Without Walls Sells Mega-Church Building to One of It’s Own Campuses

Orginally published on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 at 9:30 AM
by Todd Rhoades

Last week we told you that Randy White was putting a couple of his mega-church "Without Walls International" facilities on the market for sale. Well, it turns out that he has a buyer... none other than one of Without Walls campuses that currently meet in one of the locations. Here're some of the details from a recent newspaper article. In summary... the campus will split from the main church (on paper, but not relationally)... this has been in the works for a couple years... the campus will buy the facility... 700 people attend at this campus that holds a few thousand people and will be in debt bigtime (the facility was valued at $6 million in 2005).

Here’s part of the article…

Worship started on Sunday as it always does at Without Walls Central Church - with roof-raising gospel music.

This time, it might have doubled as a hymn of independence.

Pastor Scott Thomas announced Without Walls Central will buy the massive sanctuary where it has worshipped for more than two years, purchasing it from its parent church, Without Walls International Church in Tampa. The financial terms haven’t been disclosed.

There was speculation about the future of both churches after it was reported last week that the properties of the Tampa and Lakeland congregations were up for sale. But Thomas said his church is staying put.

“The Lakeland property is for sale, and we are the purchasers,” he said, to enthusiastic applause from the approximately 700 worshippers in attendance.

Cautioning that “there are a lot of steps” left before the deal can be finalized, Thomas added, “We are going for it because I believe in my heart of hearts this place is where God has spoken to us we’re supposed to be.”

Thomas said with the purchase of the sanctuary the two churches would become separate, and the Lakeland congregation will have a new name.

“We may be separate in name, but we’ll always stay relationally connected,” he said.

Without Walls Central was created in 2004 as a satellite of the Tampa church. After an earlier attempt to buy the Carpenter’s Home Church fell through, Without Walls International purchased the former Gathering Place Church sanctuary in Auburndale and established the Central congregation there.

In 2005, Without Walls International succeeded in purchasing the 9,000-seat Carpenter’s Home sanctuary, paying about $9 million plus the Auburndale sanctuary, which was valued at about $6 million.

Without Walls International was listed by Outreach magazine in 2005 as the second-largest and fastest-growing church in the United States, with about 24,000 people in attendance.

However, the church’s flamboyant pastor, Randy White, announced in August that he and his wife, Paula White, his co-pastor and co-founder of the church, were divorcing.

A few months later, Without Walls International came under scrutiny, along with five other megachurches, from U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, for its financial practices. Grassley requested records that the church has so far refused to turn over.

Thomas did not disclose details of the purchase, but said it is proceeding by mutual agreement with the Tampa church.

More here...

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