A local Florida SBC church just held a two‑day “church trial” over the long-running conflict between Will McRaney and the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and its president Kevin Ezell—and assessed $80 million in damages. Attorney Jon Whitehead walks through the backstory, the failed civil lawsuit, why the Fifth Circuit said “take it to the church,” how Island Church structured the proceeding, the evidence presented, the verdict, and why many SBC elites are now mocking this attempt at Matthew 18 accountability through the local-church.

Read Jon Whitehead's Article:

https://centerforbaptistleadership.org/80-million-in-damages-what-happened-at-the-namb-church-trial/

Timestamps:

0:00 – Introduction

0:39 – Why the 2026 SBC Meeting Is “For All the Marbles”

2:35 – Introducing Attorney Jon Whitehead

3:59 – Who Is Will McRaney and What Happened in 2015?

6:24 – How NAMB Allegedly Used Funding to Force a Firing

9:51 – Autonomy, State Conventions, and NAMB’s Leverage

18:12 – Internal Emails: “Then If He Is Removed, We Can…”

24:19 – Why McRaney Initially Tried to Drop the Matter

31:50 – The “Wanted Poster” at NAMB HQ

35:14 – Years of Lost Jobs and Speaking Opportunities

38:49 – Fifth Circuit Ruling: Courts Won’t Touch It

49:04 – Why Island Church Held a “Church Trial”

1:02:49 – Evidence, Witnesses, and Pattern of Retaliation

1:14:18 – Jury Findings: Slander, Interference, and Leadership Disqualification

1:33:08 – SBC Reactions, Mockery, and the Role of the Local Church

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The Center for Baptist Leadership Podcast is powered by American Reformer, recorded remotely in the United States by William Wolfe, and edited by Jared Cummings.

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