A Georgia pastor connected to a global megachurch, with 16 campuses in Australia, Indonesia, and the U.S., has been arrested for possessing child sexual abuse material, according to court records.
Daniel Menelaou, 28, previously served as the youth pastor at Futures Church Alpharetta—one of five Futures Church locations in the Atlanta area.
Menelaou was placed on leave as soon as the church learned of his arrest, church leaders said in a statement to The Roys Report (TRR).
Two days after Menelaou’s arrest, the church fired him when they became aware of the “full extent” of his charges.
Menelaou has been charged with six counts of possession or control of any material depicting a minor in sexually explicit conduct, court records report.
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“The charges against Daniel Menelaou are abhorrent, appalling, and completely contrary to everything we stand for,” Futures Church Alpharetta said in its statement. “We are horrified by what has been revealed and categorically condemn these actions in the strongest possible terms.”
Futures Church Alpharetta said it had “no prior knowledge of any allegations or indication of wrongdoing” from Menelaou. It added that the allegations against him are “deeply disturbing.”
The church noted that it has a zero-tolerance policy regarding any form of abuse and that Menelaou’s behavior is “reprehensible.”
“Our church has always been dedicated to the protection of the vulnerable. We are, and always have been, advocates for and supporters of any victims of exploitation,” the church continued. “Futures Church is in no way responsible or affiliated with these actions of Daniel Menelaou.”
The church added it is cooperating with law enforcement during its investigation.
Futures Church, which is led by Australians Ashley and Jane Evans, has historically been connected to the Assemblies of God denomination, according to the Australian Government Business Registrar.
Menelaou started working at the Alpharetta campus in August 2023, according to his LinkedIn profile. Prior to this, he worked at a Futures Church campus in Paradise, Australia, and as a student mentor at Temple Christian College in Paralowie, Australia.
Police discovered pastor’s activities through a tip
Menelaou was arrested following an investigation by the Roswell Police Department, Officer Tim Lupo told TRR via an emailed statement.
Lupo said the department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit started investigating the youth pastor in February after receiving a cyber tip.
That tip led investigators to serve a search warrant at Menelaou’s home on March 11. There, police seized several electronic devices for further analysis, Lupo said.
The youth pastor allegedly used the messaging app Kik to send and download more than a dozen sexually explicit videos of children, according to a warrant obtained by WSBTV.
WSBTV said Menelaou reportedly confessed his crimes to police after being arrested. He allegedly admitted that he has an addiction to pornography.
“As you can imagine, when we have somebody who is engaging in this type of behavior, who also occupies a position of authority or influence with young people, that’s something that we’re going to look into very closely,” Lupo told Fox 5 Atlanta.
Lupo told Atlanta News First that Menelaou’s role of pastor raises the threat level of his behavior “another degree”
Menelaou’s neighbor, Tama Meixner, told Atlanta News First that she was mortified to learn of the arrest. “I’m shocked. The fact that he’s a youth pastor and that he’s with children all the time is very scary,” she said.
The investigation into Menelaou is ongoing, Lupo told TRR.
Menelaou has been issued a $120,000 surety bond, $20,000 for each of his six charges, according to court records. Menelaou is still in prison and has not been released on bond, Fulton County jail records reported as of Tuesday.
Court records show that Menelaou will next appear in court for a hearing in April.
Liz Lykins is a correspondent covering religion news for The Roys Report, WORLD Magazine, and other publications.
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6 Responses
I wish we could have a national Coming Out Day where all the evangelical Christian Christian ministers could come out or get exposed all together.
God, can you make that happen?
That’s judgement day, and absolutely everyone who repented and chosen to follow Christ, and Christ alone will be judged and eternally punished for their sins. Some have their sins exposed in this lifetime, but absolutely everyone who hasn’t turned from their sin and not wavered in pursuing Jesus has their sins exposed and punished forever.
Interestingly, the Hillsong “church” and its leaders also sprang out of the AoG Australia. Brian Houston (of Hillsong fame) dad Frank Houston was also a child sex abuser. One wonders if there has been some cross-pollination between Hillsong and this group.
FYI, this is the way these typically start. Someone is arrested and their business employer (this ain’t Jesus Church by a longshot) claims absolute ignorance. Shortly thereafter someone comes forward to let everyone know that the business was warned, weeks, months or even years ago and they did nothing. This is so typical and is the normal playbook. Most of the time we do not have to wait long for that to come out.
I used to ask myself: How can people claim to have a relationship with God, serve in ministry, and yet harbor such blatant sin in their lives? The hard truth is—they don’t. They don’t truly know God at all. What they have mastered is the art of performance—the polished skills of marketing, media, and public image. And in their minds, that’s enough. They don’t seek God; they simply borrow His name to legitimize their platform.
But real ministry—the kind that is fueled by the Holy Spirit—begins on your face before God. It’s birthed in desperate prayer, in crying out for His power and direction. It comes through brokenness, humility, and a relentless hunger for a deeper relationship with the Living God. Without that, it’s just a show.
Look at what is being preached every week. Commandments no longer need to be followed, you can self repent without going to God by being “sorry” in your heart for instant forgiveness, we are no longer capable of sinning under the grace model, we do not have to change our behaviors under grace, we are allowed to judge non-christians calling out their sin, and those in positions of “power” in the church are allowed to live as they wilt.