A coalition of congregants called the Jeremiah Counsel has accused the family of longtime former pastor Ed Young of seizing power from the church membership and subverting its governing body.
A legal battle over the leadership of Second Baptist Church, a historic Houston congregation reaching its centennial next year, will head to a jury trial in July.
A group of congregants calling themselves the Jeremiah Counsel have sued Second Baptist leaders over a transition of power from father to son after Rev. Ed Young stepped down as senior pastor in 2024 and appointed his son, Ben Young, to the role.
The congregants have accused the Youngs — as well as other defendants Lee Maxcy and Dennis Brewer, Jr. — of “self-dealing, deceptive acts, and attempts to seize of control for themselves of Second Baptist’s $1 billion in assets.”…