In June, a majority of the personnel committee at First Baptist Church of Denton recommended the church leadership fire senior pastor Jeff Williams.
The recommendation followed an independent investigation by HR Ministry Solutions, a faith-based company that offers audits and training for religious organizations, that found 32 out of 37 interviewees — all former staff members who had worked at the church within the past five years — alleged that Williams created a hostile and harassing environment at the church. Among those 32, some reported experiencing “abusive or toxic behavior” from Williams themselves or seeing it happen to others.
By the end of October, church leaders announced in a business meeting that the remaining volunteers on the nine-member personnel committee wouldn’t be renominated to their positions…