Posted on 05/23/2024 11:01:23 AM PDT by Morgana
A Houston-area church has fired its longtime pastor after local police arrested him on child pornography charges.
In a public statement, Calvary Chapel of The Woodlands announced its board had unanimously stripped 63-year-old Bruce Hollen of his lead pastor role on May 8, the same day that Montgomery County authorities arrested him.
“The board hereby has determined that Bruce Hollen no longer has authority, authorization, or permission to conduct any business on behalf of Calvary Chapel of the Woodlands,” the church website said. “He may not hold himself out as a leader in any capacity for the church, and he may not speak on behalf of the church in any capacity.”
All other information on the church’s website was disabled. The church’s social media accounts have also been taken down, including its official Facebook account.
According to Montgomery County authorities, Hollen was charged with possession with intent to promote child pornography, a second-degree felony in Texas. His arrest follows a sting operation targeting internet crimes against children. Authorities said Hollen possessed sexually explicit photos of girls between the ages of 9 and 12.
Hollen was booked into the Montgomery County Jail, and his bond was set at $30,000.
The Calvary Chapel of Woodlands met in an auditorium at McCullough Junior High School, but local school board officials said the church met on Sundays and not when students were on campus, ABC 13 reported.
The Woodlands Calvary Chapel is part of an evangelical church association born out of Chuck Smith’s Calvary Chapel in southern California. Jesus Revolution, the 2023 movie starring Kelsey Grammer and Jonathan Roumie, depicts the Calvary Chapel movement in its 1960s counter-cultural beginnings. Calvary Chapels have since been known for their expository teaching, contemporary worship music, and emphasis on evangelism.
Calvary Chapel congregations operate independently, with self-government, although pastors must adhere to “Calvary Church Distinctives.”
Although Calvary Chapel Woodland’s website has been largely disabled, a cached page outlining the church’s beliefs mirrors those of many other nondenominational churches: belief in inspired scripture, the trinity, the divinity of Jesus, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the ministry of the Holy Spirit through exercised Biblical gifts and believers’ baptism.
“Our desire is to know Christ and be conformed to His image by the power of the Holy Spirit. We do that by preaching the gospel and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead people into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ,” the page reads.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Why does MinistryWatch report on sex crimes? These stories are tough to read and sometimes even tougher to report, but we think they are vital to our mission to bring transparency, accountability, and credibility to the evangelical church. To read more about why and how we report these stories, read “Why MinistryWatch Reports On Sex Crimes.” You can find that story here.
Is there a millstone handy?
Pretty soon the ocean will be full of them
“Pretty soon the ocean will be full of them”
Lord, please haste the day that our children are safe from these monsters!
Charged or found guilty? Everyone wants to lynch right away? What about due process? Maybe the enemy is trying to take him out?
If only pastors could marry.
Agreed. I'll hold my judgement until more info comes. From the wording I couldn't tell if the church was just suspending him (pending investigation) or has fired him.
Same for our school teachers, both male and female
Hmm, wonder why people aren’t sending their kids to church anymore.
It means he was sharing the images. It’s usually done in an attempt to get more
That’s where I am. If guilty. Millstone away.
I think the catholics could use a huge cleanup though as well.
LOL!
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TX Pastor Fired Over Child Pornography Charges Ministry Watch ^ | May 20, 2024 | Theresa Abell Haynes Posted on 5/23/2024, 2:01:23 PM by Morgana
A Houston-area church has fired its longtime pastor after local police arrested him on child pornography charges.
In a public statement, Calvary Chapel of The Woodlands announced its board had unanimously stripped 63-year-old Bruce Hollen of his lead pastor role on May 8, the same day that Montgomery County authorities arrested him.
“The board hereby has determined that Bruce Hollen no longer has authority, authorization, or permission to conduct any business on behalf of Calvary Chapel of the Woodlands,”
“What about due process? “
What about it?
I missed the use of the word “fired”. When I saw “stripped of his authority” that was ambiguous to me (either suspended or fired).
“If only pastors could marry.”
They can. And, this one was.
There’s a few bad apples out there, but the evangelical church is not infested with Sodomites top to bottom with institutionalized protection because of unbiblical and unnatural celibacy. Saint Peter and His wife are rolling in their graves
That’s what I was thinking. As a pastor myself, it grieves me to my very soul that there are demonic/wicked reprobates claiming to be “men of God” doing this kind of garbage. Not only does it make ministry more difficult for there rest of us, but more importantly - sullies the name of Christ - as the vast majority of people totally lack the ability to discern that the perpetrator in such cases is NOT a Christian - but a reprobate miscreant.
Problem: family members still (by far) outnumber clergy and teachers as perpetrators of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
And your post is just a reminder that most people have absolutely zero discernment - and lump the 99.9999% of Christian clergy who would NEVER be a participating in this wickedness with the 0.0001% who might.
In fact - statistically - children are more likely to be abused in their own home than in/at church.
Didn’t see yet.
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