ASSEMBLIES OF GOD SEXUAL ABUSE LAWSUITS

Fighting For Survivors of Sexual Abuse involving the Assemblies of God

The Assemblies of God, the world’s largest Pentecostal denomination, has faced decades of allegations involving sexual abuse by pastors, church staff, and volunteers, with claims of leadership failures to protect victims or address misconduct. If you or a loved one has been harmed by the Assemblies of God, contact Levy Konigsberg today.

History of Sexual Abuse involving the Assemblies of God

Examples of alleged abuse, and of conditions likely to lead to abuse, include the following:

• In December 2025, a report shone light on sexual abuse pervasive within the Royal Rangers, a Pentecostal version of the Boy Scouts.  According to the report, despite dozens of lawsuits and pleas from survivors, the Assemblies of God has resisted making child safety policies mandatory — including for the Royal Rangers.  At least 29 Royal Rangers leaders have reportedly been accused of sexually abusing boys in their care over the past half century.  The men were reportedly accused of sexually abusing at least 83 boys in the Royal Rangers and dozens more outside the ministry. In several instances, church officials allegedly allowed men convicted of molesting boys to lead Royal Rangers troops, enabling them to harm again.  Some Assemblies of God ministers allegedly sent suspected abusers to counseling or put them on probation rather than calling police. Others were accused of pressuring children into silence.  As an example, abuse perpetrated by Ralph Wade Gantt and Todd Scott Clark, who led a Royal Rangers troop in Albany First Assembly of God in Oregon, was allegedly reported to church authorities numerous times without intervention until finally in 1987, the police became involved when a 12-year-old told authorities he had been molested. Gantt was convicted of sexually abusing and sodomizing the boy and a pair of brothers. Clark was also convicted of abusing the brothers. Gantt was sentenced to 10 years in prison, while Clark was sentenced to 15. At least 15 other boys also reportedly described being abused by the pair, ranging from being watched in the shower to being raped.

• In December 2025, Joe Campbell, a former Assemblies of God minister, was arrested on child sexual abuse charges in Oklahoma. Campbell was charged with one count of first-degree rape and one count of lewd or indecent acts to a child under 16, according to the charging document.  According to recent reports, five women alleged Campbell sexually abused them as children in the 1970s and ’80s when he was an Assemblies of God minister; nine others, including four men, said he showed them pornography, made lewd comments or touched them inappropriately during the same period.  Survivors allege that they reported Campbell’s behavior to pastors, law enforcement and child welfare officials, only to watch him deny the allegations and continue preaching. One survivor recounted that in early 1988, at age 15, she traveled to Springfield, Missouri, to testify before a panel of Assemblies of God officials. She said the men asked her to describe the abuse in graphic detail and invited Campbell and his wife into the room to challenge her account. Despite having received letters from other alleged victims, which had been collected to add weight to her story, the pastors reportedly allowed Campbell to remain in ministry in Missouri, clearing the way for him to abuse another girl. Around 1990, Campbell reportedly founded a nondenominational church and opened Camp Bell, a Christian youth camp in the Missouri Ozarks, where he ministered to thousands of kids over the decades. Campbell’s new church allegedly became a refuge for several convicted sex offenders. In 2016, Campbell joined the PTL Television Network, a Christian station founded by disgraced televangelist Jim Bakker, which broadcast Campbell’s teachings nationally until this year, when the network reportedly quietly removed years of his sermons from its website.

• In October 2025, it was reported that the Assemblies of God has faced numerous allegations of sexual abuse spanning decades, involving nearly 200 pastors, church employees, youth pastors, Sunday school teachers, and volunteer leaders, allegedly harming over 475 individuals, most of whom were children.  Church leaders allegedly covered up abuse, failed to report it, and pressured victims to stay silent.

In Arkansas, a children’s pastor was allegedly caught filming girls in a church bathroom and went on to abuse more children. Another youth pastor accused of misconduct allegedly remained in his position and later sexually assaulted two children.

In California, a worship minister imprisoned for molesting boys was allegedly reinstated and abused more boys.  Another preacher was accused of holding knives to children’s chests and forcing them to perform sexual acts. A pastor accused of abusing children was allowed to return to ministry, where he continued working with children.

In Louisiana, a youth leader allegedly drugged and assaulted three boys. 

