Blessed Hope Chapel — Simi Valley, California
Chad Davidson serves as a youth pastor at Blessed Hope Chapel in Simi Valley, California, and is married to Senior Pastor Joe Schimmel's daughter, Holly Davidson. Accounts circulating throughout the former-member community make clear that multiple congregants did not trust Chad with their children. Former members allege abusive conduct on outreach trips, including Costa Rica. In June 2024, Chad co-hosted the Abundant Life Youth Retreat at Big Bear Lake through Good Fight Ministries — bringing non-believing wrestlers into a retreat for Christian youth ages 14–19. According to accounts relayed through former members, a young male was discovered leading a young girl off alone at night; intervention came from another youth and a single parent volunteer, not any designated leader. One young girl was subsequently pursued by a wrestler (nonbeliever) after camp; the mother who sought help from Chad and Holly was reportedly told the situation was hers to bear. His wife Holly has been accused by former members of inappropriate emotional and physical closeness with young men under Chad's coaching — including at a recent wedding attended by wrestlers he coaches, where witnesses described her attire and conduct as unbefitting a pastor's wife. Most critically, Chad has refused all calls for a third-party investigation into the alleged sexual misconduct involving Holly and a young male congregant. Under 1 Timothy 3:4–5, a pastor who cannot govern his own household is unqualified to lead the church. By that standard, Chad Davidson appears disqualified.
Active
Case Status
Refused
Independent Third Party Investigation
Multiple
Parents Said They Don't Trust Him with Their Children
Costa Rica
Alleged Anger Outburst
Big Bear, June 2024
Youth Retreat Near-Incident — No Corrective Action
Disordered
Household Governance
Mar 25, 2026
Investigation Published
Linked Case: This case is directly connected to SW-2026-004 — Joe Schimmel / Blessed Hope Chapel. Both cases must be understood together.
The core question in the Chad Davidson case is not only about what his wife did. It is about what Chad Davidson failed to do — as a husband, a pastor, and a man responsible for the spiritual safety of the young people under his care.
Accounts shared throughout the former-member community make clear that multiple congregants did not trust Chad with their children. It is about what Chad Davidson did — and failed to do — as a husband, a pastor, and a man responsible for the spiritual safety of the young people under his care.
Former members allege abusive conduct on outreach trips, including in Costa Rica, where participants were placed under Chad's authority as youth pastor.
His wife, Holly Davidson, stands accused by former members of an inappropriate sexual and emotional relationship with a young male congregant under their spiritual influence. Holly's own written letter — reviewed by multiple independent witnesses — contains admissions described as self-incriminating. Even Elder Jonathan Ball's internal letter confirmed in writing that Holly “failed in having good boundaries” and that Chad “asked for forgiveness for his failures.”
The biblical standard of 1 Timothy 3:4–5 is direct: “one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence — for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?” By that standard, Chad Davidson's continued role as a pastor appears not merely controversial — but disqualifying.
Multiple former Blessed Hope Chapel parents describe a settled, deliberate decision not to trust Chad Davidson with their children. Those who heard her account say she told her own kids plainly that she would not allow them to go on youth retreats under his care. She observed chaotic, undisciplined supervision — reflected in the Davidsons' own household — and concluded it was not safe to place her children under that oversight. Youth gatherings were described as dominated by wrestlers (roughly 20 wrestlers to 8 church youth), with the actual congregation youth treated as an afterthought.
Former members allege that Chad Davidson engaged in abusive conduct toward youth participants on international outreach trips, including in Costa Rica. These accounts describe behavior that was inconsistent with responsible, safe youth ministry leadership. These allegations were reportedly known within Blessed Hope Chapel's inner circle and were among the concerns raised by families who eventually departed. No formal investigation into these outreach allegations is known to have been initiated by church leadership.
Holly Davidson has been accused by multiple former members of being “way too close” to wrestlers that Chad coaches. At a recent wedding attended by those wrestlers, witnesses described Holly wearing a low-cut, revealing dress with a high slit — attire multiple attendees (including those at both the rehearsal dinner and wedding) described as inappropriate for a pastor's wife. She was seen in extended, overly familiar interaction with young men at the event. Chad was present and did not appear to object. Former members see this as consistent with the pattern that preceded the original misconduct allegations.
