The $84 Million Coup: How Houston's Second Baptist Church Lost Its Democracy Overnight

A nearly century-old congregation discovers their voting rights vanished in a Memorial Day weekend meeting—and now they're fighting back in court

On May 27, 2024, a seismic shift hit Second Baptist Church. According to court documents, newly appointed pastor Ben Young ordered his father, Ed Young, to vacate his office and cease his involvement in the church he had led for decades. The headmaster of the K-12 school and the choir director were also fired that day. The events leading up to this power struggle are now at the heart of a lawsuit filed by a group of petitioners operating under a nonprofit called Jeremiah Counsel Corporation.

From Humble Beginnings to Megachurch Empire

In 1927, a group of 121 individuals gathered at the old Taylor School in downtown Houston to establish Second Baptist Church. Their commitment was so profound that they used their own homes as collateral to fund the church's inception. At a time when Houston was still in its formative years, having been founded in 1837, this act of faith laid the foundation for what would become one of the city's most influential religious institutions.

In 1978, Ed Young moved his family from South Carolina to Houston after the church formed a search committee seeking “a great leader with a passion for soul-winning and a heart for the city of Houston.” Under his leadership, Second Baptist expanded from a few hundred members to a congregation of 94,000 across six campuses, operating with an annual budget of $84 million and assets worth $1 billion.

Ed Young reshaped Second Baptist into one of the most influential churches in the country. Known for his fiery preaching and evangelical zeal, he expanded the church's footprint through televised sermons, community outreach, and media platforms like The Winning Walk. His leadership drew national recognition and also controversy, including criticism over how the church handled sexual abuse claims.

Second Baptist supports a vast operation that includes six campuses, a large K-12 school, extensive media ministries, and significant property holdings throughout Houston. The church owns valuable real estate, including its flagship Woodway campus, which alone is estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars. Salaries for senior leadership have not been publicly disclosed, but the scale of operations and comparison to similar megachurches suggest that compensation for top staff is substantial.

The Young Dynasty and Models of Church Governance

As Second Baptist grew, so did the Young family's influence within and beyond the church's walls. Ed Young's three sons have each played prominent roles in American evangelical circles. Ben Young, the middle son, spent decades as an associate pastor at Second Baptist and gradually became a familiar presence in the church's leadership and public life. Cliff Young, the youngest, has contributed to the church's creative and media efforts and is also recognized as a founding member of the Christian band Caedmon's Call.

The eldest son, Ed Young Jr., leads Fellowship Church in the Dallas area—a megachurch known for its entertainment-driven worship style and high-profile events. Unlike Second Baptist's traditionally democratic structure, Fellowship operates with a small, pastor-appointed board, giving the senior pastor wide-ranging authority. The church has drawn criticism for its embrace of prosperity preaching, lack of financial transparency, and headline-grabbing events—such as a 24-hour "bed-in" staged on the church roof to promote a marriage series. Ed Jr. sets his own salary, and Fellowship's board includes other megachurch pastors hand-picked by him, raising ongoing questions about accountability and oversight.

This governance model would prove significant for what was to come at Second Baptist.

Illustration: AI-generated sketch of Ed Young Sr., via Grok

The Controversial Bylaw Changes

It was against this backdrop of controversy and shifting models of church governance that Second Baptist members began to notice changes closer to home in 2023. The first public mention of a meeting appeared in the back pages of a newsletter on May 19, 2023, simply stating that there would be a meeting of church members to vote on the church bylaws. Two days later, on Sunday, May 21, an announcement from the church pulpit described the upcoming meeting as being solely about "protecting the church against the woke agenda."

Then, on Friday, May 26, church members received what appeared to be a routine email newsletter from Ed Young, sent just before Memorial Day weekend. Buried between announcements about Bible study and summer activities was a single line noting a "Church Business Meeting" scheduled for May 31 at the Woodway campus, with only a vague reference to updating the bylaws "to protect our ability to continue operating as a biblical church." No further explanation or details about the proposed changes were provided in any of these notices.

The timing of the email, just ahead of a major holiday weekend, is cited in court documents as a factor that may have contributed to the low turnout, with plaintiffs alleging that many members overlooked the notice entirely. According to the lawsuit, none of the announcements gave any real indication of the meeting's true content or the scope of the bylaw changes being proposed.

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Jeremiah Counsel claims that the notice was deceptive because it failed to mention the elimination of members' voting rights or the major governance changes that would give the Senior Pastor and future successors virtually complete control of church assets. The group further alleges that when trustees and other members inquired about the meeting, they were told it was simply to vote on bylaw amendments "to protect Second Baptist from the woke agenda." Out of a congregation of 94,000, only about 200 people attended—a fraction of a percent of the church's membership, most of them staff or individuals closely associated with church leadership.

What Actually Changed?

