‘It’s my legacy.’ Congregants protest surprise sale of multiple South Florida churches
At 83 years old, Jerry Hicks still remembers the day he helped build his West Park church in the early 1960s. For him, the House of God church is more than just a place to worship on Sundays.
“I was there when we dug the foundation. I helped put steel in the ground. And we built that church, we birthed that church. That’s my baby,” Hicks said. “It’s my legacy.”
Hicks recalls celebrating his life’s best moments — family cookouts, fundraisers, barbecues — at the community church in West Park, a small city west of Hollywood. His history with the church is part of why Hicks, who serves as a deacon and board trustee, was shocked when he saw the “for sale” sign out front one morning.
He and other members of the House of God Church-Keith Dominion would soon learn that the sale is part of a sweeping reorganization that put buildings housing five small churches in Miami-Dade and Broward counties up for sale. Church leadership announced that four of them — one in Liberty City, one in Miami Gardens and two in Pompano — would be merging but two other sites in West Park and Dania Beach were being appraised and prepared to be sold.
Congregants acknowledge that some locations voted to sell due to “financial challenges,” but others — including Hicks’ church in West Park — made it clear to their pastors that they did not want to sell.
“We do not want to merge. We want to stay independent by ourselves,” said Ives Hicks, Jerry Hicks’ son and a longtime member of the West Park church, which like the others has a predominately Black congregation.
The churches’ overseer, Bishop C.K. Butler Sr., announced on Sept. 2 that four of the locations would be merging and would be known as The House of God Church of South Florida. “This blessed union is a visible witness of the prayer of our Lord, ‘that they may all be one.’”
But the two small churches in West Hollywood and Dania Beach would be “considered for resolution.” After that announcement, congregants said property appraisers began showing up at the church shortly after, and they found their properties being listed online for sale.
Butler Sr. could not be immediately reached for comment. But he did direct some reporters at a small protest outside the House of God’s state headquarters in Pompano beach to his earlier public statement about the sale of the churches.
“These are not decisions taken lightly, for they touch the heart of our people, our communities, and our witness in the world,” Butler Sr. wrote in an announcement that was shared publicly.
About a dozen congregants from the West Park church showed up at the headquarters on Friday to protest the proposed sale and merger. The senior bishop and other leaders of the House of God church, which is a part of the Pentecostal denomination, were gathered at the complex for a three-day leadership summit.
As members held signs that read “Faith over profit” and “Stop selling our churches,” on a hot afternoon, the church leaders remained inside. A security guard warned protesters that he would call the police if they impeded traffic flow.
Congregants said holding the leadership-summit, a ticketed event that included Grammy-award-winning musical guests, next to one of the locations that’s being sold just added insult to injury.
Ives Hicks said that many members he has spoken with feel “hurt” about the decision to sell and merge the congregations into one larger church.
“They feel defeated. They feel like they have no voice. The local congregants are the ones that are responsible for the upkeep of the church and the properties,” Hicks said. “They feel like, ‘we put our money into these properties, and you’re just going to come in without our permission and just take them.’”
Gino Jamison, a longtime member of the West Park church, said members tried to speak with Bishop Butler, who is originally from South Carolina and became the senior bishop of the Florida churches in 2021, about their concerns.
“We had conversations with him, and to be honest with you, they were not hearing our concern,” said Jamison. “Our voices are small to him. So we wanted to make our voices known, and this was our last resort.”
Congregants who organized the protest said they are trying to halt the sales until they have a chance to examine financial records and independent appraisals. Jamison said some of the churches are in need of repair, and that the sale of some properties may make sense for the future of the congregation. But, it was the lack of communication that really irked members.
“It was the non transparency of doing things, and we finding out about it a day late, and a dollar short,” he said.
This story was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and from donors comprising the South Florida Jewish and Muslim Communities, including Khalid and Diana Mirza, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.
This story was originally published September 20, 2025 at 2:20 PM.
