A woman is suing a Dallas-area pastor and church, claiming the pastor sexually assaulted her in 2023, and the church negligently enabled his actions.

The suit, filed on Feb. 25 in Tarrant County, claims that Ronnie Goines, lead pastor of Koinonia Christian Church in Arlington, groomed and assaulted the woman.

The woman, who lives in Lubbock, is a dentist and social influencer. It is the policy of The Roys Report (TRR) not to name alleged victims of sexual assault, unless given permission.

The Arlington Police Department arrested Goines last July and charged him with one count of indecent assault and one count of sexual assault, as previously reported by The Roys Report (TRR). A Tarrant County court clerk told TRR the criminal case remains active.

Goines has insisted the acts were consensual and has denied any criminal allegations in multiple statements to media. Koinonia reportedly replaced Goines with someone else for a short period. But last October, Goines returned to Koinonia as lead pastor.

The woman suing Goines is seeking damages for two alleged assaults and Goines’ grooming behavior. According to the suit, Goines convinced her “to join the church and that it was safe . . . (despite the fact) that Goines had been involved in prior sexual abuse of a female.”

The woman also accuses Goines and Koinonia Church of negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil conspiracy, and sexual exploitation. The suit is seeking $1 million in damages.

TRR reached out to Goines and to Koinonia Christian Church for comment on the suit, but they did not reply.

Alleged grooming of new church member

In August 2022, when the woman first came to Koinonia Church, Goines welcomed her with the intention to groom and exploit her, the suit states. The woman lived four hours from Goines church, but would travel to the Dallas area on weekends to attend services.

On one occasion, the woman asked church leaders about the common dynamic of men mistreating women in church. Weeks later, Goines invited the woman to his office and told her she “no longer needed to be so guarded and overly suspicious of the men at (this church) . . . Koinonia was a safe place,” the suit states.

The woman joined the church in October 2022. Goines then began calling and texting her and sometimes broaching sexual topics, the suit says. “She felt his interactions were inappropriate, but she did not know how to respond,” states the suit.

In January 2023, Goines finalized a divorce with his wife.

Alleged assault following church event

On March 3, 2023, the two attended a church event, and Goines concocted a story about an issue with his car to get her to come to his home, the suit alleges.

Goines ordered food and expressed how stressed he had been, the suit says. He then reportedly attempted to kiss the woman multiple times, but she refused.

In what is described as “psychological and emotional manipulation,” Goines counseled her about being more open, while proceeding to climb on top of her.

The woman froze, and repeatedly denied his attempts to kiss her, allegedly “hoping and praying that Goines would stop.”

“He did not,” the suit says. “Goines pulled Plaintiff’s bra down and kissed her on the breast. At that point, she jumped, jerked away, and pulled up her top.”

Goines allegedly acted as if nothing had happened and talked casually. Minutes later, she told him she was leaving. He proceeded to follow her into the bathroom, pulled her top and bra down again, kissed her repeatedly, and “attempted to touch her genitalia,” the suit alleges.

When she ran to her car, he pursued her, and “made her promise that she would see him again the next day,” the suit alleges. 

Gaslighting and second alleged assault

The next day, the woman allegedly met Goines in a public place and wore a long dress “to reduce the chance of his acting out again.”

Goines then engaged in “severe gaslighting,” making the woman question her experience the night before. She then agreed to eat dinner at Goines’ home.

The suit alleges that Goines soon began kissing her, pulling off her top, and, after some struggle, pulled off her dress as well. He allegedly refused her cries to stop.

Goines pinned her down, then allegedly “put his hands inside her underwear, attempting to penetrate her vagina with his finger.” The suit states she cried out loudly and begged him to stop, and he finally did.

Over the next few days, Goines told the woman that his actions “were his way of opening up and showing her a ‘different side’ of himself,” the suit said.

Soon after, the woman allegedly “cut off all ties with Goines and the church.” Fifteen months later, in June 2024, she reported Goines’ alleged crimes to police.

Goines did not preach at his church for three months, but told KERA News he “never stepped down from (his) position as pastor.” When he returned to the pulpit, his congregation cheered.

‘Profound betrayal’ by her pastor

In her case, the woman from Lubbock is represented by Texas-based law firm Bruster PLLC and BozLaw PA, headed up by prominent Christian attorney Boz Tchividjian.

Tchividjian did not address specifics of the case but talked to TRR about the “profound betrayal” of adult clergy sexual abuse.

“Clergy wield not only institutional influence but also deep spiritual trust, often seen as divinely ordained,” said Tchividjian. “Abusers exploit this trust to groom victims emotionally and spiritually, then weaponize the same power to silence them.”

Goines, who has served on multiple informal city boards, founded Koinonia Church in 2004. According to his church bio, Goines is “the Chaplin [sic] for the Arlington Police Department.”

Arlington Police Public Information Officer Alex Rosado said Goines previously participated in the Arlington Clergy and Police Partnership program. However, “It has been some time since (Goines) actively participated in any of their events,” Rosado said.

Goines is set to appear for a hearing on his criminal case on May 15 at the county court.

Josh Shepherd is production editor at The Roys Report and a journalist who writes on faith, culture, and public policy for several media outlets. He and his family live in central Florida.