Multiple Assemblies of God (AG) pastors are calling for the resignation of denominational leaders for what the pastors say has been a “shameful” response to a sex abuse scandal within the AG’s college ministry.
The scandal involves Daniel Savala, a longtime volunteer teacher and mentor with Chi Alpha Campus Ministries, the official college ministry of the AG. Savala is accused of raping or sexually assaulting at least 13 men connected to Chi Alpha over more than two decades.
He also was indicted this month, along with his former protégé Chris Hundl, for sexual abuse of two minors. Hundl, an ordained AG minister, had led Baylor University’s Chi Alpha chapter.
Several other leaders within the Chi Alpha ministry have been removed from leadership over their alleged involvement in sexual misconduct or cover-up. Will Robinson, former Chi Alpha chapter leader at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, was arrested last July on child sex abuse charges and will soon answer the charges in court. In May, former Chi Alpha North Texas District Director Eli Stewart was dismissed from his College Station church and Eli Gautreaux, Chi Alpha South Texas Director, was suspended from his position.
Speaking from his pulpit on Aug. 13, Pastor J.R. Armstrong of Mauriceville All Gospel Church in Orange, Texas, said, “Missionaries have been arrested. A handful of others have been removed from the pulpit. All the while, the leaders of the districts and national office have remained silent.”
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Armstrong specifically criticized AG General Superintendent Doug Clay, the denomination’s highest official, and played a clip of Clay’s address Aug. 4 at the AG General Council Meeting in Columbus, Ohio.
In the clip, Clay praised the success of Chi Alpha missionaries and referred to the scandal as “hiccups” and “shortcomings” in the ministry. “But the failure of some individuals never trumps the strength and the purpose and the vitality of the particular ministry,” Clay continued. He then asked anyone connected to Chi Alpha (XA) to stand and receive applause.
“Mr. Superintendent, I have no issue with prayer for Chi Alpha Ministries, but it rings hollow,” said Armstrong. “And absent acknowledgment of its victims and prayer and empathy expressed for them, your statement is shameful.”
Albert Cortez of Family Life Assembly of God in Katy, Texas, echoed similar outrage.
“This is like a Netflix series,” Cortez told his congregation over the summer. “Chi Alpha (chapters) in south Texas have allowed a wolf in sheep’s clothing to infiltrate the campuses. I’m not talking 25 months – it was for the past 25 years.”
Cortez added that Chi Alpha leaders would refer students for one-on-one counseling to Savala, “who we find out later on was a sexual predator. (And) we’re finding out there are countless victims. Now you know why I’m angry.”
Similarly, Pastor Jeff Gravis of Central Assembly of God in Haughton, La., said he was grieved by the abuse that went unchecked.
“To say that my heart is broken over what is going on is an understatement,” said Gravis, who noted he had spent years as a Chi Alpha leader and his church often referred students to its chapters. “This could have been avoided had leadership stepped up and called some people to account.”
When asked for comment, AG spokesperson Mark Forrester referred The Roys Report (TRR) to a three-paragraph statement on the AG website. The denomination’s leaders “(stand) in strong opposition to the teachings and practices (Daniel Savala) seems to have endorsed,” it states in part.
Previously, AG statements noted that Savala has never formally been on-staff at Chi Alpha and that Hundl’s credentials as an AG minister have been revoked.
However, Olivia Wolf, a spokesperson for whistleblowers who founded the online forum XA & The Lions Den, told TRR she was heartened by the pastors’ remarks.
“I applaud these few pastors who have said, ‘Rejection be damned, I’m doing what’s right.’ Christlike leaders take responsibility even when it isn’t their fault. And they mourn with those who mourn.”
Calls for resignations
All three pastors claim that some regional and national AG leaders need to resign over their poor response to the scandal.
Specifically, Armstrong named Clay; Donna Barrett, General Secretary of the AG; Tim Barker, AG’s South Texas District Superintendent; Don Weihe, Secretary of the AG’s South Texas District; Gaylan Claunch, AG’s North Texas District Superintendent; and E. Scott Martin, Senior National Director of Chi Alpha.
“I, as an ordained minister in good standing with the Assemblies of God, call on Doug Clay. . . and others to speak up, take responsibility and, where necessary, to resign,” said Armstrong. “And with some that will be necessary.”
Similarly, Gravis told his Louisiana congregation that AG leaders must be held accountable. He referred to two investigations being conducted by AG’s South Texas District and North Texas District, which have been criticized by XA & The Lion’s Den for their lack of independence.
“If the investigations reveal that you were warned and did nothing but passed the buck and kicked the can down the road, repentance and resignations are appropriate,” Garvis said. “You failed in your duties, put people at risk, and have been grossly negligent in the offices you were placed in to serve.”
The pastors noted that AG churches financially back the itinerant ministers who run Chi Alpha chapters. “That makes it very important to my church to know what’s going on in Chi Alpha and how those funds are being used,” Armstrong told TRR.
Gravis said his church has given Chi Alpha missionaries “upwards of a quarter of a million dollars (over) the past 20 years.”
Armstrong said the time for accountability has come.
“When the institutions become more important than the people, we have a problem,” Armstrong said. “And that seems to be the case today in the Assemblies of God.”
Correction: The date of Armstrong’s sermon addressing Chi Alpha has been corrected.
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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6 Responses
This is disgusting. As a former board member for an AoG church, my training was very thorough. We were mandated reporters and we were warned that if we didn’t expose abuse and turn info over to law enforcement, we could go to prison for covering it up.
Each person who covered for these monsters needs to be prosecuted. Fear and consequences seems to be the only thing that works when ethics and morals fail.
Shame on all of them.
This particular evil is hard to check. Who sets out expecting to find a man (who’s in the ministry) preying on men? It’s sick, disgusting, and a sign of the times. It’s demonic.
I was a part of Sam Houston Chi Alpha during the 2012-2013 school year. I’m angry about this. I’m a lifelong member of the Assemblies of God. My grandfather was an ordained AG minister. Over and over again, we have sexual abuse covered up in the church. I’ve heard as early as 2002 or 2003, the Sam Houston Chi Alpha leadership was alerted to Daniel Savala sexually abusing students and didn’t do anything. Tim Barker, the South Texas Superintendent was alerted in 2013 and didn’t warn South Texas District AG ministers. Never once was I told about Daniel Savala or that a registered sex offender had been associating with SHSU Chi Alpha. It’s completely unacceptable what happened.
Eric, the issue here is not that they didn’t know. The issue is that they knew he was a convicted child molester and had people coming to them over the years reporting being sexually abused and did nothing. A staff person tried to be a whistleblower and was forced out. Other lay people reported the issue to the XA groups. Lay people reported the issue to the district offices. Lay people reported the issue to the national office. They did not listen and let it continue.
If there had been people who had been sexually abused and then it was dealt with when people found out, then this scandal would not have happened.
The AOG has slacked on a number of issues including Positive Confession. Their own site has a position paper against it and yet untold numbers or AOG pastors and congregation members adhere to this ideology and follow preachers who embrace it.
https://ag.org/Beliefs/Position-Papers/The-Believer-and-Positive-Confession
The outcome of all these investigations and outrage will be a measure of what AG is all about. If heads don’t roll and if careers don’t go down in flames, well…We had someone from the U of Ark chapter of XA at our church in May and he and the pastor made no mention of the scandal, but instead, were bragging about all of its accomplishments. Needless to say, my family is leaving AG.