State Baptist organization investigating area pastor for misuse of funds

McALLEN — A statewide Baptist organization is investigating whether a former pastor misused church-starting funds during his tenure.

The Baptist General Convention of Texas questions whether money it gave to First Baptist Church of Weslaco to start a new church was misused by former pastor Jonathan Becker, according to a statement published Tuesday on the convention’s Web site.

Becker may have pocketed as much as $46,000 intended as church starting funds from 2004 to 2006, according to a report forwarded to The Monitor by church watchdog and blogger David Montoya, a Baptist pastor in Mineral Wells and former pastor of First Baptist Church in Donna.

“The BGCT staff has been involved the past two weeks in determining the details of our funding of various efforts at Weslaco First,” the state convention’s executive director, Charles Wade, said in the prepared statement. “Just because questions are raised does not mean there necessarily is a problem, but we have the responsibility to find answers to those questions.”

The BGCT will report its findings during its executive board meeting next week, according to the statement.

Becker left his post in Weslaco last year to become a pastor at First Baptist Church of McAllen in January, but submitted his resignation from the church on Sunday. His last day is to be Oct. 15.

Attempts to reach him Tuesday afternoon at First Baptist Church of McAllen were unsuccessful.

Bill Sutton, a pastor at the church, said he has had no problems with Becker during his tenure there. Expecting to retire soon, Sutton said Becker was hired to take over as the church’s primary pastor in January 2008, after Sutton retires.

“At the beginning of the process, (when Sutton and Becker) prayed and dreamed together … we were aware that I might choose to step back from the transition process,” Becker wrote in his resignation, according to Sutton. “We agreed at that time that Bill and I could depart as friends. I am choosing today to take that option from (Sutton).”

Sutton indicated his church has no ill will toward Becker.

“We love Jon and we wish him well in the ministry and we appreciate the effort he has shown and done in his time here,” Sutton said.

The controversy surrounding Becker comes after three Baptist pastors were found in November 2006 to have siphoned more than $1.3 million in church-starting funds from the state convention from 1999 to 2005. However, there appears to be no link between that scandal and the current probe.

Attempts to reach representatives from First Baptist Church of Weslaco were unsuccessful Tuesday.

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Jared Taylor covers Edinburg, the Delta region and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4439.