By MICHELLE
BEARDEN and BAIRD HELGESON, The Tampa Tribune
Published:
Aug 24, 2007
TAMPA
- Randy and Paula White, the founders and co-pastors of what has
been one of the nation's biggest and fastest-growing churches,
plan to divorce. Members of Without Walls International
Church reacted with tears and a chorus of 'Oh, no's' after the
Whites' announcement at Thursday night's service. Randy White
called Paula White to the podium about an hour into the service.
He was somber; she appeared choked up. 'It's the most difficult
decision I've ever had to make in my entire life,' he told the
congregation, describing her as an exceptional woman, mother and
preacher. She pledged to return frequently to preach. Viewers who
tuned in to a live webcast of the service missed the announcement;
the video and audio were cut off for about 10 minutes. The most
shaken members left the service and went into the entryway to cry
or call loved ones. Most said the news came as a shock, but it
didn't shake their faith in the ministry. 'It's like hearing the
news from your parents,' said Frank Murillo, who has attended the
church for 10 years. 'They are great people. We all go through
stuff. Pastor Randy will be here, and I will be here.' Kerran
Fuller has attended the church on and off since the beginning of
the year. The announcement 'didn't weaken the church in anyway,'
he said after the service. 'I'll definitely keep going.' The
Whites, who've been married nearly 18 years, said in interviews
that the split is amicable and comes after visits to counselors
over several years. They blame two lives going in different
directions. Randy White, however, said he takes '100 percent
responsibility' for the breakup. 'I want to apologize for the poor
decisions I've made in my life, to my congregation and to the body
of Christ,' he told The Tampa Tribune. 'I think I've let a lot of
people down.' Those regrets, he said, include how he has treated
some people, lifestyle changes and being seen in public with women
other than his wife, even if it was innocent. They both said the
split involves no third party on either side. He will stay at
Without Walls as senior pastor while she concentrates on her
ministry, which includes a TV show broadcast on several national
networks including Black Entertainment Television, conferences,
and book and video sales. She'll remain based in Tampa, with
satellite operations in California, New York City and San Antonio.
Church attendance 'will take a hit' from the news, he predicted.
Without Walls reports having 23,000 members. Its finances also
will be affected: her ministry brings in about $50,000 to $80,000
a week, he said. An audit put total church revenues at nearly $40
million last year.
Individual Pursuits
Although she will continue to
financially support the church, the Whites are in the process of
separating operations. The couple have pursued individual goals in
recent months, rarely preaching together at the church on North
Grady Avenue near Raymond James Stadium. They've also had to deal
with the illness of Randy White's adult daughter, who was
diagnosed with a brain tumor in December. Paula White 41, is
frequently on the road for her for-profit and nonprofit ventures.
One of those, Paula White Enterprises, changed earlier this year
when Randy White was removed as a director, according to
Department of State records. In February, she created a new
nonprofit, PWM Lifecenter, listing as directors herself, church
CFO Norva Carrington, and Rick Hawkins, founding pastor of the
Family Praise Center in San Antonio. She has made many
speaking trips recently to San Antonio and this month purchased a
$681,000 home there. She serves as 'oversight pastor' to Hawkins'
son Dustin, who now leads the church. She also frequently travels
to New York, where she has a Trump Tower condo and leads monthly
services at her new Life by Design Empowerment Center.
Randy White, 49, has spent
several months commuting to Malibu, Calif., where he signed a
one-year lease on a beachfront dwelling. He had told his
congregation he planned to start another church there, but now
says those plans are on hold. This is the second marriage each for
the Whites, who came to Tampa after marrying in Maryland in March
1990. They have four adult children - three from his previous
marriage, one from hers. Without Walls church board member Alick
Clarke of Acton, Calif., a longtime friend, said the impending
divorce is sad news. 'They were like my heroes. I really love
them,' he said. 'But I'm also a little pissed off. I didn't help
them build their dream to have them throw it all away.' An
Australian-born businessman, Clarke said he's given hundreds of
thousands of dollars to the church since it was founded by the
Whites in 1991 as the South Tampa Christian Center. He partially
blamed the couple's breakup on their devotion to preaching a
prosperity message, exhorting followers to give more money to the
church in order to be blessed with greater wealth. 'Too many
ministries have become big business. That message is desecrating
the church today,' said Clarke, adding that he was disturbed to
learn that with revenue at $40 million last year, the church was
$22 million in debt. 'That's just not right.'
