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Church Controversy Moves To Florida State Court

By Howard M. Friedman

In Palm City Florida, a state court lawsuit was filed Wednesday by seven members of the Palm City Christian Church against the church's pastor, Anthony Galbicka. TC Palm reports the suit charges the pastor with breach of fiduciary duty and seeks a ruling "ousting" Pastor Tony and voiding "improper and/or illegal" actions he took. Elders of the 80-member congregation, in order to deal with financial problems, earlier this year recommended budget cuts, including cuts in Pastor Tony's compensation. The complaint alleges that after the meeting, Galbicka "sought to organize a plan to silence his critics, seize control of the (church and) preserve his income." He had the Sheriff's office issue trespass warnings against three members who are among the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. When the three came to the church for Sunday services in May, they were turned away by a sheriff's deputy. Then in June, Pastor Galbicka, after revoking the membership of 10 church members, called a meeting at which all of the elders were removed and he was elected and given the "combined authority of pastor-president-director-elder-deacon."

In a letter to the congregation, Galbicka said the members he kept away from the church engaged in "physical abuse, intense & unrestrained anger & hatred, cursing, disrespect for law enforcement, threats, pushing, foolish insults & reviling."

Full post as published by Religion Clause on July 10, 2009 (boomark / email).