Background
Second Baptist Church in Houston has an average attendance of 19,564 and ranks at 21st on Outreach Magazine’s 2025 Outreach 100 list of American megachurches.
For more than 45 years, the Young family has led Second Baptist Church.
In 1978, Homer Edwin Young, better known as Dr. Ed Young, became the Senior Pastor of Second Baptist. During his leadership, the church grew rapidly and Dr. Ed Young served as President of the Southern Baptist Convention for two terms.
In 2024, Dr Ed Young’s son Dr. Ben Young became the new Senior Pastor of Second Baptist.
Meanwhile, Edwin Barry Young, Dr. Young’s son and brother of Ben, serves as Senior Pastor of Fellowship Church in Grapevine, a suburb of Dallas.
Church Governance Conflict
In the same manner the Constitution determines how the federal government operates, articles of incorporation provide the governing structure for church corporations. These articles and related church bylaws determine who may vote on a church budget and the process for removing a pastor caught in unethical behavior.
Second Baptist’s articles of incorporation are available through the Texas Secretary of State website, but its bylaws were a secret until they were disclosed in litigation and re-published on a whistleblower/church accountability website.
During a church business meeting in May 2023, attendees voted to approve unseen church bylaws which they were told would protect the church. However, concerned church members later learned the new bylaws instead eliminated church member voting rights.
Dr. Ben Young was confronted by church donors demanding member voting rights be restored. After being ignored, the church members created the Jeremiah Counsel and sued the church to restore voting rights because the vote on the church bylaws did not include informed consent. The congregation was not allowed to read the bylaws before the vote.
Documents in Collection
- Second Baptist 1928 Articles of Incorporation
- Second Baptist 1978 Amended Articles of Incorporation
- Second Baptist 2005 Bylaws
- Second Baptist 2023 Amended Articles of Incorporation
- Second Baptist Church 2023 Amended and Restated Bylaws
Related Articles
- A Story of Power, Deceit, and Betrayal at Second Baptist Church: Members File Court Petition, Try to Save Church’s Legacy
- Ed Young’s Toxic Church Business Practices and Mergers Infect Second Baptist Houston and Other Churches
- Whistleblowers, Know Your Options: Exploring Ways to Expose Corruption in Churches and Ministries
- Who Can Fire the Pastor?
- Governance Project: Documenting Financial Transparency and Board Governance in Church and Ministry Leadership