Preacher Defends Lockout at Seminary

A preacher took the witness stand Friday to tell Orange County Superior Court Judge Judith M. Ryan how he created a seminary, nurtured it, saw it drifting away from his original vision of teaching ministers and moved to seize control with armed guards.

The Rev. Ralph Wilkerson, locked in a bitter legal war over control of Melodyland School of Theology in Anaheim, was defending his actions last year in locking out dissident seminary leadership.

Concern about dropping enrollment and misuse of assets were foremost in his mind when he moved to take control after graduation in May, 1985, Wilkerson testified.

‘Didn’t Have Any Students’

He was asked if he thought the faculty was doing a poor job.

“There wasn’t any job to do,” Wilkerson responded. “They didn’t have any students. I knew they graduated one student. Or was it two?”

The board running the seminary last year “killed the spirit of the thing,” forcing him to reclaim the school, Wilkerson testified.

Wilkerson founded the independent, non-denominational Melodyland Christian Center in 1960. His preaching attracted more than 10,000 followers in the late 1970s, and the church founded a high school, college and the school of theology. The church and schools occupied a complex of buildings at Melodyland, 1400 Freedman Way, near Disneyland.

But the church ran into divisions of faith and serious financial problems. In 1980, the congregation turned over all church assets to a management firm and did not regain control of its own business affairs until three years later.

By 1984, at least two groups had defected from Wilkerson’s flock and established independent congregations.

The turmoil carried over to Melodyland’s Christian education enterprises. In 1984--when Wilkerson told parishioners only a “miracle a week” kept the church afloat financially--the board that was operating the high school and college eliminated the word Melodyland from its name and moved to a new home two miles away.

Wilkerson testified Friday that control of the seminary was transferred only temporarily to that board, headed by Raymond McMurtry, in 1984.

Both groups--Wilkerson’s and McMurtry’s--claim to be the legal directors of the seminary. McMurtry has asked for control of the seminary and more than $6 million in damages from Wilkerson’s seizure of the seminary last year. Wilkerson and the church have asked for $1.7 million in back rent and utility payments for the operation of all the schools on Melodyland property.

“As far as we were concerned, the school was asleep,” Wilkerson testified Friday, referring to the seminary’s small enrollment. “Dr. McMurtry had become caretaker of it.”

Wilkerson testified that he has made a “personal commitment” to putting the school of theology back on its feet. “Whatever’s necessary to make the school go, we’re going to make it go,” he testified.

During his almost five hours of testimony, which was completed Friday, Wilkerson spent more time talking about wills, trusts, leases and corporate boards of directors than religion.

While Wilkerson’s lawyer, Jonathan A. Goldstein, has claimed that the dissident seminary board misapplied theology school property, McMurtry’s lawyer, Jack W. Golden, contended that the takeover last year was an attempt to seize school assets.

Wilkerson testified he was concerned that the McMurtry group used gifts from trusts and estates earmarked for the seminary to help finance the high school and college. The minister said he “demanded an accounting” but never received it.

As the church and the schools drifted apart spiritually, financially and physically, Wilkerson said, Melodyland officials decided to bill the schools for back rent.

“I felt they could do something,” Wilkerson testified. “We’d given out enough money. I thought we ought to have some of it come back.”

Wilkerson insisted, however, that more than money was involved.

“I’ve been opposed to all of the pull away from the church,” he said, “and that’s what they were doing.”