At the May 31, 2023 meeting, Second Baptist Church enacted sweeping changes to its bylaws that fundamentally altered the church's governance structure and the rights of its members. According to court filings and multiple reports, the key changes allegedly included the complete elimination of congregational voting rights, the removal of the independent board of trustees, and the transfer of virtually all decision-making power to the senior pastor and a newly created Ministry Leadership Team appointed by the pastor.

Previously, Second Baptist operated under a model in which major decisions, including the adoption of annual budgets, the selection or removal of the senior pastor, and oversight of church property, required a vote of the membership and were subject to checks by an independently elected board of trustees. The new bylaws ended this nearly century-old democratic process.

Under the new structure:

• Members are now described as "attendees" with no right to vote on any church matters, including leadership transitions or financial decisions

• The independent board of trustees was replaced by the Ministry Leadership Team, whose members are selected by and serve at the discretion of the senior pastor

• The senior pastor now holds unilateral authority to make major decisions such as selling or merging the church, disposing of property, raising salaries (including his own), and appointing his successor—all without any requirement for congregational approval or independent oversight

• The process for selecting a new senior pastor, which previously involved a search committee and congregational input, was eliminated entirely, allowing the current senior pastor to appoint his own replacement

• The new bylaws also reportedly include indemnification provisions, ensuring that legal fees for any future litigation arising from these changes would be covered by church funds

The effect of these changes has purportedly been to concentrate nearly unchecked power in the office of the senior pastor, removing longstanding safeguards and transparency measures that were designed to keep church leadership accountable to the broader membership. Critics and plaintiffs argue that these amendments were orchestrated to facilitate a seamless transfer of leadership from Ed Young to his son Ben Young, and to insulate the new leadership from challenge or oversight by the congregation.

The Power Transfer and Its Aftermath

When Ed Young stepped down—referring to it as "stepping up"—in 2024, he left behind a sprawling six-campus operation with a budget of $84 million and a legacy that looms large in Houston's religious life. The bylaw changes had paved the way for Ben Young to assume control without the traditional congregational input or oversight.

However, the transition was not smooth. Members who have raised concerns about the changes have reported being removed from leadership positions or otherwise marginalized within the church. The dramatic confrontation on May 27, 2024, when Ben Young reportedly ordered his father to vacate his office, suggests that even within the Young family, the new power structure created tensions.

The Legal Challenge

Jeremiah Counsel Corporation was formed on April 15, 2025, the same day the lawsuit against Second Baptist was filed. Its members include longtime churchgoers, former leaders, and families who have been part of the congregation for years. They created the group because they believe the recent changes to the church's rules took away the voice of ordinary members and concentrated power in the hands of just a few.

The lawsuit seeks sweeping judicial intervention in Second Baptist's governance crisis. Jeremiah Counsel is asking for a declaratory judgment on the validity of the bylaw changes, alleging breach of fiduciary duty by church leadership and civil conspiracy to commit ultra vires acts—actions beyond the legal authority granted by the church's own governing documents. The plaintiffs demand a complete accounting of church finances and property management, while seeking a permanent injunction to prevent Second Baptist from transferring assets or implementing further organizational changes during litigation.

Notably, they are not asking for monetary damages for its members. Instead, by filing their lawsuit, they hope to give members back their right to vote on important decisions and to make sure that the church's leadership is accountable to everyone, not just a select group. For them, it is about protecting the church's legacy and making sure Second Baptist stays true to its founding values.

The Response and Current Status

Ben Young has replied to the lawsuit from the pulpit, stating that "the allegations that were made concerning me and my family simply are not true."

Jeremiah Counsel responded to this "Statement from the Pulpit" with a series of questions and statements for the membership posted on their website, continuing the public nature of this dispute.

According to the Trinity Foundation, Ed Young was quoted as telling one church member “I made the worst mistake of my life” and to another he purportedly said “I really messed up.”

The case represents more than just an internal church dispute. At its core, it's a battle over institutional accountability and transparency in one of America's largest religious organizations. The legal challenge strikes at the heart of questions that many megachurches face: How much power should be concentrated in a single leader? What rights do members have in institutions they support financially and spiritually? And can courts intervene in religious governance disputes without violating the separation of church and state?

The outcome of this lawsuit could have implications far beyond Second Baptist Church, potentially setting precedents for how megachurches operate and how much oversight religious institutions face. For now, the congregation of 94,000 members—most of whom may have been unaware of the governance changes made in their name—waits to see whether the courts will restore their voice or uphold the new hierarchical structure that has transformed their century-old democratic church into something resembling the top-down model pioneered by Ed Young Jr. at Fellowship Church.

The irony is not lost on observers: a church founded by 121 individuals who mortgaged their homes for their shared vision now finds itself at the center of a legal battle over whether its members have any say in that vision's future.

These events are based on court filings and allegations made by various parties involved. The court has not made final determinations on these matters, and all parties are entitled to due process and the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise in a court of law.