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Does Church Discipline Apply to Placerita Bible Church Pastor Adam Tyson and Elders for Allegedly Sharing Revenge P**n?

The leadership of Placerita Bible Church in Newhall, California, serving as elders, imposes church discipline on church members accused of committing actions that violate scripture. Will those same rules apply to church elders accused of sharing revenge p**n?

In May, Alison Wilder sued her husband Andrew Wilder and Placerita Bible Church in Los Angeles County, alleging that church elder Patrick Hamblin used an iPad to show n**e photos of her to her father during a meeting in which Hamblin, senior pastor Adam Tyson and church elder Mark Madrid falsely claimed Alison was having an affair.

After Alison filed for divorce, Placerita Bible Church intervened. To continue with marriage counseling, Alison was told she must end divorce proceedings.

The church’s efforts to end the divorce allegedly escalated.

According to the lawsuit, “Outside of counseling and without Plaintiff’s consent or knowledge, Defendant Placerita Bible Church encouraged and solicited Defendant Wilder to send n**e photos of Plaintiff to Defendant Placerita Bible Church.”

The lawsuit alleges that Alison’s father became the target of church discipline: “The elders dissuaded Plaintiff’s father from telling Plaintiff about the photos, and dissuaded reporting concerns to the police. After a police report is made, Plaintiff’s father is rebuked in a church service for being quarrelsome and persistently sinning.”

Abuse of Power

Church discipline in the hands of authoritarian church leaders is cause for alarm. One of the dangers of church discipline is that the process can be weaponized to harm victims rather than punish the offender.

Pastor Tyson and Placerita Bible Church elder Todd Kostjuk both serve on the board of Sufficiency of Scripture Ministries (SOS Ministries) which founded Community Bible Church of Kubamitwe in Uganda.

In a 2024 video which has since been taken offline, SOS Ministries President Shannon Hurley proudly talked about his church’s jail cell: “As you enter our property, this is the front gate. This is actually where security will be. Security will be on the bottom. We actually, through that little window there, we have a little jail cell. So, if somebody is drunk, they can sit there. Or if we capture somebody that’s doing something wrong, they can stay there till police come.”

After Trinity Foundation published an article about the jail cell, an anonymous informant contacted both Placerita Bible Church and other SOS Ministries supporters, such as Lakeside Bible Church in Montgomery, Texas, and Joni and Friends, to learn if they would continue supporting Hurley.

The informant received responses indicating that organizations funding Hurley ignored his public statement and were more interested in the informant’s identity than in holding Hurley accountable.

Church Governance

Almost four years ago, a Trinity Foundation article asked the question,

“Who can fire the pastor?” and we explained, “It’s a key question to ask when investigating the power structure of churches and ministries as a growing number of pastors adopt barriers to accountability which prevent them from being fired.”

Placerita Bible Church bylaws govern the congregation, restricting most voting to a small group of men identified as elders which have the power to fire the pastor during an elder board meeting.

Section 4 of the inconsistently written bylaws states, “The Corporation shall have no members. Any action which would otherwise require approval by a majority of all members shall only require approval of the Board of Elders (also known as the ‘Board’).”

However, the very next section of the Bylaws says, “Active church membership in the Placerita Bible Church shall be open to all persons over the age of 13 who confess Christ as their Lord and Savior and who have been baptized by immersion.” (emphasis added)

The use of elder boards to govern churches has become a growing trend in the United States, partly due to their heavy promotion by The Master’s University and The Master’s Seminary, which are located next to Placerita Bible Church.

According to the deceased, well-known evangelical pastor John MacArthur who served as the former chancellor of The Master’s Seminary, “Proper biblical government by elders… is the only pattern for church leadership given in the New Testament. Nowhere in Scripture do we find a local assembly ruled by majority opinion, or by one pastor.”

In the booklet Answering the Key Questions About Elders, MacArthur explains the origin of elders:

“The New Testament church was initially Jewish, so it would be natural that the concept of elder rule was adopted for use in the early church. Elder was the only commonly used Jewish term for leadership that was free from any connotation of either the monarchy or the priesthood.”

Church Discipline

The Placerita Bible Church bylaws list three reasons for church discipline.

