When a former pastor and elementary school teacher in western Washington state was found guilty of 12 counts of child molestation, the victims’ family members expressed both anger and relief.
A Pierce County Superior Court jury on Monday convicted Jordan Henderson, a worship pastor at Wellspring Fellowship in Lakebay and a public school teacher, of sexually abusing four girls under the age of 12.
Henderson was found guilty on 12 of 13 counts of first-degree child molestation, according to KOMO-TV Ch. 4. The jury also found that Henderson abused his position of trust. Jurors delivered their verdict after three days of deliberation, according to court records.
Dozens of family members attended Monday’s court hearing in Tacoma, which is about 30 miles south of Seattle, KING 5 Seattle reported. Many family members had sighs of relief when the verdict was read, while others yelled expletives at Henderson as he was hauled away in handcuffs.
Henderson showed little emotion, KING 5 said.
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Henderson’s father, the lead pastor of Wellspring Fellowship, had previously defended his son on Facebook, The Roys Report (TRR) reported.
“I want to encourage you with confidence based on what I do know,” Lead Pastor Chris Henderson wrote. “I know Jordan to be of the highest character and quality as a man.”
TRR reached out to Wellspring Fellowship for an updated comment but did not hear back prior to publication.
Jordan Henderson worked as a pastor and deacon at the church since 2011.
He is scheduled to be sentenced in April.
Henderson preyed on students during class
The younger Henderson was first arrested in April 2024 and charged with nine counts of child molestation. He preyed on several fourth and fifth-graders at Evergreen Elementary School in Gig Harbor, Washington, between 2022-2024.
He would rub their backs, thighs, bottoms, and genitals, TRR reported.
Some victims reported that the sexual assaults would happen daily, even interrupting their classes. Henderson instructed the victims not to tell anyone, the record said.
In one instance, Henderson reportedly had several girls stay in his class over lunch. During this time, he groped the girls and touched their “private parts,” according to The News Tribune.
The allegations from victims led to Henderson being placed on leave at the school. He ultimately resigned from his role, KOMO-TV reported.
One of the mothers of the victims said her daughter has nightmares about Henderson, TRR reported.
Families sue the school
The families of the victims later filed a lawsuit against the Peninsula School District in August 2025, alleging that district officials failed to protect students from Henderson.
The families said that the school district should have known that Henderson was a danger to these young girls, KING 5 reported.
“We believe the school district knew, or at minimum should have known, about what was occurring,” Kevin Hastings, an attorney for the families, told KING 5. “Henderson was a danger to these young girls and was actively molesting them at various times throughout the school day.”
The civil lawsuit is still pending.
Liz Lykins is a correspondent covering religion news for The Roys Report, WORLD Magazine, and other publications.
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2 Responses
When this story was initially reported, I was struck by the contrasting statements made by the church’s pastor (also his father) and the school superintendent. The pastor made no mention of the then-alleged victims and emphasized the support he was giving the then-alleged perpetrator. The superintendent’s statement emphasized the priority they placed on the safety and well-being of the students. Based on these two statements, if you were a parent choosing to put your child into a program run by this church vs. a program run by this school, which would you choose? Even more troubling, the church’s website still emphasizes their priority on children ministry. https://www.wellspringfellowship.net/
It’s pretty well out in the open. It’s a really bad situation. If a person still chooses to send their child to this school or attend this church, it’s on them. May these children get the healing and renewal that God offers. May these girls find that God is loving and trustworthy. May these men, complicit father and dangerous son, find brokeness and repentance.