Samuel D. Renihan, 38, a pastor at Trinity Reformed Baptist Church in La Mirada, California, has resigned from the ministry after admitting to adultery.
A noted figure in Reformed circles, Renihan was also a contributor to Ministerios Ligonier and has authored books including “The Mystery of Christ, His Covenant, and His Kingdom,” “Crux, Mors, Inferi: A Primer and Reader on the Descent of Christ,” and “Deity and Decree.”
In the letter published Monday on his blog “Petty France,” Renihan indicated through the passive tense that someone exposed him. He escribe, “I have sinned in an exceedingly wicked way. This past week it was discovered that I have committed adultery … To my great shame, I did not bring it to light.”
Renihan’s blogpost did not provide details on how his sin was discovered.
He continued, “As a minister, I should have set an example in holiness, but by my unholiness I have made myself unfruitful and ineffective … a warning, an example never to be imitated.”
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El Informe Roys (TRR) reached out to Trinity Reformed Baptist Church for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
The now-former pastor added, “I have read a letter of confession to my church, resigned from the office of pastor, and submitted myself to the judgment and discipline of the church.”
Renihan holds a Ph.D. from the Vrije Universiteit (Free University) of Amsterdam and has authored several books on covenant theology and Reformed Baptist history. He served as one of five elder-pastors at Trinity Reformed Baptist Church, where he was ordained in 2012.
Founded in 1971, Trinity Reformed Baptist Church describes itself as affirming “the final authority of the Holy Scriptures for all of faith and practice, the pre-eminence of the Lord Jesus Christ, the primacy of preaching God’s Word, the glorious truths of salvation called the Doctrines of Grace,” along with “a serious and reverent approach to the joyful worship of God.”
His resignation indicates a significant shift in a congregation that emphasizes plural elder leadership and accountability.
In his letter, Renihan emphasized the gravity of his failure, referencing scriptural warnings about the responsibilities of teachers and the consequences of unfaithfulness:
“What is at stake is no less than the eternal destiny of my very soul,” he said.
Renihan also wrote, “The only way that I can honor and glorify God, and the only way that I can do anything to help those whom I have hurt is through the grace of repentance.”
The letter does not provide additional detail regarding the circumstances of the misconduct or any other individuals involved.
The incident appears to underscore the ongoing attention within Christian ministry circles about guarding pastoral integrity, transparency, and disciplinary structures when senior leaders are implicated in misconduct. Renihan’s emphatic wording — that his sin was “exceedingly wicked” and that he “did not bring it to light” — reflects a level of candor not always forthcoming in denominational disclosures.
“The consequences and effects of my sin will be far-reaching,” Renihan wrote. “I have confessed my sin to various institutions and organizations with which I was affiliated, that their good names may not be sullied by my sin. I have also unpublished my self-published theological works.”
He pleaded for forgiveness and pledged to “show steadfast love and faithfulness … to my wife, and to Christ’s church.”
He wrote, “I thank God that my wife has graciously forgiven me. . . . And now I humble myself before a broader audience, asking only that you forgive me my hypocrisy and give glory to the Good Shepherd who will never leave or forsake his flock.”
los son of a Reformed Baptist pastor, Renihan has been married 19 years and has one son.
Mark A. Kellner is a reporter based in Mesquite, Nevada. He most recently covered statewide elections for the Correo de Nueva York and was for three years the Faith & Family Reporter for el tiempo de washington. Mark is a graduate of the University of the Cumberlands and also attended Boston University’s College of Communication.
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52 Responses
“Renihan’s emphatic wording – that his sin was “exceedingly wicked” and that he “did not bring it to light ” – reflects a level of candor not always forthcoming in denomination disclosures.”
Yes, perhaps more so when he highlights the negative impact on others & the church, while also saying, “What is at stake is no less than the eternal destiny of my very soul.” Sounds like a very good start for the process of genuine repentance when there is no suggestion of being self protective, justifying & rationalising ones behaviour,
and assuming also he’ll be open to discipline & any forms of restitution. Sad though when you consider that things are such today that remorse, honesty, and what seem to be genuine repentance – which are not the norm in much of contemporary church life – is seen as a “good news” response & story. 🤔
May healing and divine truth prevail for all concerned.
