Calvary Chapel Cary, an embattled North Carolina congregation whose pastor quietly tried to sell the church, abruptly resigned, then devuelto a month later, has ended its services and is selling its property.
In 2021, Rodney Finch, who pastored the church for 30 years, was acusado of bullying, abusing his son, misuse of funds, and drug addiction. Former staff also raised concerns that the 1,800-member Calvary Chapel Association, an evangelical denomination of which Calvary Chapel Cary was a member, wasn’t holding Finch accountable.
But Finch remained until last August, when news broke that he was trying to sell his church building without telling his congregation. Amidst criticism, Finch abruptly resigned, stating that he’d intended to retire in 2025 anyway, but God had just told him to retire sooner. That same week, the church building was no longer listed for sale. Also that week, Finch’s stepdaughter came forward with allegations that Finch beat her with an extension cord when she was 15.
According to Finch, talks between him and fellow Calvary Chapel Cary pastors Ralph Stores and Scott Burrell broke down because Finch wanted more retirement money. Plus, Finch said Stores and Burrell would only agree to the retirement package if Finch signed a document promising to relinquish control of the church.
So, a month later—last September—Finch said God woke him up on a Sunday morning and told him to go to church because other pastors were trying to split the church. He showed up at the end of a Sunday service, took the microphone, and took control of the ending prayer from the other pastors. Afterwards, the other pastors went to the lobby and began yelling, Finch recounted later to his congregation,
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The following week, Finch returned to the church and told his congregation he was back as their pastor. Finch told the congregation that he didn’t want to be held “hostage” by the other pastors’ retirement stipulations. The church’s website by that time had removed the rest of the staff’s names.
Now the church’s sitio web has a note simply stating that it’s no longer holding Sunday morning or Wednesday evening services.
El Informe Roys (TRR) reached out to the church and Finch through email, but didn’t receive a response. The listed phone number now goes to an individual, not the church.
The nearly 10-acre church property in Apex, N.C., is listed with Lee and Associates, a commercial real estate company. The listing has no price.
The last sermon that was posted on the church website, preached by Finch, is from Nov. 17. No mention was made of an upcoming closure during the recorded sermon on I John.
Rebecca Hopkins es una periodista radicada en Colorado.
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6 Responses
I believe this is only the beginning of the exposure of Calvary Chapel and its pastors. It appears that there is no accountability for the elders or anyone else for that matter so it seems they can do whatever they like with impunity. Who exactly is appointing all these pastors with such terrible records? Are these Calvary Chapel churches really churches or are they a front for something else much bigger and sinister? How can one man in the church have power over the whole congregation and do as he likes, even sell the building and close the church on his own authority? Well actually, it is the Moses church government started by founder Chuck Smith but is it Biblical? No! the book of Acts shows a number of elders running and guiding the church. In Acts we find Paul the apostle appointing elders(Plural) at the churches he established. We are not in the age of the old covenant now, but the NEW covenant. The members of Calvary Chapel churches need to seriously look at the model Calvary Chapel is governed by and look for a broader control model than the Moses model which gives the pastor latitude to do literally anything.
This man should not have been allowed to ascend the pulpit the day that he came back. He should have already been under investigation and stripped of all operational authority. Does he think he is God? He put the building up for sale on his own without authorization from his fellow pastors and the people of the church??? He “retired” abruptly because “God said to retire now instead of in 2025.” -A month later he un-retired himself and showed up and strode to the pulpit at the end of the Sunday Worship gathering?? -I have been a staff pastor for 43 years, and heavily involved with area pastors’ fellowships, and have never encountered this. Where were the elders of this church? Where was the extra-local oversite and intervention from Calvary Chapels? -Now a church has been destroyed (and many people damaged too) because one man was allowed to run roughshod.
There’s no limit to what men can do when they don’t love the Lord, but DO love their own desires.
Very sad. I have friends who were members, and I also took part in a homeschool co-op at this church for several years. During that time I thought that it was a lively, diverse church that I would have wanted to be a part of if our family were not established at another church already.
When the accusations first started coming out it was hard to believe but as time has passed, The accusations and evidence and then my own learning about the Calvary Church movement and the Moses model has confirmed to me that God spared us the pain of getting involved and then being hurt. I’m so sorry for the families who were caught up in Rodney’s schemes.
A point of clarification: Calvary Chapel is not a denomination, and therefore has no authority over local congregations or their Pastors. It is a voluntary association of like minded churches. Each individual congregation has its own bylaws and operates according to them.
Calvary Chapel is a “voluntary association of independent fellowships(TM)” when that is to their advantage and a monolith marching in lockstep under Papa Chuck or his successors when that is to their advantage.
Disperse to defend, concentrate to attack.
I’ve lived near ground zero of Calvary Chapel, where Calvary Chapel dominated Christianese AM radio. From my experience and encounters with Chuckbots, Calvary Chapel distills down and concentrates all the ways a church can go sour.