“glorify God by maintaining purity in the local church”
“edify believers by deterring sin”
“promote the spiritual welfare of the offending believer by calling him or her to return to a biblical standard of doctrine and conduct”


The bylaws require the elders to conduct a thorough investigation before removing an elder for misconduct. The bylaws also require the church congregation be informed of this disciplinary action.

“When an Elder is removed because of sin that is deemed sufficient to disqualify him from shepherding, the removal shall be accompanied by a public rebuke, and notice shall be made before the church and the congregation thereof at a regularly-scheduled worship service as prescribed in 1 Timothy 5:20.”

Placerita Bible Church’s elders will likely wait for the outcome of Wilder’s lawsuit against the church before considering disciplinary action against Tyson and other church elders.

If a jury decides against the church after hearing the Wilder case, the elders could resign to avoid receiving church discipline. Should the elders stay after losing the court case, a reform-minded elder could call for an elder board vote to remove the elders or schedule a congregational vote on the matter.

David Morrill, a writer for Protestia, an online publication covering religion from a Protestant viewpoint, defends the practice of congregational voting in church disciplinary actions.

“In its biblical and historic form, plural eldership exists within a framework of meaningful congregational authority. Elders lead; congregations retain the power of recognition, correction, and removal. As has been noted many times recently, elder plurality was never intended to create self-generating spiritual authorities insulated from the people they serve.”

Does Church Discipline Apply to Placerita Bible Church Pastor Adam Tyson and Elders for Allegedly Sharing Revenge P**n? - Trinity Foundation (Screenshot: Pastor Adam Tyson preaching at Placerita Bible Church on Romans 8.) The leadership of Placerita Bible Church in Newhall, California, serving as elders, imposes church discipline on church members accused of committing actions that violate scripture. Will those same rules apply to church...

Have you wondered why crooked religious leaders are rarely prosecuted for fraud? Here's the answer: The same court precedents that serve as a deterrent for prosecuting “spiritual coercion” also serve as a deterrent for prosecuting religious fraud.

Our latest article explores the court rulings that limit/prevent prosecution of religious leaders for "spiritual coercion" and fraud. Most likely you've never heard of the Ballard case decided in 1944. Thousands of court filings appeal to this court ruling and other precedents to prevent prosecution of religious fraud.

Cult Leader Claims: Prosecution for “Spiritual Coercion” Is Unconstitutional; How Court Precedents Prevent Justice for Church Victims - Trinity Foundation (Screenshot: In 2022, Naasón Joaquín García arrives in court to plead guilty to s*xually abusing children. Source: CBS LA.) The federal court case of Mexican cult leader Apostle Naasón Joaquín García for s*x trafficking conspiracy serves as a master class for studying the criminal defense stra...

Preparing for Death: Downsizing During Joni Lamb’s Final Year

“Show me, LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.” – Psalm 39:4 NIV

Joni Lamb, co-founder of the Daystar Television Network, a ministry that promoted the Prosperity Gospel, died May 7 at age 65. While it is alleged that Joni died from bone cancer, Daystar has not disclosed the cause of death.

In her final year on earth, Joni prepared for death by downsizing. Joni sold three homes she owned and placed four properties in a trust so that assets could be shared after her death, without going to probate.

To read more ...

Preparing for Death: Downsizing During Joni Lamb’s Final Year – Trinity Foundation Preparing for Death: Downsizing During Joni Lamb’s Final Year May 22, 2026 Barry Bowen (Screenshot: Joni Lamb looked healthy in 2024 when she sang during the Daystar Telethon Heart for the World.) “Show me, LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.” ...

In deciding the successor of Joni Lamb, the Daystar board of directors will likely decide from one of three options: a Lamb family member such as Rachel Lamb Brown, a current Daystar official such as CFO Arnold Torres, or conduct a CEO executive search to find an ideal replacement.

Speculation Abounds Following Death of Televangelist Joni Lamb: How Did She Die? Who Will Be Daystar’s Next CEO? – Trinity Foundation Speculation Abounds Following Death of Televangelist Joni Lamb: How Did She Die? Who Will Be Daystar’s Next CEO? May 15, 2026May 15, 2026 Barry Bowen (Screenshot: Joni Lamb appearing on Daystar Television Network.) Following the May 7, 2026, death of Daystar Television president Joni Lamb, Daystar...