I do not know Relihan but have interacted with at least one Relihan fam member who may be his father, uncle, or some other extended fam member. as the ministry is a family thing in this extended RB family, and he was exceedingly young when ordained to the eldership, demonstrating what I suspect was essentially an inherited office. That said, the fellow does have scholarly credentials, which is impressive. However, his passive-voice laden statement of repentance less so, and clearly he only issued this at all once it was ‘found out’. I pray his repentance is sincere, but one of the things the church must make clear is whether this adultery constituted any illegal act, and whether the person in question was a member of the church, and how old the person was. Doing less than this is really just damage control.
this how its supposed to be done “Renihan’s emphatic wording — that his sin was “exceedingly wicked” and that he “did not bring it to light” — reflects a level of candor not always forthcoming in denominational disclosures.” Somebody forward this to Driscoll and Hybels
it sounds more like he was sorry he got caught, as opposed to guilt of committing sin. hard to feel sorry for these guys when they cause so much damage to the cause of Christ. I pray he TRULY repents and seeks forgiveness
It is very difficult to know what to do with yet another story like this. On one hand, Dr. Renihan has, at least in writing, said the right things. He has called his sin what it is, resigned, and submitted to church discipline. That is more than many have done and should be acknowledged. On the other hand, repeated reports of pastoral adultery across American Christendom create the impression that this is not rare, but routine. I find myself asking: Why is this happening so often, across traditions that emphasize right doctrine, and those that emphasize works and sacramental life?
In many conservative churches we invest energy in defending right belief and precise theology, yet we hesitate to speak with equal clarity about right living, holiness, and accountability, for fear of sounding like we are teaching salvation by works. But traditions that emphasize works and discipline have no shortage of moral failure either. Our emphases do not seem to protect us.
Common explanations feel thin. “We are all sinners” is true, but repeated use can lower expectations of holiness. Invoking “spiritual warfare” may be real in one sense, yet if leaned on too heavily it risks suggesting that temptation is stronger than the indwelling Holy Spirit. In time, these categories begin to sound less like repentance and more like excuse. So perhaps this is the deeper question: Is there something flawed in how we are forming pastors and churches as followers of Jesus? Are we rewarding gifting over character, platform over hidden faithfulness, and theology over basic obedience, then acting surprised when the fruit is bitter? I have no neat answer. Yet it may be time to admit that something in our approach to discipleship and ministry is misaligned with what we claim to believe about holiness and grace.
The late Dallas Willard is the best source for spiritual formation in Christlikeness.
Amen! Well said. His book “Renovation of the Heart” should be required reading in all professional ministerial circles.
See Pastor Matthew Everhard’s very recent post on why pastors fall which, besides acknowledging that we’re sinful and fallen, gives warnings and reminders to us all.
WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THESE GUYS! First there was Steve Lawson, who was someone that made a tremendous impact on me as a biblical scholar, and now Sam Renihan of all people. As a Reformed believer this is very depressing. WHO CAN BE TRUSTED NOW? IS THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST OF SUCH LITTLE WORTH?
I’m sure that if R.C. Sproul was still alive he would be shocked and angered that the men entrusted with such great knowledge and insight in the Christian faith would treat it so carelessly, as if it were something to be tossed away. I feel sorry for his father, James Renihan, who is one of the finest scholars of the Word of God that I know. Sam was in line to become one of the leading theologians of the Reformed faith and someone to be looked up to. Now he has thrown it all away. I hope she was worth it.
“Sam was in line to become one of the leading theologians of the Reformed faith and someone to be looked up to”..
Maybe this is too much pressure? Has Sam unconsciously shot himself in the foot to show us he is not to be placed on a pedastool, even idolised? He is a fallible fellow human, not a glorified saint.
Also, as an aside, how do we know the fellow adulterer was female?!
Not only do we not know if the other party was female, we don’t know if this was actually adultery. How many times have we seen a pastor confess to adultery or an affair only to discover that the circumstances could more accurately be described as clergy sexual abuse.
All this is true, though my money is on the likelihood that the victim is underaged, and an actual crime was committed, which the eldership of the church mightily wants not to happen.
