The co-founder of the Vineyard religious movement and eight former board members are suing two pastors for $62 million, accusing the married couple of engaging in “spiritual fraud” to gain financial control of the sect’s flagship Anaheim church before seceding from the denomination in 2021.

In a lawsuit filed last month in Orange County Superior Court, Carol Wimber Wong and the other plaintiffs allege Alan and Kathryn Scott deceitfully sought positions as senior pastors with Vineyard Anaheim in 2017 to control tens of millions of dollars of assets. Then, in February, the Scotts left the umbrella organization Vineyard USA and renamed the church Dwelling Place.

“They had no intention of applying for the vacant senior pastor position until learning of Anaheim Vineyard’s substantial assets and knew that keeping Anaheim Vineyard in the worldwide Vineyard Movement was a material term of being hired as the senior pastors,” the lawsuit states.

Alan and Kathryn Scott did not respond to emails and phone calls placed to Dwelling Place seeking comment.

Jay Pathak, national director of Vineyard USA, said he regrets that the Scotts have removed the Anaheim church from the organization but believes the lawsuit is reasonable.

“While we are beyond grieved to have been informed of Vineyard Anaheim’s decision to end this process, we recognize the Scotts, their board and this church as our brothers and sisters in Christ,” he said in a statement. “We are praying that God will give them favor for the sake of their city and the kingdom.”

2,400 churches worldwide

Vineyard USA is an association of charismatic Protestant churches, noted for a spiritual awakening described as the “Vineyard Movement,” along with modern worship music. There are more than 2,400 Vineyard churches in 95 countries, including about 550 in the United States.

Wong’s husband, John Wimber, who died in 1997, was a founding leader of the Vineyard Movement. In 1982, the couple established the Anaheim Vineyard church.

In December 2017, Anaheim Vineyard recruited a new senior pastor following the resignation of its prior senior pastor, Lance Pittluck, who had served more than 20 years, according to the lawsuit.

The church formed a search committee and the Scotts, who had served as pastors of a Vineyard church in Northern Ireland, became candidates for positions as senior pastors at Anaheim Vineyard.

Settled in OC in 2017

Kathryn Scott and her husband relocated to Orange County in 2017, purportedly to further the wife’s musical career, the suit says. The Scotts socialized with Mike Safford, who was senior associate pastor of Vineyard Anaheim, and his wife, Liz Safford, and often discussed the church’s future, according to the suit.

“Mike Safford asked defendant Alan Scott in early 2017 whether he would be interested in becoming the Senior Pastor of Anaheim Vineyard once Pastor Lance Pittluck retired,” says the complaint.

“On multiple occasions, defendant Alan Scott represented to Mike Safford that he had no intent to continue affiliating with Vineyard USA and the Vineyard Movement following his resignation from the Vineyard church in Northern Ireland due to his dissatisfaction with the organization,” the suit states. “Defendant Alan Scott expressed his belief that he needed to launch a new Christian church that did not involve affiliation with Vineyard USA.”

Were assets the lure?

However, Alan Scott’s disinterest in the senior pastor position at Anaheim Vineyard allegedly changed in April 2017, when Mike Safford confided that the church had nearly $74 million in assets.

“At the time, Mike Safford initially thought the conversation was merely ‘shop talk’ but Liz Safford discerned that the conversation was very concerning, as though defendant Alan Scott had an ulterior motive,” the suit states.

Then Alan Scott, despite his dissatisfaction with Vineyard USA and the Vineyard Movement, applied to replace Pittluck when he retired. The Scotts were quickly hired by the church’s search committee as senior pastors.

The suit claims that neither the search committee nor the board of directors were aware of Alan Scott’s previously expressed dissatisfaction with the Vineyard Movement. It also alleges that throughout the job interview process, the Scotts made it clear they would keep  Anaheim Vineyard in the Vineyard Movement and Vineyard USA, despite knowing those representations were false.

Additionally, after assuming leadership for the church, Alan Scott allegedly encouraged board members who did not support him to resign from their positions and refrain from nominating themselves for a new term.

“Defendant Alan Scott has sought to avoid any financial accountability to Anaheim Vineyard members for his decisions,” the suit states. “He has implemented a campaign to exert spiritual manipulation and deception over staff and its members.”

Then, on Feb. 25, 2022, without the knowledge of Vineyard USA officials, Alan Scott publicly announced that Anaheim Vineyard would be leaving the worldwide movement.

“Plaintiffs allege that the Scott defendants always intended to remove Anaheim Vineyard and its $62 million in assets from the worldwide Vineyard Movement,” the suit alleges.

According to the lawsuit, Alan Scott publicly stated on March 25 that he doesn’t know why Anaheim Vineyard left Vineyard USA and the worldwide movement. “Instead,” the complaint alleges, “he simply asserts that he uniquely hears from God and that he is told to leave the Vineyard Movement and Vineyard USA with its millions of dollars in assets.”