JOIN US MAY 20-21 FOR RESTORE CONFERENCE

Mary
DeMuth

Scot
McKnight

Screenshot 2023-01-13 at 1.50.18 PM

Naghmeh
Panahi

Reporting the Truth.
Restoring the Church.

Church Urges Believers ‘Not To Condemn’ As Pastor Arrested in Sex Sting Steps Away Again

By Jessica Lea
John Blanchard
A Virginia police chief is blasting a prosecutor for dropping sex crime charges against John Blanchard (pictured), pastor of Rock Church International in Virginia Beach, Va. (Source: YouTube/Video screengrab)

John Blanchard, the Virginia pastor who was arrested in a sex sting operation only to have his charges later dropped, is once more stepping away from his duties as lead pastor of Rock Church International in Virginia Beach. In a statement posted Wednesday, the church asked believers “not to condemn.”

“Under the guidance of our legal counsel, We cannot make a statement or comment concerning the accusations against Rev. John Blanchard at this time,” says the statement on Rock Church’s website. “We are all committed to walking in integrity and truth at Rock Church International and will continue to take steps to do so. Pastor Blanchard has voluntarily stepped back as lead pastor and from all his ministerial duties until this present situation is totally resolved. During this season, Bishop Anne Gimenez will be stepping in as Lead Pastor and sharing the pulpit with Pastor Robin Blanchard.”

SHARE THIS:

GET EMAIL UPDATES!

Keep in touch with Julie and get updates in your inbox!

Don’t worry we won’t spam you.

More to explore
discussion

7 Responses

  1. One personalty cannot ‘condemn’ an individual but they can state that what the person did was wrong and sinful if the evidence shows that they did in fact carry out the act.

  2. George I agree. The way leaders protect each other is adding the “don’t condemn” invisible shield. Pointing out is not condemning. It’s pointing out sin. The power of the pulpit is why these malignant narcissist always find excuses to block those pointing fingers so they stay in power. I’d love to find one evangelical to say “I sinned and the Bible says I’m forgiven but per the Bible I won’t in any pastor or elder role anymore.

  3. We must have a plan to avoid immorality, or immorality IS the plan. Tell the church the measures you’re taking to avoid fornication. They need to know so they can follow the example.

  4. So many problems with this, I hardly know where to begin.

    But the one that stands out to me right now is the characterization of soliciting sex with a minor as “immorality.” While it certainly IS that, it’s far more. It’s a crime, and it’s sexual abuse of a child.

    It’s not just a sin that should be forgiven and “walked through,” it’s a permanent disqualification from ministry, and if justice were done, a substantial prison sentence.

Leave a Reply

The Roys Report seeks to foster thoughtful and respectful dialogue. Toward that end, the site requires that people register before they begin commenting. This means no anonymous comments will be allowed. Also, any comments with profanity, name-calling, and/or a nasty tone will be deleted.
 
MOST RECENT Articles
MOST popular articles
en_USEnglish

Donate

Hi. We see this is the third article this month you’ve found worth reading. Great! Would you consider making a tax-deductible donation to help our journalists continue to report the truth and restore the church?

Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of “The Atlas Factor: Shifting Leadership Onto the Shoulders of Jesus” by Lance Ford.