Southern Baptist deacon stopped from taking church from congregation by judge

God’s Hope Builders Inc. must return the property and assets of Mt. Zion Baptist Church to church members.
Newton County Superior Court Judge Samuel Ozburn issued an order Wednesday in the case that pitted the pastor and more than 30 members of the church against the church’s sole deacon, his daughter and God’s Hope Builders.

The lawsuit was prompted when Clayton “Skeet” Dial and his daughter, Angela Ballard, conveyed in August all Mt. Zion’s property and assets to a nonprofit organization, God’s Hope Builders Inc., in Conyers. Dial served as the church’s only deacon and Ballard served in various functions at Mt. Zion, including church clerk and treasurer.

A schism between Dial and Ballard and the pastor became heated during a congregational meeting held last July when Dial accused several congregants, including the pastor, of not being true members of the church. The members and Pastor Chris Allen learned of the conveyance only after arriving to church as usual one day in August and found no trespassing signs on the property and the doors locked.

The church members then sued Dial, Ballard and God’s Hope Builders Inc., alleging the transaction was illegal. A three-day bench trial was held in May.

In his order, Ozburn answered two primary questions raised in the case: Was the transfer of the church property and assets “in the usual and regular course” of the church’s activities and did the members of the church approve the transfer of the property. To both, the judge answered, “No.”


“The unconditional transfer of all assets of the church for no consideration did not further any … activities or purposes for the existence of the church,” Ozburn wrote. “The reasons stated by defendant Clayton Dial for the transfer clearly show that this transfer was not in the ‘usual and regular course of the activities’ of the church.”


In his testimony in May, Dial, who has been a member of Mt. Zion for more than 50 years, said he gave away the historic church, property and assets in an effort to preserve its Southern Baptist heritage. Dial said he feared Pastor Allen was taking overt steps to move the church toward an Independent Baptist doctrine; so giving the church away would assure that did not happen.
http://www.rockdalecitizen.com/news/headlines/125119334.htmlHowever, Dial admitted that he gave the church away to Clarence Hall with God’s Hope Builders Inc. with no conditions or expectations of how the property would be used.

 By Aimee Jones, Staff Correspondent