The former pastor of a now-shuttered Calvary Chapel congregation in south-central Texas has been sentenced to two years in prison for possessing child sex abuse material.
On Tuesday, Judge Phil Grant of the 9th District Court of Texas sentenced Bruce Hollen, 63, to two years in state prison, according to court records. Hollen, who will be credited 24 days for time served, began serving his sentence the same day.
For several years, Hollen had been lead pastor of Calvary Chapel of The Woodlands in the north suburbs of Houston. As The Roys Report (TRR) previously reported, he had been arrested last May as part of a statewide sting operation focused on internet crimes against children.
Court records summarized in the report describe the images that Hollen possessed as “of girls between the ages of 9 and 12 years old, naked from the waist down . . . In some of the images, the girls were engaged in sexual activity.”
Last November, Hollen pleaded guilty to charges of possession with intent to promote child pornography, a second-degree felony. Judge Grant convicted him of the charges on Tuesday.
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TRR reached out via previous email contacts to Calvary Chapel of The Woodlands for comment but did not receive a response. The church’s listed phone number has been disconnected.
According to multiple sources, the church closed as of last year.
A former member of Hollen’s church, who spoke to TRR on condition of anonymity, confirmed the closure.
The woman, who lives in nearby Spring, said that following news reports published last May of the pastor’s alleged crimes, the church held no further services and was disbanded.
Calvary Chapel of The Woodlands had been founded in 2002, according to public records, with Hollen listed as the sole organizational officer.
On Friday morning, the church was still listed on the website of the Calvary Chapel Global Network (CGN). Hours later, after TRR sought comment from CGN, the listing had disappeared.
“Each Calvary Chapel church operates independently, so we do not have records related to your questions,” stated CGN Director of Operations Michelle Wright to TRR. “We are not formally affiliated with an association of churches, nor do we function as a governing body.”
The church’s listing on Yelp – including the address of a local school whose auditorium was formerly rented for Sunday services – notes that “this location has closed.”
Freelance journalist Josh Shepherd writes on faith, culture, and public policy for several media outlets. He and his family live in central Florida.
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6 Responses
That’s all, just 2 years? Seems like our legal system is in league with pedophiles.
Another reminder that one can achieve a business called “church” while having zero spiritual transformation through the redemptive work of Christ; essentially role playing. More than likely, upon the revelation of their pastor’s deviant ways, the congregants who submitted to his leadership sustained religious trauma syndrome. Hope they process in a healthy way; it’s not easy. It’s a sick feeling, knowing you opened your mind in submissiveness for years to a spiritual leader (standard fostered ideology in Christianity) only to find out he is a deviant that you would protect and distance your family from. Keep bringing these people to the forefront Julie and team.
Do we know if his activity included children on his missionary trips to the Philippines or in his own church? Do we know if there were people in the Woodlands Calvary Chapel that knew of his perversion (his family or the elders?) and covered it up? Have there been lawsuits filed over this? Thank you, if anyone knows.
With the church having closed down, it seems as if it might be difficult to get an answer to your inquiries. Unless perhaps they follow Julie Roys 🙏🏼
Listen to the audio tapes of John Todd on rumble to learn the truth about Pastor Chuck Smith. Satan infiltrated & took over the church long ago. We’ve been deceived & lied to about everything. God is revealing truth & removing the evil ones in these last days.
Can you be more specific, Dee? I’m looking him up on Rumble and not sure which audio to select. Any specific title? Thanks.