Historic Miami Church Saved From Foreclosure
Church claimed they were unaware of millions of dollars of debt incurred under former pastor
Nearly a year ago, MinistryWatch reported that one of Miami’s oldest black churches had just weeks to repay a $1.6-million mortgage that its former pastor had taken out in the church’s name.
St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church / Photo via Facebook
St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood, has roots dating back to 1906. But last year, the church announced that parts of the historic church could “close forever” unless they were to raise enough money to pay off a mountain of debt incurred under its former pastor.
The church asked for help from the community through a GoFundMe page, which gathered 26 donations totaling over $13,500. But that amount was about half of 1% of the $3 million needed to pay back the loans.
In July 2023, Miami-Dade Circuit Court extended St. John’s auction date to September 11, giving the church more time.
Three days before the church’s historic property was to be sold in foreclosure, the Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency (SEOPW CRA) purchased it, allowing the loan to be paid off and granting repurchase rights to the church.
From 2010 until 2021, Bishop James D. Adams, 63, served as St. John’s senior pastor. However, church leaders fired him after they discovered he had taken out two mortgages totaling nearly $2.5 million, using church properties as collateral. Much of the money went towards an expensive riverfront condo, which Adams moved into after signing an $845,000 mortgage in the church’s name in 2017. The church sold the condo and paid off that mortgage, but still owed $1.6 million on the remaining loans.
Adams’ actions placed the church property at risk of auction. Although the historic church was not part of the foreclosure, three of its main buildings, including its fellowship hall and one that houses the elevator and access for handicapped persons, were at risk.
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The CRA secured the auxiliary buildings, parking area, and fellowship hall roughly 72 hours before the property’s scheduled auction. The agreement allowed the church to lease those buildings for $1 each year.
St. John’s Baptist Church, according to the city’s historic preservation website, is one of the only Art Deco-style religious buildings in Miami-Dade County and a rare example of the style in Overtown, the heart of Miami’s historic African-American community.
The National Register of Historic Places included the 1940-built cathedral in 1992. McKissack & McKissack, the first significant black architectural firm in the United States, created the church, which has hosted the National Baptist Convention four times.
There continues to be little public activity from Adams. According to Adams’ Facebook account, he is still in Miami and studying at Faith International University (Washington) starting in 2021.
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