REVISED & UPDATED FAQs

1. What property did we sell?

The property is a 7,796-square-foot parcel of land with an older two-story struc-
ture located at 501 NE Second Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301. The property
is not contiguous to our main property.

2. Why is the sales price being kept secret?

The sales price is known by all Budget/Audit Team members, Trustees, and
Deacons. All of these duly-elected groups worked together to maximize the
value for the greater good of the church. At the buyer’s request, there is a confi-
dentiality clause in the purchase and sale agreement that does not allow us to
disclose the purchase price.

3. Who decided to sell the 501 NE Second Street property?

We weren’t looking to sell the property, but over the years we have received un-
solicited offers for it. As part of the sharp rise in property values in downtown
Fort Lauderdale, the size of the offers began to dramatically increase. It was
clear that the property, which was being used currently only as a workshop, if
sold, could generate significant resources to help us exercise good stewardship
of the capital assets of our church for years to come.

As the matter was discussed among the Budget/Audit Team, the Trustee Board,
the Deacon body, and church leadership, we began exploring the possibilities of
selling this unneeded property and using the funds for emergency capital re-
pairs and replacement to preserve our strategic location.

This process ultimately led to an offer for the property which was presented to
the Budget/Audit Team, the Trustee Board, and the Deacon body, who unani-
mously approved presenting the offer to the congregation for approval. The
proposal to sell the unused property was presented to the congregation at the
regularly scheduled church business meeting on July 31, 2022, and the offer was
approved by the congregation unanimously.

4. But in a September 2021 news article Steve Blount, executive director of

ministry services at the church, said “The property is our most valuable asset
and it’s not for sale.” And in the same article, the church’s attorney, said

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“there have been no discussions about selling off the property.” So why did
you sell the 501 NE Second Street property?

Of course, we were speaking about the entire property in 2021, not this single
parcel. Furthermore, we did not pursue the sale of this parcel. Fort Lauderdale
has recently enjoyed a time of rapid business and population growth. At the
same time the amount of land available for development downtown is getting
smaller and smaller. Because of these things, land prices recently rose dramati-
cally. For context, a retail tire store 50 feet from our parcel sold in October 2021
for $7.7 million and then sold just seven months later for $20 million.

In the context of that real estate boom, we received multiple unsolicited offers
for 501 NE Second Street. We cannot contractually disclose the price of the sale,
but it was considerably higher than the appraised value. We were advised by
outside counsel that the Board of Trustees had a fiduciary responsibility to seri-
ously consider this offer. The church did, and that’s what prompted the sale of
the property. Also, the timing seems to have been good as we did have a con-
cern about missing out on an assemblage opportunity.

5. Is it true that the congregation voted unanimously to sell the 501 NE Sec-
ond Street property?

Yes. In fact, Dr. Barry McCarty, the SBC Parliamentarian for over 35 years who
has been assisting us with joint governance meetings and church business meet-
ings since 2020, commented that he never thought he’d see the day when our
church voted unanimously on anything.

Here are some additional facts to correct some of the misinformation shared on
social media:

• The vote took place at the July 31, 2022 regularly scheduled congrega-
tional business meeting. It was not a specially called meeting.
• As specified by the Bylaws, there was a quorum of over 100 members at
the business meeting. The church has the sign-in sheet listing those in at-
tendance.
• The church secretary was duly elected as Church Clerk and Secretary of
the corporation at the church’s 8/29/21 business meeting.

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6. Who is buying the 501 NE Second Street property?

Because the buyer required confidentiality as a condition of sale, we cannot di-
vulge that information, but we can say this:
• The identity of the buyer is known to the church leadership and is not a
member of/affiliated with the church.
• It is entirely lawful and not at all unusual for commercial property buyers to
protect both their identities and the amount paid.
• For our part, we had no objections to the terms of the sale being known.

7. Why is the land being sold?

Ultimately it comes down to stewardship. Our campus spans nearly two com-
plete city blocks in the most strategic location in Fort Lauderdale. It requires not
only scheduled maintenance, but also rejuvenation, and these require money.
Selling the unused property which is not even contiguous to our main campus
allows us to take care of our campus and use it even more effectively to draw
people to what we call “the Jesus first life.”

