A pastor who led a “generation of youth” in Virginia has been charged with 19 counts of sexual abuse, including 10 counts of forcible sodomy and eight counts of indecent liberties with a child while in a custodial role.
David Lawrence Schneider, of Farnham, Virginia was also charged on Aug. 9 with aggravated sexual battery, according to a presione soltar by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office in Warsaw. Schneider has been lead pastor of Fairport Baptist Church in Reedville, Virginia, since October 2022.
Schneider is being held on no bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, a court clerk confirmed on Friday.
Schneider attended Liberty University, studied youth ministry, and worked at the YMCA in Lynchburg, according to an ordination sermon preached on Jan. 15, 2023, at the church in Reedville.
Repeated telephone calls to Fairport Baptist Church to inquire if Schneider remained as pastor were not returned.
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De acuerdo a un sermón on the church’s website, church leaders said Schneider had been “vetted.”
The 55-year-old man was described as having a background in special education, mental health, substance abuse counseling, and higher education, according to an audio recording of the sermon.
The church’s website does not list the church’s pastor’s name, but it was noted under a sermon posting that William Bowden and Deacon Warren Keyser filled in as pastor.
During Schneider’s ordination ceremony, a speaker mentioned Schneider had been a youth leader at Nomini Baptist Church in Montross, Virginia, and an interim pastor.
“An entire generation of youth at Nomino Baptist Church benefited from Dave’s youth ministry work,” the speaker says.
Repeated telephone calls to Nomino Baptist were not returned.
When Scheider assumed the position at Fairport, the Rappahannock Record reported Schneider “brings considerable experience working in numerous Christian ministries and other much-needed roles within the Northern Neck area.”
In addition to employment with the YMCA for Central Virginia, and teaching special education in both in Westmoreland and King George counties, Schneider also worked as a youth pastor for several Northern Neck area churches, the paper reported.
Telephone calls to the Baptist General Association of Virginia to clarify if Schneider is still pastor were not returned.
Sheila Stogsdill is a freelance print journalist and digital reporter, primarily covering crime issues for KSN/KODE.
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16 Respuestas
I receive these articles and appreciate the hard work that goes into them. I was raised in the church, still in the church. I know now that these types of horrific crimes have gone on always, and I will never understand that. But I pray that these things constantly coming to light through these investigative reports will help churches, parents, pastors, everyone to begin to figure out how to STOP it from happening! Thank you again for all of your hard work exposing truth!
100% agreed. Shame on any of us in the church who haven’t listened to the
Victims in the past, but I am thankful for those who investigate and bring the truth to light, often being lied about as they do it. I appreciate the reporting from TRR greatly.
No child should be attended to by a single adult not a parent, period. Minimum two people and preferably more, possessing adequate training, preferably unrelated to one another and all activity under surveillance in common areas. My sense over the years, one should have much reservations with anyone in relationship to youth mentoring functions. None, so far as I’ve not read of a single “drag queen” doing anything related to this kind of abusive behavior.
I agree that we need these protocols.
but we also need to figure out what it is about the way we do church allows for this? why is the gospel we have and preach not transforming people? or at least letting not-transformed people so easily gain the power they need to abuse? what is it that we’re looking for in leaders that makes us blind to their true character? Why do we so consistently produce abusers?
What we REALLY need is legitimate Christ followers. but I guess until we get that doubling up so no adult is alone with a child is wise.
Why do we so consistently produce abusers?
Because the whole system of “ American” church is an abusive system…….. and abusive systems produce abusers….. guide simple actually if one takes the time to sit down and think about it
as in right(eous) proper judgement
For example: do you think one guy or woman can properly feed 1000 or even 50 ?
Jesus Himself had only 12 and those 12 didn’t even do so well ………
So no , pretending that someone looks after that many “souls” is absolutely an abusive situation
Think about it
It’s not transforming because those who preach and those who listen do not allow the word to transform us. We don’t treat it like it comes from the throne of God Almighty and the Creator. Familiarity has bred contempt.
How furious must God be!
Child safety rules are not that difficult to implement in principle, but it can be very hard to stick to them all the time. For example, after a midweek youth meeting, the parents of a kid who lives on the leader’s route home will typically be more than grateful if that leader gives her a ride home, especially if they’ve known the man for years as a good friend. Indeed, by refusing to allow him to give their daughter a ride home can be seen as an affront to their friendship.
And that’s the problem. The rules aren’t implemented in a cold calculating environment. Predators are extremely devious in their cultivation of friendships, not only with their targets, but with the parents and other responsible adults. The fact that pastors are “men of God” only enhances their public persona of someone you can implicitly trust.
I still remember from the Jerry Sandusky trial just how difficult it was for the parents to believe that he had sexually assaulted their child to the point where they refused to believe their own child when they tried to tell them what was happening to them.
Bingo. Excellent description of the problem.
When I worked in youth ministry as a young man, the sort of “swing by and scoop up” you describe would happen all the time. My wife and I were active in youth activities together, and so we had that accountability to each other. But, really, back then in the 1980s there weren’t any church guidelines or policies governing our interactions with the youth.
Actually, now that I think about it, group rides with adults shuttling young people around were the norm for me when I was a young person. That’s how I participated in all sorts of high school events (church and non-church) before I was old enough to drive. I was fortunate to have parents who were fairly observant of my comings and going, when, and with whom. I came through unscathed.
I now know that the most insidious thing about how predators operate is they prey on the most vulnerable kids: The ones whose parents are absent, who have no responsible adults involved in their lives, or the ones who come from chaotic homes and tumultuous backgrounds.
“Schneider attended Liberty University, studied youth ministry,”
David,
Interesting observations – both of them.
From their church bulletins, Schneider’s last announced Sunday morning appearance was June 30th, so it looks like the church was aware there was trouble brewing over a month ago.
God bless you! Keep doing the work of the Lord in exposing the darkness.
Two adults minimum at all times with children. No rides home without 2 adults. I would not want to put in the position of being along with the youth of my church.
My gut churns at the possibility this man chose to work in special education as a way to target an especially vulnerable population.
I hope & pray the authorities … namely the police, do the right thing & investigate the schools where Schneider was involved as a Special Ed teacher or aide.
Christianity is absolute truth. I have studied it and tested it most of my life, and I have never found a flaw in it. The human-created church, however, is a different story. None is without flaw, for all are occupied by fallen humans. The meanest people I ever knew attended worship every Sunday and carried big Bibles. Even so, don’t let flawed humans–even clergy–diminish your faith in Jesus. Rather, strive to live blamelessly, and to set the example they fail to.