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Church dispute upsets evangelical community(Omaha World-Herald (NE) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Jan. 6--For years, the bespectacled and goateed pastor from one of Omaha's megachurches appeared on TV commercials smiling and preaching unity. But now the Rev. Les Beauchamp is at the center of a conflict within Trinity Church Interdenominational at 156th Street and West Dodge Road. Since September, 19 church leaders have left, including four pastors and all but one of the elders on the board. As many as 200 members also have left, and Sunday attendance is markedly down. A November vote on whether to retain the current leadership narrowly supported Beauchamp. A group of Trinity members who vow to stay formed an opposition group, which has detailed its concerns during public meetings, on a Web site and in a complaint to the Nebraska Attorney General's Office. The group alleges that Beauchamp and a new slate of church leaders violated state law governing nonprofit organizations to keep Beauchamp at the helm, a charge denied by Beauchamp supporters. The church has shelved plans for expansion on the 137 acres it owns at 192nd Street and West Dodge Road. Trinity's discord has rocked Omaha's evangelical Christian establishment, which has long viewed the church -- and Beauchamp in particular -- as a leader in citywide prayer and service initiatives. "When there's tremors there, it's felt in other churches as well," said the Rev. Mark Ashton of Christ Community Church. "We love them. We pray for them." Beauchamp (pronounced BEECH-um) and Trinity leaders, including Executive Pastor Jim Deese, say they, as a church, are exempt from the nonprofits law but have done nothing wrong. Deese characterized the turmoil as emblematic of real life when good people disagree. He said remaining Trinity leaders spent the fall trying to hold the estimated 1,700 to 1,800 remaining members together. Trinity is eager to put a contentious period to rest, he said. A recent letter challenged the membership of those who do not "appropriately submit to church leadership," and that again has roiled people, especially David Nabity, leader of the Concerned Members group. "They've taken member rights away, and they're kicking out people who are in their way," said Nabity, a 20-year member and unsuccessful Republican candidate for governor in 2006. "There are a lot of people who are hurt and wounded by this." Nabity said he's still trying to quantify how much support the group has. What has surprised many about the turmoil is the timing. Beauchamp is no new name at Trinity or in Omaha. It's typical for churches to experience growing pains with a new pastor. That happened at Trinity shortly after Beauchamp replaced the Rev. Elmer Murdoch, the church's founder, when Murdoch retired in 1996. Deese said Trinity lost a few hundred members before membership and donations soared. Beauchamp, widely seen as an affable, passionate leader, has served Trinity for 20 years, including 11 as senior pastor. Beauchamp has helped lead efforts like Embrace Omaha, which brought church congregations together to pray. Under his leadership, Trinity helped revive the Gene Eppley Boys Club in north Omaha as a drop-in place for children from low-income families. Now called the Hope Center, the club is led by one of the pastors who left Trinity, the Rev. Ty Schenzel. Schenzel declined to comment except to say he doesn't anticipate his departure from Trinity to affect the Hope Center. The Rev. Curt Dodd of Westside Church, a large Baptist church near Trinity, characterized the dispute as an unfortunate outcome of shepherding such a large flock. Dodd said that evangelical churches have struggled with contemporary versus traditional styles of worship and that Trinity, poised to expand, could be facing a watershed moment of identity and direction. Two of the four pastors who left Trinity are creating new churches. Nabity and his group say Beauchamp's behavior following his return from an extended sabbatical led to this divide. They complain that Beauchamp broke off relationships and bucked the board's authority. A newly appointed, smaller board changed bylaws to reduce membership influence and held a vote without allowing equal time for both sides, they say. Beauchamp and supporters prevailed by 11 votes. Beauchamp did not attend an interview last week with two Trinity leaders but released a statement. "I wish all church news was good news," Beauchamp's statement said. "But like any family (which a church is) there are seasons of misunderstanding and even disagreement. We are in such a season now." Deese, the executive pastor, and Greg Scaglione, one of the new board members, characterize recent events differently than Nabity's group. They say Beauchamp was an overworked minister dealing with stresses at work and home -- his wife twice has fought cancer -- who attempted to assert himself and set boundaries. To avoid a bigger divide, the church called a meeting about the opposition's issues and then held the November vote. Leaders now seeking to end the turmoil have tried to remind members of their duties to be loyal and serve the church. "A certain appropriateness of submission by believers who attend regularly (is needed) -- no gossip, no division," Scaglione said. Nabity and Don Leath, one of the Trinity elders who resigned last fall, say they do not make their allegations lightly. Nabity said he prayed weekly with Beauchamp in a small group and that Beauchamp buried Nabity's son, who drowned years ago. They said their objection is to Beauchamp's behavior following his return in September from a sabbatical -- a sabbatical ordered by a board concerned that outside events were weighing on the senior pastor. The elders directed that Beauchamp visit a Christian counseling center in California. Trinity released the center's report on its Web site. It says the Beauchamps successfully completed a battery of personality and psychological tests and described a couple that is doing well but struggling with "light burnout" from pastoral duties and broken friendships. The center advised that Les Beauchamp set boundaries in his job, ask for more sabbatical time and project "a stronger servant leadership model to his Elders and staff." And that's what he did upon his return, Trinity leaders Deese and Scaglione say. Nabity and Leath said that return was rocky -- that Beauchamp didn't communicate his time of return or follow the process for resuming his post. He presented the board with five demands. Leath said he and other elders were shocked but didn't want to risk suspending or firing a popular pastor, something Leath said would "break the church in two." Leath said the board reluctantly signed off on Beauchamp's requests, and then pastors and board members resigned. The new board voted to require 50 percent instead of 10 percent of members to bring an issue before the church body. Nabity said that action spurred creation of Concerned Members. Thursday, the requirement was revised to 30 percent. The group asked two attorneys whether the Trinity board broke the law by not following articles requiring membership participation. The group complained to the Nebraska Attorney General's Office. A spokeswoman for Attorney General Jon Bruning said Friday that the complaint was being reviewed. Deese, the church's executive pastor, said Beauchamp, while the "point man," does not run Trinity alone. The church has nine pastors remaining. Deese also said Beauchamp has the full support of the current board. He described Beauchamp as a talented man born to lead. "He is a very affable person. Fun. Great sense of people. Very open, honest. He is who he is, and he doesn't mind sharing," Deese said. Deese said Beauchamp simply was asserting himself for the first time and that Trinity members, in accordance with biblical tradition, should follow their leader and not sow discord. Ashton of Christ Community Church said his congregation sees both sides as trying to do the right thing. He said the shared history of his church and Trinity can offer a way forward. The two churches grew from a split in the old Gospel Tabernacle Church in downtown Omaha. "It's difficult that it's come to this point, and of course we grieve along with them," Ashton said. "Ultimately, we trust in God. Things that happen on a human level are very secondary." 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