8. But don’t we need the 501 NE Second Street property?

We don’t. Over the years, we’ve used the building for youth ministry, storage,
and, most recently, a workshop. But we have been deferring necessary mainte-
nance on our main campus. The funds from the property sale will allow us to ad-
dress emergency capital repairs and replacement, allowing the church’s operat-
ing budget to be allocated more to ministry programs and community outreach.

9. What will the money be used for?

The money will be used for emergency repairs and replacement of capital items
at our downtown Fort Lauderdale campus.

10.Did any realtor in church leadership/who is part of the church make any
money of any kind on the sale of the property?
No. We are grateful to have been able to facilitate the transaction between the
church and the seller’s legal advisors so that no realty commission is involved in
the transaction. This means even more resources will go to supporting our minis-
try.

11.Is it a conflict of interest for Romney Rogers, a deacon, to also be the legal
representative for this sale?
No, it is not. Rogers, along with all members of governance teams and executive
leadership of the church, annually reviews the church’s Conflict of Interest policy

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with oversight by our auditors and Evangelical Council for Financial Accountabil-
ity (ECFA). Rogers appropriately disclosed the potential or perceived conflict of
interest with him being our legal counsel. The Board of Trustees deemed there
to be no conflict of interest in this case, and Rogers’ law firm did NOT charge
any legal fees to the church for this transaction.

12.Is the church going to sell any more property?

At this time, the church has no plans to sell more property since we are already
in the prime spot for ministry in our region with a campus we could never afford
to purchase today. In fact, we are selling this single, non-contiguous property to
help improve our facilities in the city.

13.Is the church leaving downtown Fort Lauderdale?

Absolutely not. We’re a city church, called to minister to the heart of Fort
Lauderdale.

14.Ex-members of the congregation have characterized the sale of the land as

“secretive.” What’s the real story?
This was never a “secret” land deal. The Budget/Audit Team, Trustees, and the
Deacons all knew of and unanimously approved the commencement and every
step of the negotiations and ultimate sale of the property.

The entire church voted unanimously and with optimism for the sale of the prop-
erty.

There are better ways of characterizing the sale, such as:

• Unanimously approved by the church in a regularly scheduled business
meeting—not decided by one man.
• With the full involvement of the Budget/Audit Team members, Trustees,
and Deacons of the church in a deliberate process—not done in haste.
• Scrupulously following the bylaws of the church—not ramrodded through.
• Providential in its timing—allowing us to have needed funds for emer-
gency repair and replacement of capital items.
• Providential in its price—empowering us to continue being a beacon of
hope in the heart of the city just before a decline in the real estate mar-
ket.

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15.Were “hundreds” of members expelled by the church?

No. And while we know it isn’t popular, we are a church which practices church
discipline in accordance with biblical principles and according to our bylaws.
These are bylaws that the church chose and voted to approve in 2018. Some
among those whom we parted ways with for various reasons in recent years have
a different view of all of this, and they’ve chosen to share their view, as is their
right, but their view isn’t informed by the actual facts. We pray that they may
find peace.

16.Didn’t the church lose a legal battle with these former members?
No. A Broward County Court Judge issued a decision on May 19, 2022, direct-
ing arbitration on a very narrow set of issues between the church and those ex-
members in opposition to the church’s decisions.

The plaintiffs had argued for arbitration on a much larger set of issues. Because
the judge rejected this, we have filed our response to the demand for arbitration
with the Institute for Christian Conciliation (ICC) and are awaiting their reply and
the next steps.

We are in full compliance with the court order, and the next step is to start the
process of arbitration on the narrow set of disagreements.

17.Did the church have to sell 501 NE Second Street to make up for the income
lost from the Christmas pageant?
Absolutely not. The Christmas pageant was offered as our gift to the people of
Fort Lauderdale—not as a moneymaking venture. On the contrary, it became a
large financial burden to the ministry in its later, declining years.

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