An alleged victim of recently ousted worship pastor Aaron Ivey is speaking out, alleging Ivey groomed, manipulated, and sexually molested him for years when the man was a minor.
Musician Logan Garza posted on Instagram last week that he was “one of the victims of sexual abuse” of worship pastor Aaron Ivey, who was fired in February by The Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, Texas.
Ivey is married to popular podcaster and author Jamie Ivey. And in 2021, the Iveys co-authored Complement, a book and Bible study about marriage.
“I was groomed from the age of 15, when (Aaron Ivey) would have been twice my age, and sexually abused by Aaron from the ages of 16-20,” said Garza. “The grooming was textbook—making me feel special, hanging out privately exposing me to new and mature things like cigarettes, alcohol, and sexually explicit conversations. Eventually, he exposed himself, and coerced me to do the same.”
Garza added that this “pattern of sexual manipulation, under the guise of spiritual leadership, occurred nearly weekly for several years. . . . Then he began to molest me.”
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Garza confirmed the veracity of his statement in an email to The Roys Report (TRR). But he declined to answer any questions, stating, “At this point, I’ve said everything I need to in my statement on Instagram.”
TRR reached out to Aaron Ivey for comment but did not receive a response.
Garza’s recent statement differs substantially from the statement made by Austin Stone when it fired Ivey three months ago.
According to the church’s statement, Ivey engaged in “predatory manipulation, sexual exploitation, and abuse of influence” with adult males and a minor male. The statement did not say the minor was molested, but that the abuse “involved inappropriate and explicit communications, indecent exposure, and the use of alcohol and illegal substances.”
The church’s statement also specified that the minor involved was “outside our formal programming.”
However, Garza said in his 1,200-word Instagram post that Austin Stone is where he “grew up, served, and worked,” noting Ivey was his mentor from 2010-2014. TRR has also learned that Garza is the son of Devin Garza, a longtime elder at Austin Stone.
Plus, a dormant LinkedIn profile lists Logan Garza as a past “resident” at the church.
TRR asked Austin Stone leaders about this seeming discrepancy between the church’s statement and Garza’s account.
Donovan Golden, Executive Pastor of Creative Ministries at The Austin Stone Community Church, replied, “We were conveying that none of the known instances of abuse happened within the context of our formal programming (such as student camps, student groups, or classes) or on or around any of our campuses.”
Golden added that he and church leaders are “devastated by the abuse Logan has suffered and want nothing more than his continued healing.”
However, Johnna Harris, co-host of the podcast “The Bodies Behind the Bus,” which spotlights firsthand accounts of abuse in evangelical churches and ministries, disputed the church’s statement. Harris told TRR she has spoken to at least 10 former staff and members of Austin Stone in recent months.
“(Logan) was very much known in that community, his father was an elder, he was not ‘outside of regular programming,’” said Harris. Harris also noted that Austin Stone “used sin language in place of naming the behavior as criminal. What Logan is describing is child sexual abuse, and we must rightly, and boldly, name that.”
‘Complexity’ of abuse
In his post online, Garza detailed the anguish and pain he has dealt with for years following Ivey’s abuse.
“Once (Ivey) broke that physical boundary my reality shattered, and I entered a very confusing, and skeptical time, which began in 2014,” stated Garza. “It took me a couple years to realize what had happened. My body knew something was wrong before my mind could understand it. I was skeptical that something wasn’t right, but didn’t want to believe it.”
Garza stated that Ministry Safe, a group hired by Austin Stone to help it navigate its crisis, helped him realize what had happened to him.
“It wasn’t until I was in a training by Ministry Safe, who educates and warns churches about this exact type of situation, that I finally understood the sexual abuse I had endured,” said Garza.
However, Garza said the “manipulation ran so deep I still felt forced . . . to protect Aaron, and more so his family.” Ivey and his wife are parents of four children, including three adopted children.
“For those 10 confusing and painful years I kept quiet without telling a soul,” said Garza. “If it wasn’t for the courage of two other victims coming forward about their stories of abuse with Aaron, I would still be quietly suffering.”
The other victims’ accounts have not been made public.
While Garza referred to Ivey’s “manipulation,” he also said there were “cherished times” with his former mentor. “If you can believe it, I *still* consider those early days to be some of the most amazing moments of friendship I’ve ever experienced,” stated Garza. “I know he would say the same. There weren’t only bad parts. I don’t expect everyone to understand that complexity . . .”