I found this comment funny and I laughed because I have no clue what “Reformed” means. The church has accumulated so many labels that it makes no sense and is ridiculous. I know I can do an internet search and find out what Reformed theology is all about but Why?
“Reformed” is another word for Calvinism, which believes that God only died for the elect few and everyone else goes to Hell (twists scripture and uses Romans 9 as their reference rather than letting the Holy Spirit reveal what it really means). They don’t believe in free will (total inability/total depravity) and God ordained their salvation before time. They believe in “once saved always saved” and if you mess up and leave the faith, you were never saved in the first place. They don’t believe God speaks today and is only talks in the Bible, which is ironic because how did their leading voices and pastors get called into ministry in the first place without hearing God’s voice? It’s basically modern day Pharisee-ism and a cult.
Capital “R” “Reformed” means holding strictly to a reformed confession of faith (e.g. Westminster 1647, London Baptist 1689, Three Forms of Unity, etc.).
Your attempt to discredit and malign me and my fellow believers who hold to these confessions is not only uncharitable but based on false accusation and misunderstanding.
“Sam was in line to become one of the leading theologians of the Reformed faith and someone to be looked up to.”
That’s precisely the point. At what point are we allowed to switch from saying these leading lights are making their good thing look bad to realizing their thing is actually bad? How is this any different from the Tennessee Titans at 1-9 claiming to be the best team in the NFL? Losing lots of games doesn’t make them a bad team, right?
Dennis, the issue is that “right theology” and “correct doctrine” are valued over growth in holiness and Christlikeness in their individual lives.
How often do they preach on loving God with all one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength and loving their neighbors as themselves? How often do they preach sermon series on the absolute necessity to cultivate Christlike humility in every single area of their lives?
Finally, is there a divine right in being an esteemed theologian? Of what importance is familial pedigree?
In other words, the great loss in the Church in the US is a failure to cultivate daily discipleship to Jesus.
According to our scriptures bad trees produce bad fruit. I remember the days on the Wartburg Watch where Dee would get into it with these gentlemen who were always angry that a woman was criticizing them for not doing much to protect children from harm and in some cases actually putting predators back in a place to prey on children again. She called them “Calvinistas.” I call them preachers of a Deformed theology.
Just ask any Ai to explain the religious component of the 7th century BC Greek philosophy of Determinism practiced by the Stoics. It spits out Calvinism with a triune God replaced by the many Greek gods. These are the Neo-Stoics who have mixed Christianity with Stoicism and whenever you mix Christianity with anything you always get a mess. These folks have both embraced and then, much worse, taught a lie to people who want to have their ears itched by false doctrines. This bad tree produces bad fruit. They never stop to look in the mirror and consider if what they taught is Biblical. It most certainly is not as no one believed this before Calvin and this philosophy existed 7 centuries before Jesus was born. Jesus likely heard about Stoicism and the other philosophies of the Greeks through the Roman occupation. Funny he never praises them, nor claims that anything they said was true. But do not tell the teachers of Deformed theology for they are right and everyone else throughout the centuries before and after who believe different, are wrong. They have failed the humility test. So no surprise these men have no power to resist temptation. They preach a false gospel of Neo-Stoicism.
Peter denied Christ so let’s throw out his epistle.
Paul had an argument with Silas and he spoke like one of these stoic determinists when he quoted Moses saying “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion” so best throw out his books from the Bible. Oh get rid of Moses’ contributions since it was through Moses that those words came.
Hold on, didn’t Jonah show bad fruit? He failed the humility test. No power to resist temptation. He preached a false gospel of neo-stoicism when he preached to Nineveh.. “he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!””.. What a deterministic message!
Agree with you Alex.
The Reformed vs non-reformed debate has been going on since before the reformation (and Luther, Calvin, and our other Reformed forefathers). Freedom of the will, premillennialism dispensationalism, man’s sinful pride that they have to be involved in their own salvation, etc cause a blind spot to how the Church used to hold to reformed theology-see the Southern Baptists. Keep up the good fight brother!
Prob is that the Renihan family is another family in various subsects of American Reformeddom that seems– I thought this before learning about this latest development– that seems to be a nepotism-influenced family business.
