Megachurch fires student pastor after he confesses to ‘inappropriate contact with a minor’ 10 years ago
The lead pastor of the multi-campus Hope Fellowship in Texas, John McKinzie, has announced the firing of one of the megachurch’s student pastors, Jerry Nickerson, after he voluntarily confessed to engaging in “inappropriate contact with a minor” 10 years ago.
Nickerson served as the student pastor of Hope Fellowship’s Frisco West Campus.
McKinzie made the announcement to church members in an email to members on Wednesday, and published by abuse survivor advocate Amy Smith on her website Watchkeep.
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“On Monday, the Frisco West Student Pastor, Jerry Nickerson, voluntarily disclosed inappropriate contact with a minor from when he was an adult volunteer youth leader at a previous church 10 years ago,” McKinzie wrote.
“This incident occurred before his time at Hope Fellowship, and we had no prior knowledge of this situation or any allegations against him. It became known to us on Monday after Jerry voluntarily disclosed this information to Hope Fellowship. We are not aware of any other incidents. Following his confession, Jerry’s employment with Hope Fellowship was terminated,” the megachurch leader explained.
“We are devastated by this news. We believe that this behavior is disqualifying to those in pastoral and leadership positions, and Hope Fellowship is committed to supporting and advocating for victims of abuse.”
Prior to joining Hope Fellowship, Nickerson, who is married, served as youth pastor at Victory Church in Oklahoma, but it was unclear where he was serving 10 years ago.
In a statement to The Christian Post Friday, leaders of Victory Church confirmed that Nickerson worked with them as a youth pastor from September 2018 to July 2021 and they were "devastated" by his recent confession.
"Recently, we were informed that Jerry admitted to his most recent employer in the
Dallas/Ft.Worth area that he had contact with a minor over 10 years ago. This incident allegedly occurred while he was serving at a different church, prior to his time at Victory Church," the leaders said.
They noted that their hiring process includes "comprehensive background checks" and nothing about Nickerson's abuse were highlighted in their process.
"We want to emphasize that we have no knowledge of any allegations or concerns
regarding Jerry’s conduct during his time at Victory Church. At Victory Church, the safety and protection of children and youth is our highest priority. We do
not tolerate child abuse or any form of harm toward minors or adults, and we remain committed to maintaining a culture of accountability, integrity, and care," the leaders said. "Our hearts go out to all victims of abuse, and we grieve deeply for the pain caused by such actions."
Nickerson's social media has been scrubbed and evidence of his time at Victory Church has also been removed online. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in church leadership and a Master of Arts in organizational leadership from Southwestern Assemblies of God University.
Pastor McKinzie revealed in his letter to Hope Church members that Nickerson was prompted to confess his past failure after he was “unexpectedly confronted about the past incidents” last weekend.
He said the church was not aware of Nickerson’s behavior until he made his confession on Monday.
“There were no accusations at the time of hire, and nothing on record that would have shown up in any background check or reference check. Jerry’s background check was clear upon hire,” McKinzie said.
The megachurch leader further noted that Hope Church has not spoken to Nickerson’s victim or has any relationship with the person but applauded the victim for coming forward.
“They reside in a different city and have not attended or frequented Hope Fellowship to our knowledge. We applaud their courage and support them coming forward 10 years later,” McKinzie noted.
“In this challenging time, we are committed to fostering open communication and transparency. If you have concerns or have information we should be informed about, please don’t hesitate to reach out,” he added while sharing the email contact for the church’s leadership team: leadership@hopefellowship.net.
Congregants were urged to report more serious matters to the relevant authorities.
McKinzie further noted that Nickerson’s alleged victim has not yet filed any criminal charges.
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