WAGRAM – The deacons and some parishioners are at odds over how the pastor was recently forced out of their Wagram church.
Several members of Spring Branch Missionary Baptist Church have expressed concern that Pastor Bert Lattaker III was made to resign in a manner that did not follow church by-laws.
The action has divided the church and resulted in sheriff’s deputies being called to the Old Wire Road church on at least two occasions.
The members say the first hint of trouble came on June 25 when Lattaker tried to mount the pulpit to deliver his sermon. They claim the deacons would not allow him to do so, and when members became upset the Scotland County Sheriff’s Office was called.
During a special meeting on July 1, the church board of directors told the church that they had given Lattaker a list of requirements to address, and the pastor failed to do so. The board also said Lattaker “shook hands” on an agreement to resign.
Sheriff’s deputies were again called to the church during the special meeting.
Capt. Ruben Castellon with the Scotland County Sheriff’s Office could not verify that deputies responded to the church. Because the episode took place on a weekend it is possible that deputies responded, but if the call did not require filling out an incident report there would be no way to verify, Castellon said.
Pastor problems
Among the complaints presented to Lattaker was his lack of a driver’s license. Spring Branch leaders also said Lattaker, who has been at the church six years, did not have a vision and needed to present the board with a written list of goals. Lattaker was also criticized for failing to visit the sick and church members.
But some church members say they should have been given a chance to take part in the decision.
They maintain that the firing of a minister should be done by a special vote according to church by-laws.
One member who declined to provide her name, said the only way a pastor should be fired without putting the issue to a vote is if the minister presents a threat to the church or the church’s standards of conduct.
“That wasn’t right,” said a parishioner who goes by the initials AG. “We’ve got a set of by-laws that they are supposed to go by and if they’re not doing that, why do we even have by-laws.”
As to Lattaker’s failure to visit, AG said that job falls to the deacons based on the church’s hierarchy.
“He could have got out and visited the sick, but that is the deacon’s job,” he said. “According to by-laws they are supposed to answer to the pastor. Each deacon has a list of people they are supposed to check on.”
Lattaker, who has an attorney, declined to talk much about leaving the church. He did say he lost his license due to financial problems, but he was trying to get his driving privileges reinstated.
“I got a speeding ticket in South Carolina years ago, and being dumb and not taking care of it, my license was suspended,” Lattaker said. “I got caught driving with my license suspended and had a failure to appear and got a couple more driving while license revoked charges and the fees added up.”
Lattaker said his lawyer sent the board a letter showing that he needed to pay $4,000 to have his license reinstated, and that getting them back would take six to eight weeks after the debt was paid.
He also maintains that he showed leadership in the six years he was with the church. He said the church paid off a $150,000 debt, put a new roof on the building and started a partnership with Wagram Primary School to provide volunteers work in classroom and proctor end of grade tests, buy school supplies and hosted a teacher appreciation breakfast.
Lattaker has also served as a pastor at Mt. Tabor Baptist Church and served in the US Army. He is a graduate at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
Some parishioners also expressed concern with how the matter was handled.
“They could lose a lot of members if people feel like they don’t have a voice and a vote,” one church goer said.
Another member was upset that the fracas took place on youth Sunday when recent graduates were being honored.
“It’s disrespectful. That was our youth Sunday,” she said. “They could have handled things a little bit differently.”
Two of the church’s deacons — John Ferguson and Simuel Hines — declined to discuss the situation.
“At this time I’m not going to comment,” Hines said. “It’s done. It’s over … we’ve finished what we started.”
The church’s four associate pastors are currently handling pastor duties.
