Appears on
Articles28
Pastor Brady Boyd partners with congregation to launch a new church, one year after forced resignation
Pastor Brady Boyd, who resigned under pressure from a Colorado Springs megachurch a year ago, is now partnering with a local congregation to launch a new church. Last June, elders at New Life Church asked for Boyd’s resignation, saying they no longer believed his claim that he had no prior knowledge of child sex abuse […]
Resignation brings no answers at Texas megachurch
Senior Pastor Chris Lindberg has resigned from Life Fellowship Church in McKinney, Texas, ending more than two months of uncertainty after he and his wife, Tatum, were placed on leave without a public explanation. In an email sent Friday to church members, the Lindbergs and the church’s board of elders said the resignation followed “much […]
Former Kentucky pastor gets 13 years after pleading guilty in child sex abuse case
Note: This story contains details about child sexual abuse. A former Kentucky megachurch pastor was sentenced June 4 to 13 years in prison after pleading guilty March 23 to multiple sex crimes involving a girl who attended the Lexington church. Former LexCity Church executive pastor Zachary King, 48, was sentenced in Fayette Circuit Court, according […]
Former Colorado youth pastor convicted of child sexual assault, faces 8 years to life
A former Colorado youth pastor who was convicted May 29 of sexually assaulting a child faces a sentence that could run from eight years to life, authorities said. Joshua Lucero, a former young adult pastor at Denver-area Word Alive Church, was convicted of a single count of sexual assault on a child by a person […]
December sentencing set for former Maryland youth pastor who pleaded guilty to child sexual abuse
Note: This story contains details about child sexual abuse. A former Baltimore County youth pastor who, authorities say, sexually abused teenage boys at his church and home pleaded guilty Monday to one count of sexual abuse of a minor. Thomas George Pinkerton Jr., 52, entered the plea in Baltimore County Circuit Court under a deal […]
Ex-AG pastor, 81, sentenced to 10 years to life for child sexual assault
Note: This story contains details about child sexual abuse. A former California Assemblies of God pastor was sentenced June 5 to 10 years-to-life in prison for sexually assaulting a child more than 65 years younger than him. David Lee Helbling, 81, pleaded guilty in April to kidnapping to commit rape as well as to lewd […]
Long Island pastor gets 17.5-year prison term for child sex exploitation
Note: This story contains graphic details about child sexual abuse. A Long Island, New York, pastor who coerced children into producing sexually explicit material and raped a minor in a public restroom was sentenced June 9 to 210 months (17.5 years) in federal prison. Jose Saez Jr., 30, of Brentwood, New York, received the sentence […]
Former PCA pastor, now a former PCA member: presbytery deposes and excommunicates convicted rapist Christopher Willett
Mississippi pastor Christopher Willett — convicted in March of raping his teenage daughter — has been stripped of his Presbyterian Church in America post and kicked out of the denomination. At a called meeting this week, the Grace Presbytery voted unanimously to depose Willett from his ministerial office and excommunicate him from the church, byFaith, […]
Dismissed Chicago Church of Christ pastor faces federal fraud charges
Winston Batino, 55, of Chicago, faces federal charges in what prosecutors allege is a Ponzi-style scheme that snagged at least $2 million from his congregants. He served as a pastor at Chicago Church of Christ’s North Ministry Center in suburban Buffalo Grove until he was dismissed when the fraud emerged. The congregation belongs to the […]
Texas pastor fired after prostitution sting arrest
David Ritchie, lead pastor of Redeemer Christian Church in Amarillo, Texas, is free on bond after a June 13 solicitation of prostitution arrest, the county sheriff’s office told the Roys Report (RR) on Tuesday. Following the arrest, the congregation “immediately removed” Ritchie “from all ministry roles and responsibilities,” Andrew Merker, another lead past
Trump-backed pastor moves to Republican primary runoff, overcoming report of inappropriate texts
A pro-MAGA pastor caught up in a sexting scandal could become Tulsa’s next member of Congress as he advances to an Aug. 25 runoff election. Jackson Lahmeyer, 34, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump and other leading Republicans, received more votes than any of the 10 candidates in the party primary. Since no candidate […]
Trump drops Lahmeyer endorsement, pastor ends congressional bid after texting scandal
Jackson Lahmeyer, the Tulsa pastor endorsed by President Donald Trump in the race for an open Oklahoma congressional seat, suspended his campaign Wednesday shortly after losing the president’s backing. The move effectively ended the prospect of an Aug. 25 Republican runoff in Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, which would have pitted Lahmeyer against sta
Arkansas church’s insurer settles sex abuse suit, a pastor says
Immanuel Baptist Church, one of Arkansas’ largest churches, has settled a sex-abuse lawsuit involving a female volunteer accused of assaulting a 15-year-old boy attending the Little Rock congregation. “Immanuel Baptist Church announced yesterday that the church’s insurance carrier has reached a settlement in the John Doe civil case to the mutual satisfaction
Fired TMU president Caner sues school, alleges contract breach, wrongful termination
Truett McConnell University president Emir Caner says the Baptist-affiliated school improperly sacked him last year, thus breaching his contract without establishing a “for cause” reason to dismiss him. Attorneys representing Caner sued the school June 5. The lawsuit, filed in White County Superior Court in Cleveland, Georgia, says Caner’s 2021 contract requ
Gateway Church wins tithing lawsuit dismissal as federal judge cites First Amendment
A federal judge dismissed a class-action lawsuit accusing Texas megachurch Gateway Church and former senior pastor Robert Morris of misrepresenting tithing expenditures, marking a significant legal victory for the scandal-plagued congregation. On June 23, U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant of the Eastern District of Texas ruled the First Amendment’s ecclesiast
Michigan pastor charged with six felonies in hidden camera case
A former co-pastor of Resurrection Life Church in Holland, Michigan, faces six felony charges after authorities alleged he secretly recorded an adult family member with a hidden camera. His attorney said the allegations involve only his wife and have no connection to the western Michigan church or its members. Joshua Peter VanderKlok, 48, faces three […]
FCC fines NYC church $20,000 for alleged pirate radio
A church in the Bronx, along with two pastors, stands accused of operating a pirate radio station. The station illegally uses an FM frequency that is licensed to a Long Island station, according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC, in a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture released June 25, said Sweet Hour […]
Kentucky church faces backlash over viral VBS skit depicting gunmen shooting devil
A Lexington, Kentucky, church is facing backlash after a video of its Vacation Bible School (VBS) play got a bit too realistic for some parents. In the skit, recorded at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, several adults dressed as soldiers armed with simulated rifles arrived on the scene, according to a Lexington Herald-Leader report. They stormed […]
Minnesota pastor charged in stabbing outside St. Paul home
A Minnesota pastor has been charged with two counts of second-degree assault after he allegedly stabbed a man during a late-night confrontation outside a St. Paul home, leaving the victim with life-threatening injuries. Police said the pastor, Terrence Phillip Walker Sr., 61, was found hiding in the Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church, roughly 3 miles […]
Baptist pastor steps aside at Arkansas megachurch after finalized divorce
The newly divorced lead pastor of one of Arkansas’ largest Southern Baptist congregations has stepped down, saying he does not want his personal circumstances to distract from the church’s mission. David Hughey stepped aside last month as lead pastor of Geyer Springs First Baptist Church in Little Rock. He will remain on staff as director […]