Paula White Defends Cult Leader Who Claims to Be the Holy Spirit; New Book Explores Unification Church’s Toxic Theology

Unification Church co-founder Hak Ja Han’s claims to be the Holy Spirit and “only begotten Daughter of God—but that doesn’t stop American politicians and religious leaders from supporting the infamous cult leader.

Hak Jan Han, better known in America as Mrs. Moon, the widow of Sun Myung Moon, is imprisoned, awaiting trial, after being charged with bribing the former First Lady of South Korea Kim Keon Hee.

During a March 2026 meeting between South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and President Donald Trump, Paula White questioned Min-seok regarding the imprisonment of Hak Ja Han.

According to Seoul Economic Daily, Min-seok “explained that the cases involve election law violations or political bribery unrelated to religious activities and would apply equally to non-religious individuals.”

The Unification Church, famous for its mass weddings, campaigns for the reunification of North and South Korea. The church and related entities regularly hold rallies for this cause, which frequently feature American politicians and religious leaders such as Paula White as special guests.

In 2022, the Universal Peace Federation, which Hak Ja Han co-founded, paid Trump $2 million for speaking at two events.

Japanese newspaper The Mainichi Shimbun, reported Trump’s speaking fees after submitting a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the U.S. Office of Government Ethics. Other American politicians speaking at Unification-Church related events include Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo and Newt Gingrich.

To continue reading ... https://trinityfi.org/paula-white-defends-cult-leader-who-claims-to-be-the-holy-spirit-new-book-explores-unification-churchs-toxic-theology/

Jeremiah Counsel Corp V. Second Baptist Houston New Trial Date and Mediation—SO FAR APART, TOO FAR APART??

The jury trial in the court case revealed in our April 2025 article, Power, Deceit, and Betrayal at Second Baptist Houston, was recently moved back again from April 29th, 2026, to July 27th, 2026—a second continuance in the case between the Jeremiah Counsel Corporation (JCC) and Second Baptist Houston’s “Young Group”. Judge Grant Dorfman has ordered mediation between the parties with mediator and former judge Harvey Brown.

One side wants Transparency and Accountability, the OTHER side wants to HIDE

After church members voted to approve secretive bylaws which they could not view before the vote, church leadership eliminated church-wide business meetings and stopped sharing annual budgets with donors.

The two sides are so far apart it is hard to imagine any agreement prior to a jury trial. The issues: no transparency for how the church board spends donor funds; no accountability by a non-independent, self-perpetuating, board of directors while over a billion dollars’ worth of assets is at stake; a history of lavish spending by relatives; etc.

Questions: Has Ben Young received a huge salary increase and/or housing allowance in the past two years as the new Senior Pastor? Is the new board considering selling one of its church campuses? How much is the church paying in legal fees to one of its board members who is both a lawyer and an ‘ordained’ minister?

Nationwide Publicity

Documentarist Nathan Appfel, creator of the docuseries The Religion Business has published videos on his website about the issue and discussed it with Tucker Carlson on his YouTube channel. Youtuber Todd Chrisley interviewed Nathan on his Chrisley Confessions channel and they discussed the ongoing Second Baptist case as well.

Recap

In May 2023 a relatively small group of Second Baptist’s 90,000 plus members attended a congregational meeting thinking it was about shielding the church from “woke” ideology. They approved a new set of bylaws without seeing copies of the document.

Unbeknownst to the 2023 meeting attendees, their member voting rights had been permanently stripped away, including the right to select a new pastor, approve a budget, select trustees, etc. The new bylaws changed the church’s governance model, fired the previous Trustees, and placed power and control over a billion dollars’ worth of assets in the hands a small group of mostly Young family members and friends, now called a “Ministry Leadership Team” (the self-appointed board of directors).

After their long-time Pastor, Dr. Homer Edwin Young, appointed his son Ben Young as the new Senior Pastor certain members began to realize the scope of the deception perpetrated on the 94,000-member church.

Legal action was taken, JCC members said, as a last resort to reverse what they considered a hostile church takeover. A complete summary of the reasons for the lawsuit can be found on the JCC website. Defendants are the church’s former senior pastor Homer Edwin Young, new senior pastor Ben Young, Lee Maxcy, Dennis Brewer Jr., and the Second Baptist Church Corporation.