Another one checking himself into a ‘clinic’ of self reflection and improvement after being found out! At least he’s honest and hasn’t sought to blame others. It’s a long road back to the town of Trust. But, the bible is full of fallen folk and forgiveness if we repent.
In these circumstances I don’t think the doer of the deed should be asking forgiveness from people who have been wronged. Apologise, yes, but asking forgiveness puts pressure on victims. In my view.
I remember VP Pence being laughed at in the press because of his strict rule of not being alone with a woman other than his wife.
Perhaps those in ministry should follow Pence’s example.
It was Billy Graham’s rule too, but many nowadays have disparaged him as a white nationalist. Crazy times we live in . . .
If anyone equates Graham with “White Nationalism,” they are profoundly ignorant of the facts of Graham’s life and character. Graham refused to allow segregation at his meetings that were held in the deep south, losing the support of many pastors and elders as ushers and participants in some of those crusades. Graham was a friend of MLK.
It is likely that this man also practiced that… publicly, at least based on the culture of reformed communities.
The “billy graham rule” does not actually prevent much other than rumors, and is a HUGE detriment to seeing and treating women as sisters in Christ. Men who want to cheat will cheat- and will use the BGR as cover for it.
Also, there is nothing in this article that states that his “affair” was with a woman.
Hi Jen , I practice the Billy Graham rule on a fairly conservative basis but not absolute. I have been a male nurse and I have seen a lot of affairs in my 40 years. I can and have worked one on one with women but I draw the line going out unless it is a group. I think in many cases it wise. You stated that he practiced publicly but probably not privately where it really counts. I am curious how it makes a “HUGE” instead of a small disservice to women. Thanks you in advance for answering.
Chuck- Because we live in a society where men still hold power in most work situations that women find themselves in, meaning men are more likely to be in authority/be bosses/be CEOs etc, especially if christian culture figures into the equation at all, like in churches or ministries, the BGR greatly disadvantages women in those work places. This is because we are excluded from all of the micro interactions that build trust and commonality over time- the chats over lunch or at the water cooler, the problem solving work situations collaboratively, the hobby talk and shooting the breeze. Because of this, the men in authority will identify with, trust, and often go to or promote other men. This is not because of conscious bias, but because of trust built over time that women in the workplace are excluded from under the guise of “being above reproach” or “avoiding the appearance of evil”.
If a man does not have the self control to be professionally friends with women, it’s good that he knows that about himself- but in order to create a fair working environment, he should not meet with ANYONE (male or female) alone, and that way he’s not disadvantaging only women from familiarity and trust- he’s creating an equal playing field in the workplace.
I would suggest, however, if a man is not able to have friendships with women withough appearing evil or starting rumors, that man has no business being in leadership- faith or otherwise.
Good point. We can rationalize so much. A better path is to “overdo” accountability. No matter how critical the world is of it.
As a pastor there may well have been a power dynamic/mismatch
Orthodoxy leads to orthopraxy. Correct thinking leads to correct living. The value of a Reformed Calvinistic faith-based worldview seems to be of little practical value in the real world. The London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689 that his world revolved around doesn’t seem to have offered much of a plan in encountering an abundant life – life indeed- for him. To deny failure in the Christian life is to deny reality and set oneself up for ruin. To deny free will is to force love, and forced love in police work is equated with sexual assault. Now it’s time for him to get a real job in the real world.
I had the thought while reading this that I’d be curious to see how many religious books on a bookstore shelf have been authored by someone guilty of sexual abuse or misconduct.
Speaking to myself, and anyone else to whom this might apply, it’s time – actually way past time -!to start praying routinely that the Lord’s true shepherds in this country will be delivered from temptation and will remain steadfast against the arrows coming to the targets on their backs.
What’s with all these Reformed/Calvinist preachers falling lately? Honestly Reformed/Calvinist Christians are the biggest hypocrites and most of them are white washed tombs, basically modern day Pharisees. Their arrogance turns so many people away from Jesus. Their TULIP doctrine isn’t even biblical at all and it is just man made doctrine used to make the Bible conform to their doctrine rather than letting the Bible speak and humbling themselves to conform to what the Bible says. Jesus was right, you will know them by their fruits. Calvinism may sound Christian and act Christian but the fruit of Calvinism is rotten. Reformed Theology/Calvinism is, sadly, another cult.
