“We Built This From the Ground Up”: Members Say Their Church Was Listed for Sale Without Warning

• A House of God church in West Park, Florida, was listed at $799,000 after an appraisal of more than $1 million.
• Four more House of God churches in South Florida were also listed: in Liberty City, Dania Beach, Miami Gardens and Pompano Beach.
• The churches belong to House of God–King Dominion East Coast, a Tennessee-based national organisation.
• Members said the local pastor was reportedly unaware of the sales.

A South Florida congregation found out its church was for sale when the listing appeared. Local 10 News reported that members of a House of God church in West Park were reeling over the surprise sale of multiple churches.

The West Park building, appraised at more than $1 million, was listed at $799,000. Four other House of God churches in the region were also on the market, in Liberty City, Dania Beach, Miami Gardens and Pompano Beach. The churches are part of House of God–King Dominion East Coast, a national organisation based in Tennessee. Members said the sales had not been announced, and the local pastor was reportedly unaware of them.

Jerry Hicks, an 83-year-old deacon, said: “This is my life, this is all I know. We built this from the ground up.” He added: “That took my heart out…I just do not understand, why are they trying to sell all of these churches?” Congregant Ives Hicks said: “Once that trust is broken, they really can’t serve. So they’re gonna not just lose a building.” Gino Jamison said: “We were a day late and a dollar short when we found out about it.”

A church letter quoted in the report asked members to “join with the upper prelature of the Church for a sacred pause regarding these matters.”

The story is a reminder that the people who build and maintain a church are not always the people who own it. In Jamaica, too, many local congregations belong to denominations or trusts that hold the titles, and decisions to sell can be made far from the pews. Members who give money for building projects should ask how the property is held, who can sell it and what say the local church has. The answers matter just as much to families in the diaspora who send money home to help build or repair a church. A clear agreement on who controls the land, made while relations are good, is the best protection against a surprise listing later.

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