However, Garza also noted “the gravity and severity of (Ivey’s) betrayal,” saying: “He defiled something pure. He preyed on my innocence, my safety, my loyalty as a fierce friend, and my good nature. He deceived us all. Mostly me, the other victims, and his family. And he needs to be held accountable.”
No word on independent investigation
Harris, whose podcast has featured analysis of the recent Austin Stone scandal and church response, said Garza’s post reflects allegations that are “credible, serious, and criminal” in nature and should be investigated by police.
Additionally, Harris called on Austin Stone to conduct a third-party investigation by “an organization like GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Church Environment), which has professionals that are trained and credentialed to investigate churches and systemic issues.”
The church’s statement vaguely referred to fact-finding that was ongoing, stating, “We will not be surprised if more is uncovered.”
TRR repeatedly asked leaders of The Austin Stone Community Church whether the church had undertaken a third-party investigation or if church safety policies had changed following Ivey’s firing but did not receive a response to those questions.
However, in an email to TRR, Pastor Donovan Golden praised Garza for his public post, noting “it took an immense amount of courage for Logan Garza to share his story. Not only do we commend him for it, but we support him and any other victims who choose to share theirs.”
Despite what’s happened to him, Garza said he only wants “the best for Aaron . . . I hope he can heal from the things that plague him.” Garza added, “I also hope the truth being out there prevents him from ever committing any of these atrocities again.”
Freelance journalist Josh Shepherd writes on faith, culture, and public policy for several media outlets. He and his family live in the Washington, D.C. area.
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18 Responses
Every day there is a new or updated report of sexual abuse in churches. This is so disturbing and shows where this “new style of worship” comes from. Right from the pit of hell and Satan loves it. The “music” is purely elevation entertainment for the masses. A long way from the churches of old. Shameful….
I suspect Elaine that there hasn’t really been an increase in sexual abuse. It’s just that with the internet, victims become aware of other victims and can rally themselves to expose their predators more easily in the court of public opinion. In earlier times, it was easier for churches to keep things under wrap, and easier for church leadership to intimidate victims into silence. The internet is a two-edged sword, but it is finally exposing to you, to me and to everyone else, what’s been going on secretly for a long, long time.
Something in Bible about secrets being revealed for all to see comes to mind….
I’m confused by many of the details Garza offers. He writes a physical relationship began in 2014, without noting he was age 19.
Elaine I am with you all the way. I grew up in a small Catholic Church and enjoyed the calmness of the mass. Since attending non Catholic Churches I am given the word unnecessarily embellished with filling time with useless dribble to make sure the lecture is 45 minutes long. To much entertainment time on the Sunday services and what can I say since the seventies a non stop display of false prophecy and fake healers and bling bling bling.
Hopefully, now that the details are out, no one is going to try to platform this guy.
Thankfully more and more survivors/victims are exposing abuse that forced them into the shadows of their hearts, creating insurmountable shame. Brene Brown has been instrumental in identifying shame and its subsequent enslavement, and the emergence from it.
Modern American Christianity is so far from biblical Christianity described in The Book of Acts and in the Epistles. Since it is hard to distinguish the world from American Christianity, it seems obvious that the “prince of the power of the air,” “the thief,” and “the god of this age” will continue to steal, kill, and destroy within local churches, making stories like this more common. Paul warned that wolves and those speaking perverse things will rise up within churches, especially worldly churches.
American Christianity needs the emphases of Bible reading and the sound teaching from the Word of God to once again become the top priorities in local churches.
• “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Rom 12:2)
• “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:1,2)
• “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” (Jn 10:10)
• “whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe” (2Cor 4:4)
• “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse [diastrepho=to distort, twist] things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.” (Acts 20:29-30)
For some time now, I’ve begun to think of the american evangelical church (especially its low-church, independent/loner or mega-churchy variety) to be as corrupt as the Catholic Church was in the Middle Ages pre-Reformation… As awful as abuse cases like this are, it’s really only the tip of the iceberg…
We (I include myself because I attend church of this nature) are so corrupt and blind in many areas, not just ‘worship’, not just sexual predation by powerful men, etc. The way we read the Bible… (despite loudly claiming we’re the most! Biblical), the way we handle finances, the way we relate to the state or unbelievers in general, the way our ecclesial systems run, the false narratives we tell and work from – all deeply corrupted… even the supposedly nice / common sense things we do or hold dear… in the light of Jesus’ life or the apostles’ or early church testimony, are off track in a deep way.
