(Tampa Bay Times) — Debra J. Cook, a prominent figure in the Church of Scientology for years, has blasted church management in a New Year’s message to thousands of current and former Scientologists.

In a lengthy email sent late Saturday, the former church executive declared that Scientology staffers are forced by church managers to engage in “extreme” fundraising campaigns for unnecessarily “posh” new buildings and for the church’s membership group, the International Association of Scientologists.

She said the church is hoarding “well in excess of a billion dollars” that is supposed to be spent on disseminating the religion, in violation of policies written by church founder L. Ron Hubbard.

“Only a tiny fraction has ever been spent,” she said in the letter.

The church’s fundraising practices were the subject of a recent Tampa Bay Times series, “The Money Machine,” in which dozens of church members described coercive and heavy-handed selling tactics used by the church’s religious workers.

Cook also said the dominance of church leader David Miscavige as the sole source of power in Scientology violates a system of checks and balances put in place by Hubbard before he died in 1986. Top church executives who could check his authority have been absent from their posts for years, she said.

The church did not immediately respond Sunday to requests for comment.

Cook, 50, was the face of Scientology’s worldwide spiritual headquarters in Clearwater, known as “Flag.” As Flag’s “captain” from 1989 to 2006, she was the top Clearwater officer in the Sea Org, Scientology’s military-style religious order.

She was a fixture in Flag’s magazine, Source, always pictured in her formal blue uniform with an upbeat message for parishioners.

She later moved to the church’s international management in California and left the staff in 2008.

Cook and her husband, Wayne Baumgarten, also a former church staffer, live in San Antonio, Texas, where they operate a business consulting firm.

According to Cook’s Facebook page and company website, she has stayed in regular contact with practicing Scientologists since her departure from the staff. Many are her customers.

Cook said in her letter she has remained in good standing with the church and was writing fellow Scientologists as someone who remains “completely dedicated” to Scientology and Hubbard.

“However,” she added, “there is no question that this new age of continuous fundraising is not our finest moment.”

She could not be reached Sunday for an interview.

She made a point in her letter of appealing directly to Scientologists, telling them she did not want to involve the media.

The letter is sure to send shock waves through the community of Scientologists loyal to the church after more than two years of unflattering media reports about church management —from allegations of violence in the top ranks to repeated stories about the church’s controlling nature.

Other high-ranking figures have left in recent years and spoken out. Most notable were Mike Rinder, the former church spokesman, and Marty Rathbun, a top executive who worked for years at Miscavige’s side.

But Cook was far better known among average parishioners and she enjoyed an impeccable image, linked as she was to the church’s desire to make Flag an upscale and spiritually uplifting destination for all Scientologists.

Some of her Scientologist friends reacted positively on her Facebook page. Others reacted angrily, saying the open, online discussion should be handled quietly within the church instead. Still others said they didn’t believe it, insisting Cook’s Facebook and email accounts had been hacked by church critics.

Cook responded on her Facebook page with this message: “Dear Friends. Yes, the e-mail was written by me. No I am not connected to anyone not in good standing. I did it because of my love and respect for LRH (L. Ron Hubbard) and the desire to see us correct situations that need correcting within our group.”

Cook referred in her letter to the church’s recent publicity troubles, saying Scientologists had weathered many storms. “I am sorry that I am the one telling you, but a new storm is upon us. Its waves are already in the media and the world around us.”

She encouraged parishioners to make their voices heard by paying only for Scientology’s religious services and challenging church staffers who ask for extra donations to show where their request is supported in Hubbard’s writings.

Rathbun, now a leading figure in a movement for Scientologists to practice independently of the church, said the impact of Cook’s letter would be huge, but it would take time for Scientologists to accept and absorb it.

“Over the next few weeks and months, you’re going to see a lot of prominent Scientologists who are going to make themselves known,” he said in an interview. “This could be one of the more significant developments in some time.”