When former members formally requested a third-party investigation into Holly's alleged misconduct with a young male congregant, Chad Davidson — the one man in the church with both the relational responsibility and the pastoral standing to demand outside review — declined to call for it. He allowed his father-in-law to serve as judge in a case involving his own daughter. Elder Ball's own letter confirms Chad “asked for forgiveness for his failures” — yet the official church position later shifted to claiming he had done nothing wrong. This contradiction was never reconciled, and no independent review was ever permitted.
Youth Pastor — Blessed Hope Chapel / Son-in-Law of Joe Schimmel
Chad Davidson is a youth pastor at Blessed Hope Chapel whose fitness for ministry is directly questioned by former congregants on multiple grounds: reports of unreliable and unsafe oversight of youth, alleged abusive conduct on outreach trips including Costa Rica, a pattern of failing to govern his own household, and an active refusal to call for independent investigation of his wife Holly's alleged sexual misconduct with a young male congregant under their spiritual care. His continued pastoral role, unaddressed by Senior Pastor Joe Schimmel — his father-in-law — represents what former members describe as a textbook failure of the 1 Timothy 3 standard.
Pastor's Wife / Subject of Misconduct Allegations
Holly Davidson, wife of Chad and daughter of Senior Pastor Joe Schimmel, is the central subject of the sexual misconduct allegations that triggered the mass exodus from Blessed Hope Chapel. Former members describe a documented pattern of inappropriate emotional and physical closeness with a young male congregant (identified as "Daniel" in the investigation), self-justification rather than repentance in her own written letter about the incidents, and ongoing boundary concerns with young men — including wrestlers coached by Chad — most recently observed at a wedding where multiple witnesses described her attire and conduct as inappropriate for a pastor's wife.
Alleged Victim / Primary Whistleblower
identified in reporting by pseudonym, Daniel was a young male member of Blessed Hope Chapel who came under Holly Davidson's spiritual influence. Multiple independent witnesses — including a long-serving security volunteer who observed their interactions from the back of the sanctuary — corroborate accounts of boundary violations that circulated among former members. Holly's own written letter, reviewed by multiple former members, contains admissions described as self-incriminating. Calls for an independent investigation on his behalf were refused at every turn. When Joe Schimmel later accused Daniel of sexual assault, Holly herself reportedly denied the assault when directly asked by two church members.
Senior Pastor — Blessed Hope Chapel / Father-in-Law of Chad Davidson
As both Chad Davidson's father-in-law and the Senior Pastor of Blessed Hope Chapel, Joe Schimmel held every institutional lever through which accountability could have been applied — and had every personal incentive to apply none. He refused all calls for independent investigation, allegedly branded the young male victim a "predator" and "sexual assaulter" in voicemails and texts (while no police report was filed), and used his pastoral platform to discredit those who raised concerns. His daughter is the subject of the misconduct allegations; his son-in-law is the pastor who failed to govern his household. Both remain in active ministry.
Scripture does not establish the standard of household governance as a suggestion for pastoral candidates — it establishes it as a prerequisite. 1 Timothy 3:4–5 asks the decisive question directly: if a man cannot govern his own household, how will he care for the church of God? The answer is presumed. He will not.
Chad Davidson has served as a youth pastor at Blessed Hope Chapel while multiple parents said they would not entrust their children to him. While former members allege he was abusive on outreach trips. While his wife developed what multiple witnesses describe as an inappropriate emotional and physical relationship with a young man under their joint spiritual care. While Holly's own written letter contained admissions that elder Jonathan Ball called “boundary failures.” While witnesses at a recent wedding described Holly in a revealing dress, in extended familiar contact with young male wrestlers she attended alongside — and Chad stood by and said nothing.
At every point where a husband and pastor was required to act — to govern, to intervene, to call for accountability, to protect the vulnerable — Chad Davidson's documented response was either silence, deflection, or passive complicity. And when former members formally requested an independent investigation into Holly's conduct, the man most obligated to welcome that review instead allowed it to be refused.
This is not a minor pastoral failing. It is a disqualifying one. The congregation does not need a pastor who cannot keep his own house in order. The youth in his care especially do not.
“For if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?”
“Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning. I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality.”
