Bakker, Dortch Defrocked by Church Panel

Former television evangelist Jim Bakker was permanently defrocked Wednesday as an Assemblies of God minister for adultery and alleged bisexual activity.

The 13-member Executive Presbytery of the Pentecostal denomination announced the dismissal of Bakker, founder of the PTL empire in South Carolina, and the Rev. Richard W. Dortch, Bakker’s right-hand man, for “conduct unbecoming a minister.”

The Rev. G. Raymond Carlson, the church’s top official, said in a statement read at the church headquarters in Springfield, Mo., that the reasons for Bakker’s dismissal were “based specifically on his confession of a sexual encounter with (church secretary) Jessica Hahn and his alleged misconduct involving bisexual activity.”

Asked for a clarification of the reference to “bisexual activity,” Assemblies communications officer Terry Terrell said it is “an inclusive term for sexual activity with both men and women, though not necessarily at the same time.”

Church spokesmen would not elaborate, but in a recent interview, the second highest official said the denomination considers homosexual acts to be particularly grievous.

“Homosexuality is clearly described in the New Testament as a horrendous sin against God and one’s ministry,” Everett Stenhouse, assistant general superintendent of the Assemblies of God, said in an interview. “Forgiving and restoring are a priority with us, but with the ministry, we have very high standards.”

Unless Bakker proves in a church court that he has not engaged in homosexual activity, he can never regain his credentials with the 2-million-member Assemblies of God, officials said.

Divorced Assemblies ministers who remarry while their previous spouses are alive are also subject to irrevocable termination, according to the church’s bylaws. However, after dismissal on other grounds--including adultery--an Assemblies minister may have his credentials restored after a period of “rehabilitation,” which includes counseling.

30 Days to Appeal

Neither Bakker nor Dortch appeared before church officials to face the charges against them, and neither has asked to undergo the two-year rehabilitation process, Assemblies press spokeswoman Juleen Turnage said Wednesday. The ministers may appeal their dismissals within 30 days.

Charges against Dortch, according to the church executives, included “the concealment of information confronting the immoral conduct of a fellow minister and apparent deceit on his part regarding a cover-up.”

Bakker and Dortch resigned from the Assemblies on March 19, the same day Bakker turned over control of the $172-million PTL ministry to fundamentalist Baptist preacher Jerry Falwell. Bakker admitted at the time that he had engaged in a sexual encounter with Hahn in 1980.

During the ensuing upheaval, Southern Baptist television preacher John Ankerberg of Chattanooga, Tenn., publicly charged that Bakker had also hired female prostitutes, engaged in homosexual activity and permitted wife-swapping among high-level executives of PTL. Bakker said last week during a brief interview with the press outside his Palm Springs home that he is not a homosexual and had not gone to prostitutes.

During a press conference at the PTL’s Heritage USA religious resort park last week, Falwell confirmed that Dortch arranged for $265,000 of PTL money to be paid to keep Hahn quiet about her tryst with Bakker. Dortch then concealed the payments to Hahn, Falwell said.

Banished by Board

The new PTL board, under Falwell, voted last week to banish Bakker and Dortch from further PTL ministry and cut off their salaries and bonuses. Bakker and his wife, Tammy, received $1.6 million in 1986 from PTL, and Dortch got about $350,000.

Dortch, 55, an Assemblies minister for 33 years, was until 1985 one of the 13 executive presbyters who act on disciplinary matters regarding the church’s ministers. He relinquished that post when he became the second-in-command under Bakker at PTL.

Bakker, 47, ordained by the North Carolina district of the church in 1964, has never held office in the church’s ministerial ranks.

Under Assemblies regulations, resignations of ministers are not automatically accepted if charges of wrongdoing have been filed against them.