Let me name a few of the reformed pastors and theologians who you call Pharisees: Augustine, Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, John Bunyan, the Pilgrims, George Whitefield, John Newton, John Owen, Isaac Watts, Charles Spurgeon, John Piper, R.C. Sproul.
Martin Luther was not a Calvinist.. he was a Lutheran. Augustine was a Manachean Gnostic. John Calvin got his Gnostic ideas from Augustine and created Calvinism to counter/compete with the Protestant Reformation.
And I’m not sure why you’re naming famous people because Jonathan Edwards owned slaves and used Calvinism to justify slavery. Apartheid was created and justified using Reformed Theology.
https://www.cbeinternational.org/resource/justifying-injustice-bible-apartheid/
If you want to go with famous people. How about we go with John Macarthur covering up spousal abuse of his leadership?
https://www.christianitytoday.com/2023/02/grace-community-church-elder-biblical-counseling-abuse/
Funny that you reformed/calvinists love to put your leaders/man on a pedestal and never Jesus/God. Just basically reinforcing what I said that Calvinism is a cult.
“cult” – noun
a relatively small group of people having beliefs or practices, especially relating to religion, that are regarded by others as strange or sinister or as imposing excessive control over members.
Believing in reformed doctrines, such as those taught by John Calvin, do not fit the definition of cult.
You may rail against them all you like, but your comments demonstrate a severe lack of biblical, theological, and historical understanding, not to mention they come across as seething with vitriol.
I am forced by this kind of report to examine myself: what sins do I need to avoid, confess, etc.? What other sins besides adultery need to be exposed (as in this case) or confessed?
My parents attend TRBC , she was so broken to hear of the news. She was sobbing and immediately called out to the Lord and prayed for Sam Renihan and his family. Heavy stuff.
I don’t care what his so-called religion is. He is not a Christian. He can not commit adultery and live in sin and then expect to go to heaven or return to his wife and live life as usual. He is messed up in his mind, his ministry is blown, his marriage is a mess and his kids probably hate him. Quite a legacy of your life. That adulterous affair was not worth it, but you guys are so weak. And if it WAS with a woman, where is HER conscious to take down men of stature? Women, you need to read 1 Timothy 2:9-10 and get YOUR lives in order!! Don’t follow Joni Lamb’s example either! Great Repentance is needed today by all of us!
Have you ever heard of King David?
I wonder if this will cause him (and his congregation) to examine their reformed beliefs around God’s sovereignty- after all, would that suggest that he is either reprobate (and they’ve been following and promoting a reprobate leader), or that God ordained this affair (which is grotesque.)
The one glaring truth about Steven Lawson and Sam Renihan that if someone had not reported what they were doing…THEY WOULD STILL BE DOING IT.
They would have preached their sermons, wrote their books and witnessed to others and the next day gotten into bed with someone who wasn’t their wife and no one would have known. Where was their confession and apology BEFORE they were caught.
Going on the attitude & past behaviour of others as you point out, you could be quite right.
In a round about way some of these compelled confessions are like a personal plea deal with the expectation that when the dust finally settles there is still something left to work with and restore one’s reputation, career, income & business enterprise within the Christian industry.
He got caught. The impression is he had no intention of quitting the adultery any time soon much less confessing. So he has quickly written a confession which initially seems great. However, it reads like a high school essay on “What one should say if caught in a sin.” So proper. So academic. All the scripture quotations and flowery religious jargon seem designed to obscure rather than reveal any genuine repentance. What’s the age of his paramour? How long has this been going on? Unbelievably his wife already forgave him? I wonder what kind of whining and pressure he applied to extract that from her in order to include it in this mea culpa. It’s a confession that seems rushed in order to hush—to hush his critics and unwanted inquiries.
Complementarians see women as “other” and “less than.” I would never cross the threshold of one of those deeply destructive congregations again in this lifetime. The “othering” and consistent mild and open contempt seems to cause these adulterous scenarios. It is easier to commit a conquest upon a person viewed through a lens of disrespect. These “pastors” live in cognitive dissonance, constantly concealing a split of personality and inauthenticity. The actual message of their lives is opposite of the Savior.