More Trinity Foundation articles here:

Ed Young’s Toxic Church Business Practices and Mergers Infect Second Baptist Houston and Other Churches

Giga-church Second Baptist Houston Court Battle Update: New April 29, 2026 Jury Trial Date Set

About Biblical and Historic Governance—Authority Flows from the Congregation, Source—Protestia

“In its biblical and historic form, plural eldership exists within a framework of meaningful congregational authority. Elders lead; congregations retain the power of recognition, correction, and removal. As has been noted many times recently, elder plurality was never intended to create self-generating spiritual authorities insulated from the people they serve. ”

Source: https://protestia.com/2026/01/07/warlords-of-the-ghetto-why-the-evangelical-influencer-ecosystem-radicalizes-instead-of-reforms/

“The Second London Baptist Confession (1689) grounds authority explicitly in the local gathered congregation, not in networks of cooperating ministries.

Likewise, the Baptist Faith and Message affirms: Each congregation operates under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes.

Authority is:

local,
covenantal,
and mutually accountable.

It is not transferable through partnerships, funding relationships, or cooperative agreements. Baptists rejected centralized adjudication precisely to prevent institutions from exercising unreviewable authority over one another.”

Source: https://protestia.com/2026/02/18/the-mcraney-case-is-a-disaster-for-baptists-and-many-still-dont-see-it/

“In historic Baptist polity, authority flows from the congregation. Elders serve the church; they do not constitutionally rule it. A permanent class of “founding elders” exercising enduring authority represents a very different model of church governance.

Under such systems:

elders adjudicate disputes
elders define discipline
elders determine credibility
criticism is expected to be routed through the same authority structure being criticized”

Source: https://protestia.com/2026/03/05/jeff-durbin-and-apologia-are-about-to-get-slapped/

Article Source: https://trinityfi.org/jeremiah-counsel-corp-v-second-baptist-houston-new-trial-date-and-mediation-so-far-apart-too-far-apart/

Follow the Money Friday: Southern Poverty Law Center and Jay Sekulow

This week the Justice Department indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), claiming the non-profit, famous for fighting racism, was actually giving money to the heads of white supremacy organizations, who served as Field Sources for the SPLC.

How did the SPLC cover up its alleged crimes? We will show you while examining the Form 990s filed with the IRS.

According to the indictment (screenshot below), SPLC created bank accounts using the names of fictitious companies to transfer funds to Field Sources.

To read more ....

Follow the Money Friday: Southern Poverty Law Center and Jay Sekulow – Trinity Foundation Follow the Money Friday: Southern Poverty Law Center and Jay Sekulow April 24, 2026 Barry Bowen This week the Justice Department indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), claiming the non-profit, famous for fighting racism, was actually giving money to the heads of white supremacy organizatio...

Follow the Money Fridays: TBN

Ministry donors, have you ever reviewed where your donations go? As an example, we are going to review a non-profit in this post. While churches are exempt, a large number of religious organizations disclose this financial data to the IRS on the Form 990 available here: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/

For several decades, Trinity Christian Center of Santa Ana (TCCSA) served as the parent organization of Trinity Broadcasting Network, the world’s largest religious TV network.
Let’s take a look at page one of TCCSA’s latest Form 990.

TCCSA leaves the line “Doing business as” blank. This is the first questionable omission on the Form 990. In 2021, TCCSA re-registered the trade name “Trinity Broadcasting Network” in Orange County, California. By registering a trade name, the broadcast ministry can open a bank account with that name.

According to page one, TCCSA has four voting board members of which only one is independent, but this might be an error. Page seven of the 990 identifies five board members.

Independent board members play a critical role in board governance. When the IRS audits non-profit organizations, they check to see if compensation of highly paid executives is approved by independent board members. It is a conflict of interest for a CEO to approve his own compensation.

The first page reports that TCCSA had 180 employees. If TCCSA had independent contractors, they would not be included on this line but would be reported later on the 990. TCCSA affiliate Trinity Broadcasting of Texas employs a large number of independent contractors, 733 in 2023.

TCCSA reported $19.3 million in unrelated business revenue. Almost $6 million of this revenue is subject to taxation. TCCSA’s main source of unrelated business income is advertising revenue.

At the end of 2024, TCCSA had $206 million in total assets. The broadcast ministry operated in a deficit for the year as total expenses exceeded total revenue by almost $10.5 million.

Be sure to check out our posts on X/Twitter. Trinity Foundation plans to post weekly reviews of 990s throughout the year.

