Protestia Founder J.D. Hall Found Guilty of Embezzling Former Church Funds

Two years after losing his pulpit and popular polemics ministry due to “serious sin,” J.D. Hall has been found guilty of embezzling from his former church, Fellowship Baptist Church (FBC) in Sidney, Montana.

A deferred sentencing agreement filed Sept. 10 in Richland County District Court requires Hall to pay $15,454 to FBC to restore funds he misused while serving as its pastor.

Hall, who founded Protestia (formerly Pulpit&Pen), lost his pastorate and online/podcast ministry while fighting a Xanax addiction and facing allegations, including a DUI, a domestic violence incident and more than $100,000 in church funds embezzled for personal and political purposes. FBC later also rescinded his membership due to “a failure to demonstrate repentance for sins that he had committed against his family, his church, and his God.”

If Hall complies with all the requirements of the plea agreement over the next three years, the felony embezzlement verdict will be wiped from his record. Those requirements also include reporting to a probation officer, abstaining from drugs and alcohol, and honoring a ban on weapons ownership.

Hall expressed regret and admitted personal failures, stating he had deeply hurt the church he formerly served. He prayed for healing and wholeness for the congregation as he moves forward with a “different, better, and more quiet life.”

Hall denied that his crime rose to the level alleged by prosecutors. Of 1,186 expenditures considered fraudulent, Hall claimed that all but 55 were either legitimate purchases or done without his knowledge. Those 55 amounted to the $15,454 he must now repay.

By contrast, court documents portrayed a habitual misuse of FBC money over a five-year period for things such as a gun safe, personal travel, family cell phones and Pulpit&Pen employee payments.

Testifying in court, former FBC treasurer Joyce Nesper said Hall used church funds for “political trips that should not have been paid for by the church,” and that she suspected his offer to pay her husband’s medical bills was a bribe so she “did not have the need to look at bank statements.”

Hall countered that his pastoral responsibility to preach the gospel and engage in “civic matters” legitimized his travel expenses, and that FBC knew his travel schedule, including a 2010 Tea Party event.

Source: Read the original report