In New Jersey, a youth minister reportedly sexually abused children for decades despite a prior sexual assault conviction. Another pastor accused of molesting five children was later arrested for sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl.

In Illinois, a preacher accused of sexually abusing children was allegedly sent to therapy instead of being reported and later abused more children. Another minister accused of molesting two girls in 1979 was reinstated and transferred to a Kentucky church, where he allegedly abused three more children.

• In May 2025, it was reported that former pastor Joseph Lyle Campbell faced multiple allegations of child sexual abuse, including showing pornography, inappropriate touching, sexual assault, and rape.  In the 1970s, he allegedly molested a victim for three years. Despite reports to church leaders beginning in 1983, no action was taken. He later allegedly assaulted a 14-year-old girl. 

• In August 2025, it was reported that Thomas Pinkerton Jr., aka Pastor Tommy, a former youth pastor at Central Christian Church, an Assemblies of God church in Baltimore County, Maryland, was accused of sexually abusing six teenagers between 2006 and 2010. 

• In August 2025, Mark Vega, senior pastor of Ignite Life Center in Gainesville, Florida, and affiliated with the Assemblies of God, was charged with allegedly failing to report child sex abuse allegations.  Three youth leaders, including his son, Christian Vargas, were charged with sexually abusing minors, and Vega allegedly knew of the abuse.

• In September 2025, it was reported that the Assemblies of God faced legal and judicial scrutiny for allegedly mishandling sexual abuse allegations involving Daniel Savala, a convicted sex offender and former missionary, accused by at least 10 men and boys of sexually abusing them.

In 2012, Savala was convicted and registered as a sex offender for sexually abusing boys in the 1990s. Despite this, pastors within the Assemblies of God’s college ministry, Chi Alpha, allegedly continued to send hundreds of teens and young adults to him for spiritual guidance, which allegedly led to further abuse.

In 2021, Savala allegedly began abusing two boys, aged 11 and 12, who were brought to his home by their father, a Chi Alpha pastor. The boys later reported that Savala, with their father present, sexually abused them. Both Savala and the boys’ father were indicted on trafficking charges in 2023.

In March 2024, a lawsuit alleged that the Assemblies of God-sponsored Chi Alpha ministry at Sam Houston State University facilitated the repeated sexual abuse of a legally blind student at Savala’s home between 2017 and 2022.

In April 2023, he was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting two boys in Waco, which was allegedly facilitated by Waco Chi Alpha leader Christopher Hundl. 

In January 2024, a lawsuit accused Mountain Valley Fellowship in College Station, Texas, its Chi Alpha chapter, and Assemblies of God leadership of allegedly enabling the sexual abuse of a 13-year-old boy by Savala. Pastor Eli Stewart allegedly allowed minors to Savala’s home, despite knowing Savala’s history as a convicted sex offender.

Church leaders had allegedly been warned about Savala’s behavior as early as 2013 but failed to act.

• In July 2022, lawsuits alleged Riverdale Assembly of God in Fresno County, California, enabled decades of sexual abuse involving children as young as 8. For over 30 years, church employees, including Charles Spencer Jr., the son of the church’s founders, allegedly groomed and abused children. 

• In August 2021, lawsuits alleged children were sexually abused in the Assemblies of God’s Royal Rangers program in the 1980s by volunteers Ralph Gantt and Todd Clark. Church leaders allegedly knew of the abuse but failed to act. 

• In March 2019, Gregory Reese, a pastor at the First Assembly of God church in Mountain View, Missouri, was fired after being accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl. Reese allegedly inappropriately touched the victim and attempted to engage in oral sex.

Do I Have a Case?

You may have a sexual abuse claim against the Church if:

• You were sexually abused as a minor or an adult within the Church.
• The abuser was a pastor, youth leader, or some other Church volunteer or employee.
• Your abuse occurred at any time in the past.

You may still have a claim even if:

• Your abuser is no longer alive.
• Your abuser was never charged with or convicted of a crime.

Determining whether you have grounds to pursue a claim can be challenging, which is why our team at Levy Konigsberg is readily available to help.

Recoverable Damages in Sexual Abuse Claims

In addition to providing accountability and a sense of justice, civil sex abuse lawsuits allow survivors to recover financial compensation for their damages, which may include:

• Past medical and mental health expenses
• Future mental health expenses, including therapy, medications, etc.
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional anguish and psychological harm
• Lost income
• Other economic and non-economic damages