Other questions about the Whites'
financial dealings arose in stories published by the Tribune in
May. Those included the couple's failure to repay a $170,000 loan
from an elderly widow, money borrowed in 1995 as a down payment on
a house. The couple sold the house in 2006, but still had not
repaid the loan to Ruth McGinnis by May. This week, McGinnis told
the Tribune that 'everything's been settled financially between
Pastor Randy and me.' Also in May, The Tribune wrote about a young
mother who said she never received the home she won in a widely
publicized church contest in 2002. On Aug. 15 she reported she and
her four children had just moved in to a new home purchased by the
church.
Money Matters
The Whites have declined to say
what the church pays them. Michael Chitwood, whose financial
services company devised their compensation package, said he
recalled they have taken an annual salary as high as $1.5 million
collectively, though most years it's closer to $600,000. They were
approved to take up to $3 million collectively, said the president
of Chitwood & Chitwood of Tennessee. Perhaps the most complex part
of their divorce, being handled by Holland & Knight law firm, will
be dividing up the assets, debts and business interests. The
couple's home on Bayshore Boulevard has an assessed value of $2.22
million. They have a land trust that includes two Tampa houses
with assessed values of $144,800 and $257,835. The New York condo
is valued at about $3.5 million. Their multimillion-dollar
ministry includes a private jet. Randy White has said much of
their wealth comes from more than 23 successful business ventures,
including real estate and his role as a pitchman for Great
HealthWorks' Omega XL fatty acid pills. His main company, RAW
Realty, is listed on his company Web site as being housed at 100
S. Ashley Drive, Suite 1180, in Tampa, but a law firm occupies
that space. The state lists the company as being located at 2511
Grady Ave. in Tampa, which is the church address. The phone number
on the Web site and listed with the state is disconnected. E-mails
sent to the Web address were not returned. White said this week
the company is 'very much active' in real estate, residential
acquisitions and other ventures, but he's pared it down to himself
and one assistant. An 'Amazing' Start Phil Cooke, a Los
Angeles-based media strategist and consultant for religious and
nonprofit organizations, said he remembers when the couple started
their ministry. 'What they did in Tampa's inner city was amazing,'
he said. 'They were creative, sharp, innovative. The track they
started out on was terrific.' The church had dozens of ministries
that worked with disadvantaged children, the homeless, people with
substance abuse problems, single mothers and others on society's
fringe. It put on Easter services in venues such as the Sun Dome,
where thousands were treated to giveaways and performances by
stars such as Loretta Lynn, Lee Greenwood and Patti LaBelle. The
high energy and good works attracted high-profile members
including professional athletes and other local celebrities. As
the church gained members and revenue, the pastors changed. Paula
built her international television ministry and became a life
coach on 'The Tyra Banks Show.' Randy talked of performing
nuptials for Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson in Michigan (they filed
for divorce a month later). He boasted that he wasn't like
'religious' people, posing in 2005 for a cover story in Makes and
Models magazine, a publication devoted to exotic cars, motorcycles
and scantily clad models. He has tattoos, collects guns and enjoys
wine. At a Sunday service in April, he introduced his former
personal trainer, an attractive ex-porn star turned Christian,
from the pulpit. 'We're cutting edge,' he told the Tribune that
month. 'We do things a little bit differently than what a typical
ministry would do.' This week, White promised changes are in store
for the church and himself. Without Walls will be less independent
and more visible in the community, he said. He wants to team with
other ministries in the city. For personal growth, he now has
three 'accountability partners' who will help him concentrate on
being a 'good dad and great pastor.' 'I've been preaching
restoration for 15 years,' he said. 'Now it's time to live it.'
Tim Storey, a Los Angeles-based minister and life coach, is a big
believer in restoration; when he divorced, his ministry was
scarred. 'You can rebound from it, but not everyone will go with
you,' said Storey, a frequent guest speaker at Without Walls. 'The
key is turning to God to turn the setbacks into comebacks.'
Paula White said she knows
followers will feel let down and disappointed by the announcement,
given that evangelical Christians hold marriage as a sacred
institution and a cornerstone of a godly life. 'I wish there was a
magic formula that gave you guarantees in life,' she said. 'Now I
have to draw deep into my faith and let God draw me out of this
dark place.' Doreen Fawkes, a former business administrator at
Without Walls, said she hates to see any marriage end, but she's
not surprised by the announcement. 'They grew at an unbelievable
speed. It became less about God and more about self-promotion,'
she said, but the congregation needs to understand it's not just
about the Whites. 'The people are the church,' she said. 'And the
presence of God is the glue that holds them together. I pray the
people will see that and carry on.'
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