CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE SEX ABUSE LAWSUITS

Fighting For Survivors of Sexual Abuse involving the Church of the Nazarene

The Church of the Nazarene has been tainted with disturbing sexual abuse allegations spanning decades.  These allegations expose betrayal by pastors, youth leaders, and church staff who allegedly exploited the vulnerability of children and teens who often were seeking spiritual guidance.  Allegations also reveal a pattern and culture of church officials covering up survivors’ reports of sexual abuse.

If you or someone you love has experienced sexual abuse within the Church of the Nazarene, Levy Konigsberg is here to help. Reach out today.

History of Sexual Abuse involving the Church of the Nazarene

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

Tehachapi Church of the Nazarene (Tehachapi, California)

• In January 2025, former Tehachapi Church of the Nazarene youth pastor, Adrian Daugherty, was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a teenager. 

Susanville Church of the Nazarene (Susanville, California)

• In August 2023, former Susanville Church of the Nazarene youth leader, camp counselor, and registered nurse, Bradley Earl Reger, was indicted on federal sex abuse charges. Additional charges, including transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, were filed against Reger in September 2024. As the youth leader, Reger would accompany dozens of minors on two-week long trips to Echo Ranch in Alaska where he allegedly sexually abused them. Multiple lawsuits have been filed alleging civil sex trafficking, conspiracy, and assault based on the alleged sexual abuse of hundreds of minors by Reger from 1998 to 2023. According to the lawsuits, Church of the Nazarene entities were aware of Reger’s propensities to sexually abuse children because of, among other things, numerous reports to police and other authorities and investigations about his behavior with children starting in the 1980s.

Arden Church of the Nazarene (Arden, California)

• In November 2022, two lawsuits were filed against former Arden Church of the Nazarene youth pastor David Arnold, accusing him of allegedly sexually abusing boys in the 1970s.  Arnold is accused of grooming the boys and playing a game called “hostage,” where he tied them up and gagged them as they struggled for his own sexual gratification. He also allegedly psychologically tortured young boys by playing loud music to deaden the children’s senses during the sexual abuse. The lawsuits brought the number of Arnold’s alleged victims to at least nine.

Mid-City Church of the Nazarene (San Diego, California)

• In February 2018, a lawsuit was filed against former Mid-City Church of the Nazarene pastor and professor, John Wright, accusing him of alleged sexual battery and rape. According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff initially thought of Wright as a mentor, and disclosed details of her childhood sexual abuse to him.  Wright allegedly claimed to be able to heal her by performing sexual acts on her and promised that all of her trauma would wash away when they engaged in sexual acts. 

Oak Hill Church of the Nazarene (Jacksonville, Florida)

• In September 2023, Gregory Norton, a former church youth group leader, was arrested and charged with sexually abusing a teenager he met at events hosted by Oak Hill Church of the Nazarene.  Another victim alleged Norton made unwanted sexual contact with him while Norton was working as a nurse at a children’s hospital. Norton was charged with eight counts of sexual battery.

Lake Wales Church of the Nazarene (Lake Wales, Florida)

• In June 2003, Rev. Gene Francis, pastor of the Church of the Nazarene in Lake Wales, was charged with unlawful sexual activity with a minor that took place in December 2001. The victim reportedly told investigators he first informed local church officials about the sexual incidents in late 2002 after he saw pornography on Francis’ computer. He then alleges he reported the sexual abuse to church officials. Despite his reports, he alleges that church officials took no action to respond to the reports of sexual abuse.

Orland Church of the Nazarene (Orland, Indiana)

• In March 2025, Rodger Daily Strong, the former pastor of Orland Church of the Nazarene for four decades, was arrested for allegedly molesting a 5-year-old girl between January and May of 2024.  After initially claiming the young girl was lying, Strong admitted he had touched the girl five times, including three incidents of vaginal penetration. Strong was charged with five felony counts of child molestation.

Yorktown Church of the Nazarene (Yorktown, Indiana)

• In July 2021, Brian Eugene Couch, a former school nurse and pastor at the Yorktown Church of the Nazarene, pleaded guilty to three counts of child molestation. Couch was first arrested in August 2019 on charges that he sexually abused a young girl almost daily for several years, starting when she was just six years old. In 2020, Couch was charged with three more molestation counts, alleging he had fondled three girls — two of them in their pre-teens, and one when she was 13 — when they visited his home between 2012 and 2016.

Sandia Valley Church of the Nazarene (South Valley, New Mexico)

• In December 2016, Randal Paul, a former church resident and volunteer, was arrested for allegedly distributing child pornography while working and living at Sandia Valley Nazarene Church in the South Valley.  Paul had previously been convicted of aggravated sexual abuse and lewd acts with a minor.  According to the criminal complaint filed against him, Paul had been part of a child porn website, looking at pictures and even writing vulgar comments about young girls.  Also in the complaint, investigators said they found dozens of child porn images on Paul’s laptop, along with crude emails to people about children.