“American Christianity needs the emphases of Bible reading and the sound teaching from the Word of God to once again become the top priorities in local churches.”
Knowledge does not automatically produce a moral life. Many of the leaders highlighted on this website come from Bible teaching churches.
What we need is OBEDIENCE to the word, not mere knowledge. Jesus taught that hearing his words (knowing them) but not doing them was like building ones house on the sand. Only a person who hears and puts Jesus words into practice builds on the rock. The rock isn’t correct doctrine, it’s obedience to Jesus.
Obedience is something that is developed in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is a matter of respect. We do not have good relationships with those we do not respect. Jesus is more worthy of our respect than absolutely anyone else. Obedience comes with trust. And the primary things to obey are the basic practice of the faith which involves not merely being passive and only listening to someone else preach. It involves study in order to better understand in order to better practice the basics of the faith. The passivity is a great problem today, which leads to all kinds of other problems like being easily deceived and turning yourself, your family and friends into clueless victims. Being led by the real Holy Spirit only happens by actually working on making that relationship better. But few are willing in these last days to put in the time and effort. And they end up suffering greatly for it.
Are we really on this comment thread suggesting that if we only had more traditional worship styles, the right doctrines, and the right collection of Bible verses that abuse wouldn’t happen in the church?
I have read TRR for long enough to know that that will simply not suffice.
Abuse, and the systemic issues that enable and cause it to fester, is slipperier then that.
Big churches and small churches, traditional liturgy and more contemporary, very conservative theology and more progressive, wooden pews and folding chairs, no one gets to stand in a place of superiority. Because that leads to less curiosity about the dynamics of abuse. And less vigilance.
Exactly.
To blame worship styles is absurd.
Every church system I know of exalts one man (or woman) as head and this goes against what New Testament Scripture plainly says about fellowship.
There is ONE head and that’s Jesus.
The analogy of a body (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 5:23, Colossians 1:18) wasn’t chosen haphazardly.
Just like the words “father” and “son”, “body” was chosen purposefully because it’s something EVERYONE without exception understands.
NOBODY can appear before the Judgment Seat and claim that they didn’t fully understand what these words meant or – even worse – claim that they thought “God didn’t really mean that”.
Unregenerate people will sin uncontrollably but if fellowship took place in one room in a house, (with each member humbled by having equal SERVANT status) there would be no or little opportunity for abuse by the wolves.
My choice for my own ministry and my counsel for others, has always been to NEVER be alone with a woman when you are a leader. It appears that in this perverse generation, I’m gonna have to add that you never be alone with anyone. This moral sewage is the equivalent to offering a pig to Dagon. How does this pass for Christian leadership? God help us.
Respectfully, this would not have helped one bit in this case. Ivey’s sexual misconduct is alleged to have occurred with other males.
I understand the never be alone with a woman policy as a means of self-protection, however how does that actually address the systemic moral issue of sexual abuse in the church? The evangelical church has tried separating the genders via purity culture and we are now seeing the damage that caused. Instead of implementing behavior codes, maybe the church should truly address the underlying heart issues.
Exactly, Amy.
But the gift of discernment is not valued. Regenerate people with this gift who can spot a wolf a mile away are not listened to.
Instead, the carnal, ambitious types who want to displace Jesus as HEAD rule the roost and act surprised when wolves massacre the flock (spiritually and/or physically) under their noses.
As long as wolves are invited in because the carnal and self-aggrandizing BY DEFINITION (Galatians 5:22-24) lack love (i.e genuine interest in others) and discernment, abuse will continue.
The unregenerate still have their rotten tree/heart and this can only be discerned spiritually. Certainly not by perusing their CVs….
“Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by its fruit.
A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man” (Matthew 12:33 & 35, 15:18-20a)
“the billy graham rule” as you’re articulating, “to never be alone with a woman when you’re a leader” has not stopped, or slowed anyone down if they want to have illicit relationships. this has been proven over and over by the Southern Baptist Convention and the Acts 29 network- both have complementarian views about male leadership, and both strongly emphasize the billy graham rule”. Both are riddled with sex and power abuse scandals.
what the billy graham ACTUALLY accomplishes is keeping women at arms length, denying their full person hood by treating them as sexual threats rather than colleagues- and it doesn’t even work! Women are SO MUCH MORE than just sexual temptations, and I fear that the evangelical church will continue to fail in this particular way until they realize that.
Interesting how some people that I’ve seen commenting on this site only get upset when there is a threat to Donald Trump. But crickets when it comes to caring about sexual abuse in the church!