Multiple families who attended Blessed Hope Chapel during Chad Davidson's tenure as youth pastor describe a growing unease about his oversight of children and youth. One long-standing former member, whose account has been widely shared in the former-member community and is identified as "Jane," is described by those who know her as someone who never felt peace handing her children over to Chad and Holly's care — and told her children she did not trust them. She observed what she described as chaotic, undisciplined oversight — noting that the Davidsons' own household provided the model. Youth gatherings were reportedly dominated by wrestlers connected to Chad's coaching rather than church youth, with ratios described as roughly eight church youth to twenty wrestlers at events like Christmas gatherings. These concerns were never formally addressed by Senior Pastor Schimmel.
Former members allege that Chad Davidson engaged in abusive conduct toward youth participants on outreach trips, including mission trips to Costa Rica. These accounts describe a pattern of behavior by Chad that was inconsistent with safe, responsible youth ministry oversight. The allegations were reportedly known within the inner circle of Blessed Hope Chapel leadership and were among the concerns raised by members who later departed. No formal church investigation into these outreach allegations is known to have been initiated.
Chad and Holly Davidson co-hosted the Abundant Life Youth Retreat at Big Bear Lake Christian Camp through Good Fight Ministries — not Blessed Hope Chapel — for Christian youth ages 14 to 19. Families from across the country sent their children based on Chad and Holly's ministry reputations. According to accounts relayed through former members who heard from families and youth who attended, Chad brought non-believing wrestlers from his program to the retreat, spent the majority of the event with them, and left the remaining staff without adequate direction. The retreat became disorganized and chaotic. A young male was discovered in the process of leading a young girl off alone at night; the intervention that prevented a worse outcome came from another youth at the camp, a parent call back home, and a single Simi Valley parent volunteer on the ground — not any designated leader. Youth at the camp reportedly could not speak highly enough of that volunteer's willingness to step in. In the weeks following the retreat, one of the young girls was pursued by a wrestler (nonbeliever) and went through a serious personal struggle, reportedly leaving her worse off in her faith. According to those familiar with the family's situation, her daughter nearly ran away from home during this period. The mother sought help from Chad and Holly, who — according to those familiar with her account — made her feel as though the problem was entirely hers to bear. Joe Schimmel and the elders took no known corrective action. The event has received no public acknowledgment or apology from leadership.
Holly Davidson — Chad's wife and Joe Schimmel's daughter — develops what multiple witnesses independently describe as an inappropriate emotional and physical closeness with "Daniel," a young male member under their spiritual care. A long-serving security volunteer who observed the interactions from the back of the sanctuary describes their dynamic as appearing to be "a tight-knit little family unit" at the time, but recounts that it crossed observable lines. Accounts shared within the former-member community, corroborated by Holly's own written letter, describe an entanglement well beyond appropriate pastoral or spiritual mentoring boundaries. Holly is eleven years older than Daniel.
When Daniel raised the allegations of misconduct involving Holly, Chad Davidson — as a pastor and as Holly's husband — was in the position most directly responsible for either investigating or escalating the matter. Instead, witnesses describe Chad as passive, self-justifying, and unwilling to take any action that would expose his wife to independent scrutiny. Chad's own letter in response to Daniel's concerns was described by witnesses as reframing and minimizing rather than honestly engaging the evidence. Elder Jonathan Ball's internal letter dated May 13, 2025, explicitly states that "Chad had already asked for forgiveness for his failures" — an admission that he acknowledged personal failure in the matter, even as church leadership later claimed he had done nothing wrong.
Multiple families formally requested that a third-party, independent investigation be commissioned to review the allegations against Holly Davidson. This request cited the obvious structural impossibility of a fair internal review — Holly's father was the Senior Pastor, her husband was a fellow elder, and her mother handled the church finances. Chad Davidson, rather than welcoming outside accountability as any innocent party would, declined to call for such an investigation and allowed the refusal to stand. His silence in the face of repeated requests for independent review was described by former members as one of the most significant factors in their decision to leave.
At a recent wedding attended by members connected to the church community, multiple former congregants describe Holly Davidson's conduct and attire as inappropriate for a pastor's wife. Witnesses report Holly wore a low-cut, revealing dress with a slit exposing much of her leg. They describe extended, overly familiar interaction with young men at the event — including wrestlers connected to Chad's coaching program. Several witnesses noted that Chad was present and did not appear to object. Attendees, including those who attended both the rehearsal dinner and the wedding, described her attire as out of place given her role as a pastor's wife. This incident was seen by former members as evidence that the pattern of boundary concerns identified in the original allegations had not been addressed.
