Princeton—A former church secretary in Princeton has been accused of stealing nearly $400,000, according to an indictment returned last week by a Caldwell County grand jury.

Marla Jean Adams, 39, a former financial secretary at Southside Baptist Church in Princeton, was indicted for 35 counts of theft by unlawful taking of more than $300.

The charges accuse Adams of embezzling $396,457.66 from 2000 through July of this year, while she served as financial secretary of Southside Baptist Church, a position she had held since 1998.

Delton Beall, pastor of the church, said Adams was responsible for handling the church’s basic and special offerings.

A review of a report given by Caldwell-Lyon Baptist Association revealed discrepancies when compared with the church’s budget prepared for various ministries, he said.

After questions arose regarding the discrepancies, Beall said, Adams admitted the mishandling of funds on July 11.

Bond was set at $10,000 cash or $20,500 property.

Beall said church leaders determined that four types of obligations—spiritual, moral, legal and fiduciary—should guide their response. The church has placed her under “church discipline,” allowing her to remain involved in the church but preventing her from assuming any leadership position.

While noting that members are upset and saddened by the incident, Beall said the Holy Spirit has been present in their actions.

“They’ve responded with grace and humility. Our fellowship is as strong if not stronger than it was on the day of discovery.”

At the same time, he added, “We are seeking to demonstrate a real sense of redemption for the Adams family,” he said.

Throughout the process, he said, leaders have worked to balance 1 Corinthians 6, which cautions against taking a fellow Christian to court, with Romans 13, which tells Christians to be subject to governing authorities.

“Nobody wants to pick up the phone and call the police,” he said.

The church, which averages more than 450 people on Sunday morning and has a budget of $762,000, already has instituted new guidelines for handling money, Beall said.

“We’re continuing to build upon our core values and we’ve inserted stronger checks and balances,” said Beall, who has been pastor for approximately one year.

The church has established a voucher system that involves several church leaders in the writing of each check.

“If we had been practicing (that) eight years ago, we wouldn’t be where we are today,” he added. “Most of that money should have gone to our missions. That’s what hurts.”

This marked the second financial scandal at a Kentucky Baptist church in recent weeks.

A financial oversight committee at Little Flock Baptist Church in Shepherdsville recently reported that former pastor Ron Shaver cost the congregation $162,000 since 2000 by day-trading stocks.

The committee found that the losses have occurred since 2000, according to church attorney Monica Henderson.

The committee reported finding no evidence of theft or fraud, but an official with the Bullitt County Sheriff’s Office said his office has been asked by some members of Little Flock to investigate “possible wrongdoings within the church staff.”

Compiled from reporting by Jared Nelson for The (Princeton) Times Leader (used with permission) and Western Recorder News Director David Winfrey