DETROIT -- The Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit & Vicinity Inc. met with Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick on Tuesday morning to talk about the perjury charges against him, and to pray for him.

The mayor asked for support from the influential council and attended a prayer session at the Corinthian Baptist Church in Hamtramck.

The president of the organization of 250 Detroit area church leaders said there's division over whether to call for the mayor's resignation after he and his former top aide, Christine Beatty, were charged with 12 counts of perjury, obstruction and willful misconduct.

"As pastors we are all praying," said the Rev. Oscar King, council president. "Some are saying resign. Some are saying absolutely not."

The council is one of the most influential groups in the city. Members have used the pulpit to support Kilpatrick over the years and to rally for his re-election after securing a promise from the mayor in his last campaign that he'd learned a lesson from past scandals.

One of the council's most outspoken members, the Rev. Kenneth J. Flowers, stopped just short of calling for the mayor's resignation.

"In light of these charges, these multiple counts," Flowers said, the mayor should pray for direction on whether he should step down.

The council considered a draft statement last week calling for the mayor to resign, but a majority of the membership voted it down.

On Tuesday, they said, the focus was simply to hear the mayor's side.

"We want to hear what he has to say," said King. "We are going to listen."