Court Requires Bank to Seize Assets from Benny Hinn Ministries After Failure to Pay Marketing Company

For the second time in five years, a court has ordered Benny Hinn Ministries to pay a marketing company for services rendered which the ministry had previously avoided paying. Hinn’s ministry now faces garnishment of assets.

In a case that received almost no attention, during summary judgment Judge John P. Chupp ruled against Benny Hinn’s World Healing Center Church (WHCC) in January 2026, ordering the Grapevine, Texas-based organization to pay PrintMPro, Ltd, better known by the trade name PrintMailPro, “actual damages in the amount of $144,617.52 plus $64.93 per day from November 6, 2025 through date of this Judgment.”

Judge Chupp also required WHCC, which uses the trade name Benny Hinn Ministries, to pay PrintMailPro’s legal fees.

According to the lawsuit filed in September 2025, “PrintMailPro produced a substantial amount of printed materials and provided a substantial amount of mass mail marketing services for Defendant between January and May 2025.”

In February 2026, PrintMailPro submitted an application to Tarrant County’s 141st Judicial District Court requesting a Writ of Garnishment to allow the company to collect the debt from the ministry’s bank Frost Bank in San Antonio.

In March, PrintMailPro served San Antonio-based Frost Bank a Writ of Garnishment authorizing the bank to seize “$159,615.85, besides

interest and costs of suit” to pay the plaintiff. PrintMailPro also notified WHCC that assets would be seized to pay debts.

On April 9, 2026, Trinity Foundation emailed Attorney Paul Hyde representing PrintMailPro, several questions including, “Is this a common problem? In your career as an attorney, have you encountered other religious organizations that wouldn’t pay bills and debts had to be collected by garnishment?”

If a response is received, it will be added to the article.

The court docket for the PrintMailPro case is viewable at txcourts.gov.



Mail America Communications, Inc. Lawsuit

In 2021, a federal court required WHCC to pay Mail America Communications, Inc. $2,993,221.74, plus interest and attorney’s fees.

Following the 2021 court ruling, Trinity Foundation reported, “WHCC’s spending priorities are to pay ministry executives first and vendors last, according to an anonymous informant.”

When Hinn’s TV program was dropped by Trinity Broadcasting Network and Daystar Television Network, revenue also dropped for WHCC. For years, the broadcast ministry struggled with debt.

In the Mail America Communications, Inc. ruling, Judge Alvin Hellerstein wrote, “For nearly 15 years, Defendant had been falling behind its payment obligations, with over $5.6 million in arrears by early 2012.”



Church Status Loophole

Hinn’s ministry has spent millions of dollars settling lawsuits and refuses to disclose legal expenses and settlement expenses to its donors.

While WHCC claims to be a church and the word “church” appears in its name, the non-profit organization lacks a distinct membership, which is one of the defining characteristics of a church.

According to Google, there is no mention of the word “membership” on Hinn’s website.

By claiming church status, WHCC exploits a well-known loophole in the tax code: Churches are NOT required to file the information return Form 990 which discloses total revenue, total expenses, compensation of officers, legal expenses and other critical financial information for donors.

In 2005, while dumpster diving at Hinn’s law firm, Trinity Foundation investigator Pete Evans discovered documents showing the IRS was auditing WHCC. Evans compiled a brief challenging WHCC’s church status.

While the IRS declined to act on the brief, the United States Senate Finance Committee took it more seriously. Senator Chuck Grassley launched an inquiry into six large media ministries after his staffer Dean Zerbe received the brief.

News article with links to court documents:

https://trinityfi.org/court-requires-bank-to-seize-assets-from-benny-hinn-ministries-after-failure-to-pay-marketing-company/

On Friday, Liberty University's twin-engine turboprop King Air flew from Lynchburg, Virginia to Augusta, Georgia. This past weekend was also the Masters Tournament. ⛳️ After the tournament ended, the aircraft returned to Lynchburg.

Liberty University explains its aircraft usage policy on Form 990 documents filed with the IRS: "personal travel is either reimbursed or treated as a taxable benefit."

The tax code treats personal flights taken on board privately owned aircraft as a fringe benefit. The Standard Industry Fare Level tax applying to these flights is updated twice annually with the new rates disclosed in Internal Revenue Bulletins published by the IRS.