Lawsuit accuses Assemblies of God presbyter of sexual assault

An Assemblies of God executive presbyter has stepped down voluntarily after a lawsuit accused him of sexually abusing a minor. Rod Loy stepped aside from the role and will face an investigation, the national office of the Assemblies of God said in a statement to WORLD Wednesday. Loy is the senior pastor at the multi-campus First Assembly of God based in Little Rock, Arkansas. As a presbyter, he is part of 21 members on the presbyter board who provide high-level oversight, spiritual guidance, and administrative governance for the denomination.

A lawsuit filed Jan. 26 alleged that Loy abused a woman for 20 years. Loy allegedly abused a woman who is now a resident of Georgetown, Texas, starting when she was 16 in 1996 and only stopped doing so when she moved out of the area. The Arkansas Assemblies of God commenced an investigation into Loy soon after the lawsuit was filed, following denominational guidelines, the district told WORLD.

What did the lawsuit allege? WORLD is withholding the name of the alleged victim, citing a policy against identifying victims of sexual crimes. Loy reportedly groomed the woman prior to the assaults by treating her like a daughter, attending her basketball games and meeting privately with her for spiritual mentorship. The plaintiff alleged that in the fall of 1996, Loy assaulted and raped her during these private meetings. Loy worked as an executive pastor of the church at that time, becoming the senior pastor in 2001.

Loy allegedly told the woman that God expected her to engage in the sexual abuse and that these acts pleased God. According to the lawsuit, the alleged victim did not fully understand the effects of Loy's abuse until a few years ago as the pastor conditioned her to believe that the two had a relationship and that it was normal and godly.

What has Loy’s church said about the allegations? The church’s board said in a statement that an internal investigation found nothing to substantiate the woman's claims. Loy and the church board deny the lawsuit’s allegations and are prepared to defend against them.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report on when Robert Morris pleaded guilty to child sexual abuse.