More than forty long-standing Blessed Hope Chapel members — families, staff, volunteers, witnesses, and parents — departed the church, all citing the same documented pattern: Chad's failure as a pastor and husband to govern his household, Holly's unaddressed conduct, and the institutional cover-up enabled by Joe Schimmel's familial conflict of interest. Many describe Chad's continued presence in active youth ministry during this period as untenable given the unresolved nature of the allegations.
The Berean Examiner's full investigative report draws on accounts from the former-member community, Holly's own written letter, the internal investigative documents, and the pattern of events to conclude that Chad Davidson's fitness for pastoral ministry is directly in question under 1 Timothy 3:4–5. The report names his failure to govern his own household — his wife's conduct, his passive response to the allegations, his refusal to call for independent review, and his continued ministry in the absence of any accountability process — as the defining disqualifying factors.
The Berean Examiner's full investigative report, published March 25, 2026, draws on accounts from the former-member community documenting a pattern in which congregants did not trust Chad Davidson with their children, the alleged abusive conduct on outreach trips including Costa Rica, Holly's ongoing boundary concerns with wrestlers under Chad's coaching, and the pattern of household disorder that former members identify as disqualifying under 1 Timothy 3. Good Fight Ministries declined to respond to specific questions.
Multiple independent witnesses who attended a recent wedding connected to the church and wrestling community describe Holly Davidson's conduct as raising the same concerns that were at the center of the original allegations. Witnesses describe Holly wearing a revealing dress that multiple attendees — including those present at both the rehearsal dinner and the wedding — described as inappropriate for a pastor's wife. Extended, overly familiar interaction with young men — including wrestlers coached by Chad — was observed. Chad was present and reportedly did not intervene. The photo of Holly at the event was posted to social media and has been reviewed as part of this investigation.
Internal elder Jonathan Ball's letter, dated May 13, 2025, explicitly states that "Chad had already asked for forgiveness for his failures" and that "Holly has wept and stated her failures" and that there was "evidence that she did fail in having good boundaries." This written acknowledgment was later directly contradicted by a letter from Lisa Schimmel claiming that "Chad had not sinned" and "Holly had not sinned." These contradictions, contained in the church's own documentation, form a core part of the case that Chad Davidson and his household were not held to any consistent, honest standard of accountability.
Despite multiple formal requests for independent review of the allegations against Holly Davidson — and the directly connected concerns about Chad's pastoral fitness — Chad Davidson remained in his youth ministry role at Blessed Hope Chapel. He declined at every opportunity to advocate for the one measure that would have resolved the matter: an outside investigation conducted by parties with no familial or institutional ties to the Schimmel-Davidson leadership circle. Former members describe this refusal as a choice that prioritized the protection of his wife's reputation over the welfare of the congregation.
The June 10–14, 2024 Abundant Life Youth Retreat at Big Bear Lake Christian Camp — organized through Good Fight Ministries with Chad and Holly Davidson as co-hosts — produced documented oversight failures and a near-incident: a young male was discovered in the process of leading a young girl off alone at night, with intervention coming from another youth and a single parent volunteer rather than any designated leader. In the weeks following the retreat, one of the young girls was pursued by a wrestler (nonbeliever), struggled significantly, and her daughter reportedly nearly ran away from home. The mother sought help from Chad and Holly and was reportedly told the situation was hers to bear. This incident was known to former members with direct knowledge of the families involved and was among the concerns raised with leadership. Pastor Joe Schimmel and the Blessed Hope Chapel elder board took no known corrective action. No public acknowledgment or apology has been issued by Good Fight Ministries or Blessed Hope Chapel.
This case is directly linked to SW-2026-004: Joe Schimmel / Blessed Hope Chapel. Schimmel is Chad Davidson's father-in-law and the pastor who refused independent investigation.
View Joe Schimmel CaseIf you have first-hand knowledge about the allegations against Chad Davidson, the church's internal handling, or the circumstances of the mass departure, contact us securely.
Submit Secure Tip1 Timothy 5:19–20 requires that allegations against elders be taken seriously and addressed openly. When the elder adjudicating the allegations is the subject's father-in-law, independent oversight is not optional — it is the only path to integrity. No exceptions were granted in Scripture; none should be granted here.
If you were a member of Blessed Hope Chapel and have first-hand information about Chad Davidson, the allegations, or the circumstances surrounding the mass departure and refused investigation, we want to hear from you. Your identity will be fully protected.
Confidential. Secure. Your testimony matters.