Shepherd's Watch

Shepherd's Watch

Holding church leadership accountable through investigative case files and ongoing monitoring

Shepherd's Watch is our dedicated accountability desk, tracking cases of leadership misconduct, financial impropriety, and institutional failures across Christian organizations. Each case file includes documented evidence, timelines, and ongoing updates as situations develop.

81
Total Cases
28
States
45
Sexual Abuse
18
Child Protection

Active Case Files

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ActiveMarch 23, 2026

Robert Morris / Gateway Church: Child Sex Conviction & Civil Obstruction

Gateway Church — Southlake, Texas

Gateway Church founder Robert Morris pleaded guilty in October 2025 to five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child. Victim Cindy Clemishire was 12 when the abuse began in the 1980s. Now serving six months in an Oklahoma jail and registered as a sex offender for life — his attorneys are simultaneously invoking "ecclesiastical abstention" doctrine in Dallas County civil court to block discovery into how Morris and Gateway described the abuse publicly.

Child Sexual AbuseCriminal ConvictionEcclesiastical AbstentionCivil LitigationMegachurch
4 updatesView Case File →
MonitoringJust now

Reformed Icon Steven Lawson: 5-Year Affair & Theological Reckoning

Trinity Bible Church / The Master's Seminary

Dr. Steven Lawson, age 73, one of the most prominent Reformed/Calvinist preachers in America, was exposed in September 2024 for a 5-year adulterous affair with a woman in her mid-20s who had been a student at The Master's University. The ~50-year age gap and forced confession (only after the victim's father threatened exposure) led to immediate removal from all ministry positions. After 6 months of silence, Lawson confessed in March 2025. The case exposes critical questions about celebrity pastor culture, accountability failures, and whether Calvinist theology's emphasis on "eternal security" and "the elect" contributed to a superiority complex that enabled secret sin.

AdulteryPower DifferentialCalvinist TheologyCelebrity PastorAccountability Failure
6 updatesView Case File →
Active1 day ago

Bethel Church Pastor on Leave Amid Sexual Abuse Allegations

Bethel Church, Redding, California

Bethel Church placed Prophetic Ministry Director Ben Armstrong on administrative leave on February 15, 2026, after a former Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM) student publicly alleged clergy sexual abuse dating to 2009. The accuser describes a pattern of grooming under the guise of "spiritual fatherhood," including two alleged sexual assaults reframed as "spiritual attacks." Bethel has engaged a third-party investigator. The case follows the January 2026 Shawn Bolz scandal, raising systemic questions about BSSM student safeguarding and Bethel's institutional response to misconduct.

Sexual AbuseClergy MisconductInstitutional Cover-UpBSSMThird-Party Investigation
3 updatesView Case File →
Active2 days ago

House of Prayer $22M Veteran Fraud & Cult Abuse

House of Prayer Christian Churches of America (HOPCC)

Eight HOPCC leaders indicted in 26-count federal case for defrauding U.S. military veterans of $23.5M in GI Bill benefits through a sham Bible seminary, orchestrating a $5.2M real estate straw buyer scheme, and maintaining cult-like control over congregants near military bases. Founder "Rony Denis" revealed to be living under a stolen identity since 1983. Separate child sexual abuse charges filed against a branch pastor. FBI Operation "False Profit" ongoing.

Financial FraudVeteran ExploitationCult AbuseIdentity TheftFBI Investigation
8 updatesView Case File →
Active3 days ago

Archdiocese of Los Angeles $880M Abuse Settlement

Archdiocese of Los Angeles

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles reached an $880 million settlement with over 1,300 survivors of clergy sexual abuse, marking the largest single settlement in Catholic Church history. The agreement resolves hundreds of lawsuits filed under California's extended statute of limitations window, covering decades of abuse and institutional cover-up.

Sexual AbuseCatholic ChurchHistoric SettlementInstitutional Cover-Up
12 updatesView Case File →
Active4 days ago

Old Apostolic Lutheran Church Child Sexual Abuse Case

Old Apostolic Lutheran Church

Clint Massie, a member of the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church in Brush Prairie, Washington, pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of multiple children within the insular religious community. The case, investigated by ProPublica, exposed systemic failures in protecting children and a culture of silence around abuse.

Sexual AbuseChild ProtectionInsular CommunityProPublica Investigation
5 updatesView Case File →

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