Florida

[UPDATE] 12/29/11 13:18 p.m.

New Destiny Christian Center announced Thursday morning that Paula White is the new senior pastor of the Florida megachurch the late Zachery Tims founded 15 years ago with his ex-wife, Riva Tims, who is also suing the Florida megachurch. 

After weeks of speculation that White, who currently leads Without Walls International Church in Tampa, would be taking over leadership duties for the Apopka church, NDCC administrators confirmed the rumors in a press release. more >>

One of the two locations of Without Walls International Church in North Lakeland, Fla., has been standing abandoned since August, causing rumors about whether the ministry will be able to rise up from its financial strains.

The large and empty Lakeland building sits without electricity. The sister church of the Tampa, Fla., location ministered by its senior pastor Paula White, has not held a service since at least August, when the electrical supplier disconnected its power due to numerous missing payments amounting to over $50,000, The Ledger has reported. Lakeland Electric has reportedly applied the church's deposit of $51,180 to cover the debt, but that is not the end of the ministry’s financial nightmare.

Without Walls reportedly bought the Lakeland property – with a capacity for 9,000 congregants – for $8 million in 2005. However, the church did not manage to attract enough followers, and by 2008 the property was put up for sale, according to The Ledger. more >>

Florida’s attorney general submitted on Tuesday a revised ballot summary for a proposed constitutional amendment that would remove language from the Florida constitution banning public dollars for religious groups.

Pam Bondi made the submission a week after Leon County Judge Terry Lewis took the amendment off the 2012 ballot, calling the language ambiguous.

"Voters deserve an opportunity to decide whether to remove from Florida's constitution a provision that discriminates against religious institutions," Bondi said in a statement. "The revised ballot summary completely cures the legal defect identified in Judge Lewis's ruling striking down the original ballot summary." more >>

Accusations have been swirling since last week that Paula White, pastor of Without Walls International Church in Tampa, Fla., was not simply assisting Zachery Tims' megachurch in its search for a new senior pastor, but might actually be positioning herself to take charge at New Destiny Christian Center as its leader.

When The Christian Post spoke with New Destiny Christian Center (NDCC) earlier this month about who would be installed as the new senior pastor in place of Tims, a top church official revealed that the announcement would be made on New Year's Eve. 

Minister Samuel Anderson, executive administrator at NDCC, said during a Dec. 5 discussion with The Christian Post that the new pastor – whoever he or she is – would begin his or her leadership duties at the Apopka, Fla., megachurch beginning Jan. 1. more >>

The City Council of Orlando, Fla., voted in favor of an ordinance Monday that recognizes same-sex domestic partnerships, giving same-sex couples some of the privileges already applied to those in traditional marriages.

The newly available domestic partnership registry option will give unmarried couples – heterosexual or gay – legal rights to visit a partner at a hospital, manage the partner’s funeral arrangements or participate in decisions regarding the partner’s child’s education. The new rules are only valid within the city of Orlando and start Jan. 12.

The registry makes available an overview of protections provided within the domestic partnership, Cassandra Lafser Public Information Officer at City of Orlando, told The Christian Post Tuesday. more >>

Christ Fellowship, a megachurch in Florida, is engaged in discussions with authorities of Boynton Beach city to find ways to buy an abandoned Dillard’s store despite a moratorium on nonprofits building in commercial spaces and the city’s concerns over an overflow of traffic.

The Palm Beach Gardens-based church, whose teaching pastor is the evangelical author and speaker John C. Maxwell, wants to buy a closed 126,000-square-foot Dillard’s store at the Boynton Beach Mall to build its fifth campus.

The church can’t buy the store until the city decides to revoke a six-month moratorium on allowing nonprofits to build in commercial spaces. City commissioners voted for the moratorium in November. While it is possible for the commissioners to lift the moratorium, they also want to figure out the likely impact of an increased number of cars on Congress Avenue. more >>