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	Church Shaken After Questions Surface over Pastor's Spending By Lynh Bui and Lisa Nicita Arizona Republic June 8, 2007 http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/0608st-pastor0608-ON.html?&wired The San Tan Christian Center started four years ago with about 30 members. That number leaped to 300 at its peak as the congregation expanded with the rapidly growing population in Pinal County and Queen Creek. But when questions surfaced about how former pastor Jon Bagley was spending the church's money, membership plummeted by almost half. Now some church members, former and remaining, say their faith in the Assemblies of God has shriveled as much as the congregation's size. "It's shaken our faith to the core," said Paulina Miller, a former member of the church and the wife of former associate pastor Charles Miller. "They took our faith and put it down the drain." Miller and other church members are upset with the Assemblies of God, the organization that oversees the San Tan Christian Center. They say church officials have minimized Bagley's alleged misappropriation of funds. Unhappy church members also fear Bagley will take advantage of another growing area in the Valley to form a new church. "We don't want to see all these Christians lied to," said Kathy Miller, the church's former bookkeeper. "Things started to smell a little fishy" late last year, Kathy said. Bank statements she saw showed chunks of money were missing. Funds from the church's bank account were transferred to private accounts for Bagley and his wife. And the church debit card had purchases that didn't seem related to church business. Then, Miller and fellow churchgoers noticed other things. Bagley bought a new house, and he started driving a new Mustang. Miller, an experienced bookkeeper, said there is more than $300,000 that is unaccounted for during Bagley's four-years as pastor at the San Tan Christian Center. She and other church members confronted Bagley about the spending after the bookkeeper spent half a year reconciling the numbers, but Bagley didn't seem phased, Miller said. Calls to Bagley, who had a $54,000 annual salary, were not returned. Stephen Harris, the Superintendent of the Arizona District for the Assemblies of God, said his office took action against Bagley. The district held Bagley responsible for $37,000 in missing funds that he will have three years to pay back. But there won't be jail time. Bagley left the church in January and is also on a one-year probation. "We're just not going to prosecute him." Harris said. "We don't want him to spend time in jail." Harris said he doesn't fear Bagley will start a new church because the former pastor has given his word that he won't. Other parishioners don't have the same confidence. Unlike the Millers, Margaret White still goes to the San Tan Christian Center. White has reported Bagley to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, saying Bagley essentially stole money from her and other parishioners. Assemblies of God Parishioners are required to tithe 10 percent of their income. Parishioners at the San Tan Christian Center, which is currently located in a building near Queen Creek Town Hall, had extra incentive to tithe as members of the quickly growing congregation were eager to build a bigger church, White said. The church received about $8,000 a week in tithing, Miller estimates. "He would dangle this carrot of a new building," White said. "It was a very large temptation to put in more money." Since Bagley's departure, the church has been divided and now carries a financial burden as it prepares to build a new facility. White fears that Bagley or others will try to form churches in areas with expanding populations to take advantage of other Christians. "If it's one place people know and they trust, it's church," White said. "It's church where we just let our guard down." Choking back tears, Paulina Miller said she still can't believe what happened at her former house of worship. "When you love God, you try to teach people to go the right way," she said. "When you take that and rip it to shreds, it's heartbreaking."
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