3 women claim in lawsuit that SBC and Houston Megachurch ‘activated’ Predator

Three women accuse the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and a Houston megachurch of failing to protect them from a young pastor who sexually abused them when they were minors, according to a lawsuit filed last month.

The women, referred to as “Jane Does,” claim that the SBC and Champion Forest Baptist Church “invited, encouraged, and enabled a predator to become part of their inner circle of trust,” the lawsuit states. The women are seeking more than $1 million in damages.

The women were 14, 15 and 16 years old when former youth pastor Timothy Jeltema began sexually abusing them, the lawsuit says. The women claim that the pastor took advantage of his position of power to do this.

Jeltema is currently in prison after pleading guilty to child sex crimes in 2022, The Roys Report (TRR) Previously reported. He was sentenced to five years in prison for two counts of online solicitation of a minor, one count of indecency with a child and one count of sexual performance on a child.

Jeltema began serving at the church in 2009 and later became a youth pastor on the North Klein campus, according to the lawsuit. He was initially arrested in 2018, a month after Champion Forest fired him for inappropriate contact with an 18-year-old church member, RTR reported.

The lawsuit alleges that church and SBC leaders failed to train their employees or work with law enforcement to prevent child sexual abuse.

The lawsuit hopes to “prevent others from becoming the next tragic, headline-grabbing victims of faith-based organizations’ failure to protect their parishioners and innocent children from the known dangers of pedophilia.”

In response to the complaint, Church requested a “blanket denial” on April 22 and asked to be released from all charges, according to court records.

The church says it fully complied with the police investigation into Jeltema in 2018 and that accusations against the former pastor surfaced after his dismissal, according to a statement from church officials sent to ABC 13.

“We are heartbroken and mourn those who are victims of any form of sexual impropriety,” the Church said. “We pray for healing and restoration for the victims.”

The church also said it has “multiple layers of policies and procedures in place, including a national background check” for church staff and volunteers.

The Church would have “warned” Jeltema

The suit alleges that Jeltema engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior, including sending lewd photos and videos of himself with Jane Does. Jane Doe 1 accused the former pastor of sexually assaulting and attempting to rape her.

When one of the Jane Does told church leaders about the inappropriate messages at church camp, leaders refused to call her parents, the suit says. Instead, leaders isolated her.

“They then grilled her, questioning her veracity,” the suit continues. “It was only after pastors asked to see her cell phone so they could confirm her outcry that they finally called Jane Doe 3’s parents.”

The women also accused Champion Forest leaders of mishandling their sex crime reports and interfering with police investigations into Jeltema’s crime. The suit claimed church leaders “tipped off” Jeltema about the 2018 police investigation, which then gave the former pastor time to destroy the evidence.

Additionally, the Church “encouraged and condoned” Jeltema’s “unlimited and close contact” with young girls, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit claims Jeltema had inappropriate communications with up to 25 girls at the church.

“If the Church had done what it was supposed to do, plaintiffs would not have been harmed and their faith would not have been shaken to its core,” the lawsuit states.

Jeltema is eligible for parole in November, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

The lawsuit holds the SBC liable for general negligence and alleges that despite similar reports of abuse within the denomination, the SBC “did virtually nothing to inform its member churches of the unfortunate experiences of others member churches so that these experiences can be used as an argument. guide to reducing or eliminating risks.

This lawsuit comes as the SBC and many SBC churches are embroiled in controversy over their handling of reports of sexual abuse.

In 2022, Guidepost Solutions released a report detailing how denominational leaders treated sexual abuse survivors as enemies of the church, denied responsibility for the actions of local churches, and downplayed the number of abuse cases sex in these churches, all in the name of protection. the institution.

Last December, a lawsuit accused the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee (SBCEC) of “maliciously and systematically” covering up sexual abuse and sought $10 million in damages. RTR reported. A month later, Arkansas victims sued SBCEC and First Baptist Church of Little Rock for negligence involving sexual abuse allegations.

In March, the Justice Department concluded an investigation into the SBCEC’s handling of abuses. No results have been published.

Independent journalist Liz Lykins writes for WORLD Magazine, Christianity Today, Ministry Watch and other publications.