Minnesota Baptist Megachurch Rocked by Decades Old Scandal

The pastor of one of the fastest growing churches in America, Wes Feltner, has taken a leave of absence and a church in Tennessee has quit considering him for their next pastor after allegations surfaced of his having simultaneous sexual relationships with at least two eighteen year old women while he was a youth pastor in Indiana back in 2002.

I am shocked at this because I had attended the church, Berean Baptist Church of Burnsville, Minnesota a few times when I was looking for a church home just after getting married back in 1994. At the time it was a congregation of about 500, compared to about 3,000 nowadays. Also, in early 2018 I had watched several church services online while caring for my elderly mother and I found Pastor Feltner to be a good speaker, likeable, and well grounded in scripture. I was considering making an offering to their church and in hindsight I am glad I didn't.

Here is the story in the local newspaper today:
Burnsville church investigating sex abuse claims against pastor

Here is a website the two women have set up to tell their story:
Brought To The Light

It's just heartbreaking to read their stories. I pray that God's will be done in this matter. I am amazed at the courage of these women and ashamed at the amount of coverup that (apparently) occurred to keep Feltner in the ministry. This sort of thing turns my stomach.

 

I found a site that had his 6 minute explanatory video that was played to the congregation of Berean Baptist Church. In it he admits some of the allegations by the two women are true, but not all of them. He then tries to dismiss them by saying it was over 17 years ago.

I'm trying to comprehend a guy that says he's a Christian that would take a naive 18 year old girl to Las Vegas, share a hotel room with her and leave her there in the middle of the night to go gamble by himself.