South Carolina church secretary accused of stealing $404K from congregation
A financial secretary and wife of a Southern Baptist pastor has been accused of stealing $404,000 from a South Carolina church.
Shelley Strickland, who served as financial secretary for Ware Shoals Baptist Church, was arrested by authorities earlier this month, having allegedly stolen $404,414 from multiple accounts belonging to the church, including the emergency fund.
Strickland also worked as a financial secretary for other congregations, according to a report by FOX Carolina. Authorities are contacting the other churches, while Strickland faces additional charges in Greenwood County.
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David Little, director of missions for Lakelands Baptist Association, told the South Carolina-based publication The Baptist Courier that Strickland worked for his association until earlier this summer when she was fired for misappropriating funds.
Shelley is also suspected of stealing around $58,000 from the LBA, with the association filing a complaint with the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office, according to Little.
“[Shelley’s husband is] a pastor of one of our churches, so we were surprised and disappointed,” Little said. “When you steal from a church, it’s bad. But when you steal from an association, you steal from all the churches in that association, and that’s really hard to swallow.”
“People make bad choices, and those choices affect a lot of good people. … We will pray for this family, but she has brought a lot of pain on a lot of people and churches and her own family. It’s just sad.”
A member of the Ware Shoals leadership addressed the matter of Strickland’s arrest during a worship service on Aug. 11, explaining that “it’s been a hard time for all of us.”
“It was a shock to everyone,” he said. “It's just tough. A lot of people were hurt, upset about it, and we just have to continue to try to have faith and carry on. Our church will be OK. We’re just going to need to continue to pray that God will be with us and lead us.”
Strickland’s husband has not been implicated in her crimes at present, according to The Roys Report. If convicted, she could face up to 10 years in prison.
