with revenues at $40 million last year, the
church was $22 million in debt. "That's just not right."
Other questions about the Whites' financial dealings arose in stories
published by the Tribune in May. Those included the couple's failure
to repay a $170,000 loan from an elderly widow, money borrowed in 1995
as a down payment on a house. The couple sold the house in 2006, but
still had not repaid the loan to Ruth McGinnis by May. This week,
McGinnis told the Tribune that "everything's been settled financially
between Pastor Randy and me."
Also in May, The Tribune wrote about a young mother who said she never
received the home she won in a widely publicized church contest in
2002. On Aug. 15 she reported she and her four children had just moved
into a new home purchased by the church.
Money Matters
The Whites have declined to say what the church pays them.
Michael Chitwood, whose financial services company devised their
compensation package, said he recalled they have taken an annual
salary as high as $1.5 million collectively, though most years it's
closer to $600,000. They were approved to take up to $3 million
collectively, said the president of Chitwood & Chitwood of Tennessee.
Perhaps the most complex part of their divorce, being handled by
Holland & Knight law firm, will be dividing up the assets, debts and
business interests.
The couple's home on Bayshore Boulevard has an assessed value of $2.22
million. They have a land trust that includes two Tampa houses with
assessed values of $144,800 and $257,835. The New York condo is valued
at about $3.5 million. Their multimillion-dollar ministry
includes a private jet.
Randy White has said much of their wealth comes from more than 23
successful business ventures, including real estate and his role as a
pitchman for Great HealthWorks' Omega XL fatty acid pills.
His main company, RAW Realty, is listed on his company Web site as
being housed at 100 S. Ashley Drive, Suite 1180, in Tampa, but a law
firm occupies that space. The state lists the company as being
located at 2511 Grady Ave. in Tampa, which is the church address. The
phone number on the Web site and listed with the state is
disconnected. E-mails sent to the Web address were not returned.
White said this week the company is "very much active" in real estate,
residential acquisitions and other ventures, but he's pared it down to
himself and one assistant.
An 'Amazing' Start
Phil Cooke, a Los Angeles-based media strategist and consultant for
religious and nonprofit organizations, said he remembers when the
couple started their ministry. "What they did in Tampa's
inner city was amazing," he said. "They were creative, sharp,
innovative. The track they started out on was terrific."
The church had dozens of ministries that worked with disadvantaged
children, the homeless, people with substance abuse problems, single
mothers and others on society's fringe. It put on Easter services in
venues such as the Sun Dome, where thousands were treated to giveaways
and performances by stars such as Loretta Lynn, Lee Greenwood and
Patti LaBelle. The high energy and good works attracted high-profile
members including professional athletes and other local celebrities.
As the church gained members and revenue, the pastors changed. Paula
built her international television ministry and became a life coach on
"The Tyra Banks Show." Randy talked of performing
nuptials for Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson in Michigan (they filed for
divorce a month later). He boasted that he wasn't like "religious"
people, posing in 2005 for a cover story in Makes and Models
magazine, a publication devoted to exotic cars, motorcycles and
scantily clad models. He has tattoos, collects guns and enjoys wine.
At a Sunday service in April, he introduced his former personal
trainer - an attractive ex-porn star turned Christian - from the
pulpit. "We're cutting edge," he told the Tribune that month. "We do
things a little bit differently than what a typical ministry would
do." This week, White promised changes are in store for the church and
himself.
Without Walls will be less independent and more visible in the
community, he said. He wants to team with other ministries in the
city. For personal growth, he now has three "accountability partners"
who will help him concentrate on being a "good dad and great pastor."
"I've been preaching restoration for 15 years," he said. "Now it's
time to live it."
Tim Storey, a Los Angeles-based minister and life coach, is a big
believer in restoration; when he divorced, his ministry was scarred.
"You can rebound from it, but not everyone will go with you,"
said Storey, a frequent guest speaker at Without Walls. "The key is
turning to God to turn the setbacks into comebacks."
Paula White said she knows followers will feel let down and
disappointed by the announcement, given that evangelical Christians
hold marriage as a sacred institution and a cornerstone of a godly
life. "I wish there was a magic formula that gave you guarantees in
life," she said. "Now I have to draw deep into my faith and let God
draw me out of this dark place."
Doreen Fawkes, a former business administrator at Without Walls, said
she hates to see any marriage end, but she's not surprised by the
announcement. "They grew at an unbelievable speed. It
became less about God and more about self-promotion," she said, but
the congregation needs to understand it's not just about the Whites.
"The people are the church," she said. "And the presence of God is the
glue that holds them together. I pray the people will see that and
carry on."
Share your comments on Without Walls at tbo.com, Keyword: Church.
Chris and Carol Green
Thank you for sending this article.
Since this articles chronicles how the Whites got started and how
quickly they grew, it gives us a little more insight into how things
turned out this way. We can only continue to pray for them because
this can happen to anyone of us.
As you know, we are in a teaching series in which we are talking about
how to close the doors that we have opened for the enemy to come into
our lives. As we explore the doors that we can open, I'm sure we'll
come across the doors that they opened and we'll see the same
potential within us to do the same thing.
This article really answers a lot, though. I'm glad we've withheld our
comments and opinions publicly on the matter. We knew there was lot
more to it than what they could say publicly. This break up was due to
many, many doors being open.
Personally, we think we understand why Paula White continues to
minister. I think the church leaders feel that since Randy is saying
that this was his fault, she should not be punished and held back from
what she's supposed to do. We're not saying we agree with the
decision. It's just that we can see how they could come to that
conclusion. So you can see, this is really complicated on many levels.
Well, that's all we can say for now. Our basic response is that we are
to learn a lesson from what we see and walk in such a way as to not
repeat the error. That's our little bit for now, until we can teach on
these kinds of matters in the months and years to come.
Pastors Chris and Carol Green