Shawnee Church of the Nazarene (Shawnee, Oklahoma)

• In March 2025, a lawsuit was filed against the Church of the Nazarene in Shawnee, accusing it of covering up the sexual abuse of four young girls—ages 18, 15, 9, and 8—by former church member Charles Sullivant between 2008 and 2012. According to the lawsuit, all four survivors told pastor Johnny Stephens about the abuse, but he never called the police at the time. In addition, one survivor alleged that church leaders threatened to take away her mother’s minister’s license if she pursued the issue of the sexual abuse further. The lawsuit also alleged that the church fired an associate pastor of a neighboring church after he tried to report Sulivant’s abuse himself. In November 2014, Sullivant was criminally charged with lewd or indecent acts with a child under 16 years old.

Pauls Valley Church of the Nazarene (Pauls Valley, Oklahoma)

• In April 2017, Claude Ledbetter, a former police chaplain and pastor at the Pauls Valley Church of the Nazarene, was investigated after his daughter, Stormy Ledbetter, was arrested for allegedly molesting a 10-year-old boy in his home.

Bethany First Church of the Nazarene (Bethany, Oklahoma)

• In June 2010, Southern Nazarene University and Bethany First Church of the Nazarene settled a lawsuit filed by survivors who alleged former children’s minister Ryan Wonderly raped and molested them. The lawsuit claimed the church allowed a known child sexual predator around children, failed to run a background check on Wonderly and that church leaders let him intern and later hired him, even though they knew he had been caught viewing child pornography while at Southern Nazarene University. In 2005, Wonderly was convicted and sentenced for committing numerous sexual crimes against young girls.

Springwater Church of the Nazarene (Gresham, Oregon)

• In March 2025, a plaintiff filed suit alleging that former Springwater Church of the Nazarene pastor Lance Nelson sexually abused him while he was in high school.  According to the lawsuit, the former head pastor of the congregation was notified of the sexual abuse but failed to take action besides alerting Nelson of the allegations. The lawsuit alleges that Nelson abused the plaintiff and at least two other boys on an almost weekly basis when they were teenagers.

McMinnville Church of the Nazarene (McMinnville, Oregon)

• In May 2016, a lawsuit was filed against the Church of the Nazarene in McMinnville, called the Church on the Hill, alleging that church pastors and teachers failed to report abuse after a girl told them her biological father was raping her for years. The lawsuit alleges that the church kept the secret for two years, even telling the girl they didn’t believe her, or saying they had told her mother when they had not. The lawsuit further alleges the church’s conduct violated Oregon’s mandatory reporter law, which says clergy and any licensed professional must report abuse to authorities.

Willowwood Church of the Nazarene (Denton, Texas)

• In September 2024, Craig Stone, the youth director of Willowwood Church of the Nazarene, was arrested on child sexual abuse charges.  According to reports, a parent and child reported to Denton police that Stone was engaging in inappropriate behavior with teenagers. Additional teenagers also came forward alleging that Stone inappropriately touched them and had sexual images of children on his computer. Stone reportedly admitted to detectives to touching the teenage boy and to possessing nude images of a second teenage boy.

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

What is the Statute of Limitations for Church of the Nazarene Sexual Abuse Lawsuits?

Like other civil “torts,” or legal actions that seek a recovery of damages, sexual abuse lawsuits are subject to a legal deadline known as the statute of limitations. If you have a potential sexual abuse claim, it’s important to know the statute of limitations that applies to your case, as survivors are generally barred from filing lawsuits and recovering compensation if the statute of limitations has expired.

Unfortunately, it’s not easy for survivors to accurately assess the statute of limitations applicable to their claim. That’s because laws regarding filing deadlines vary depending on several factors, including:

• The state where your abuse occurred. States can have vastly different statutes of limitations for civil sexual abuse lawsuits, as well as nuanced rules or requirements.
• Your age at the time of abuse. Most states differentiate between claims involving survivors who were abused by adults and survivors who were abused as children. While survivors of childhood sexual abuse are typically granted more time to file, that time may not always be significant.
• Delayed discovery rules. Laws in some states allow survivors to “toll” or delay the statute of limitations in their case until the “date of discovery,” which is when a survivor “discovers” the connection between their abuse and the harm they’ve suffered, including depression, relationship issues, substance abuse problems, and other issues. The delayed discovery rule, when applicable, provides survivors who often repress and block memories with more time to file civil legal actions.

In addition to these factors, statutes of limitations in civil sexual abuse cases can be subject to new legal changes. Laws regarding the rights of survivors are rapidly evolving, and more and more states are passing survivor-friendly measures that better account for the challenges survivors face when processing their abuse, connecting that abuse to the damages in their lives, and making the courageous decision to step forward. Some states also pass laws that retroactively lift filing deadlines or create temporary filing windows for survivors with decades-old claims to seek justice.

Given the variance in state laws and the rapid pace of legislative amendments, it can be difficult to determine the statute of limitations that applies to your case. However, because these laws enforce strict filing deadlines and occasionally limited filing windows for retroactive claims, it’s important to be prompt in seeking information about your rights and options.

At Levy Konigsberg, our Church of the Nazarene sexual abuse lawyers are readily available to answer questions regarding the statute of limitations and how we can help you in the fight for justice. We offer FREE and confidential consultations and serve survivors nationwide.