“Complementarians see women as “other” and “less than.””
Yes, women are other than men, not less than. A woman are not one and the same as a man, rather equal but different, and complementary, created in the image of God alike. Hence the term “complementarianism”.
– Yours sincerely with Christian live, from a “complementarian”.
Church leaders have started to comment. ChurchLeaders.com quotes them.
Pastor Gregg Kite (friend):
“I am angry for the reproach brought on the name of Christ and His church through Sam’s sin, but I am also grateful for his heartfelt repentance, as well as the picture of Christlike forgiveness displayed by his wife. Lord, have mercy. I am growing so weary of hearing this same story again and again. This time, it’s closer to home than ever.”
Pastor Tom Hicks (Louisiana):
“Friends, let us watch our hearts and repent daily. Christ commands us to have sound doctrine and orthodox churches so we must obey Him in those things. But without Christ Himself, personally, and our daily taking up our own crosses, we have no hope of surviving the temptations of Satan, the world and the flesh. Lord have mercy. May Christ help, rescue and protect Sam, his poor wife and son, the other woman and her family, and the church.”
Meanwhile Renihan has removed his self-published books and Ligonier Ministries has deleted his web page.
I feel terrible for his wife.
I always wonder if God called men to full-time ministry whom He knew would betray Him.
Ordained at 25 years old, apparently. Not sure if he immediately became senior pastor. But I do have some doubts about young men that age being ordained, whether they become senior pastors immediately or youth pastors.
I suspect very few men today at age 25 are spiritually and mentally mature enough to be pastors. Getting a degree for some theological program is very little evidence of daily spiritual strength and commitment. Certainly they should be trained in sound doctrine, but it’s never enough to be a faithful pastor.
Member of TRBC here. I was absolutely floored when I learned of this sin. Samuel Renihan was one of the last people I thought would be guilty of such a sin. In response to one who questioned in a comment whether it was with a woman, yes it was with a woman. Moral of the story: There but for the grace of God go all of us in one sin or another.
“Moral of the story: There but for the grace of God go all of us in one sin or another.”
What an incredibly flippant and minimizing thing to say about this leader’s choice to destroy his own life, his congregation, and the life of his affair partner, or more likely, victim of clergy sexual abuse. He made choices, habitually and continually to sin- isn’t that evidence that whatever Gospel he’s teaching has no power to transform? it can’t even keep him faithful to his marriage vows- what a weak and ineffectual “gospel”. I hope he, and your entire congregation, meet the Jesus who transforms, not just creates self serving piety.
The ROYS REPORT makes it clear that these failures have little to do with the denomination or doctrinal tradition to which a person belongs. As her website shows, the individuals exposed for their abuses come from a wide range of backgrounds—Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Reformed, Roman Catholic, and many others.
What unites them is not their theology but their position of leadership, their spiritual authority, and their abuse of that position—whether through adultery, financial exploitation, misuse of power, or other violations of biblical morality.
However, when people respond by attacking the religious denomination rather than the individual, it SHIFTS the FOCUS AWAY from the actual misconduct. The truth is simple: the guilty party’s sin doesn’t originate in his denomination but in his own choices and character.
Susan Patton captured this well in her previous post, “these pastors live in cognitive dissonance, constantly concealing a split of personality and inauthenticity.” To this I would only add that cognitive dissonance is often sustained by compartmentalization. This is what enables a man to preach on Sunday morning, return home with his wife, and meet up with his lover in the evening. He lives out three versions of himself and rotates between them as needed. However, this fragmentation will not eliminate the discomfort when the contradictions, guilt, and emotional strain begin to surface.
This is why The Roys Report is so valuable. It shows that spiritual abuse, moral failure, and corruption in leadership appears to be increasing, not decreasing. These cases are sobering lessons that we should stand guard over our own lives and pray for the leaders who shepherd us against the same failures. If the bible is right, it’s only going to get worse.
It’s called accountability. Paul knew the depths of our fleshly hearts and hedged that by ensuring companions were always with him. The fact that these modern-day elders don’t follow Paul’s example is evidence that they should be extremely worried about their eternal destination. It is every true believer’s responsibility to ensure elders are being held to The Bible’s holiness standards.