Large Church in Texas Admits It Did Not Do Enough to Prevent Sexual Abuse of 14 Girls

A Texas Megachurch Admits It Did Not Do Enough to Prevent Sexual Abuse of at Least 14 Girls

A board of elders at a church in Denton, Texas, alleges they failed to protect at least 14 girls from being sexually molested by one of its former youth pastors.

The 15-member board of Denton Bible Church addressed a letter to the congregation in May, claiming the church did not aid the girls or attempt to incorporate women in the church’s review of the abuse accusations.

“Women in our church culture were not included in discussions about the sexual assault of these girls. In addition, it was unacceptable that women were not present at almost all sessions with victims “In a letter to the church published first on Fox 4 on Tuesday, board chair Curtis Elder and Senior Pastor Tommy Nelson made these statements.

Robert Shiflet, 51, a former youth pastor at Denton Bible, was the subject of the letter. According to The Denton Record-Chronicle, he was caught in June 2020 and sentenced to 33 months in federal prison in June 2021 for child sex trafficking. In 2023, he will be eligible for parole.

Cantey Hanger LLP attorney Scott Fredericks performed an independent inquiry, and his conclusions were included in the church’s May letter.

“Investigators uncovered convincing reports of Shiflet abusing at least 14 girls overall, 11 at Denton Bible and 3 at Fellowship Bible. Various forms of sexual misbehavior, including criminal sexual assault, power abuse, and spiritual abuse, were detailed in these narratives “as the wise men and women had spoken. “Equally concerning were frequent accusations that Denton Bible did not shepherd and care for the victims after they showed tremendous bravery coming out,” the author writes.

Witnesses said that Shiflet “frequently spent time alone with girls in his ministry, including before and after school, at his office, in his car, at his house, and in a hotel room.”

“At least twice, Shiflet has been caught alone with females and has ignored warnings from youth workers. Shiflet’s one-on-one interactions with young women were also a source of worry they voiced to church officials like Pastor Nelson. Pastor Nelson informed Shiflet’s superior that Shiflet must not have alone meetings with young women “opens the letter and reads it.

“No additional indication of remedial or disciplinary action taken” was found, however.

The witnesses reported seeing Shiflet “wrestle with a girl, counsel a girl sitting on his lap, pull females over his body while caving in a tiny tunnel, and generally engage with middle school kids in ways that made the onlookers feel uncomfortable.”

When Shiflet was in middle school, she started helping with the church’s youth group. By the time she was an adult, she was employed to work with the youngsters. An intern at Shiflet’s company in 1999 was the first to expose his improper conduct. Furthermore, in 2001, he was not promoted due to his poor attitude.

He eventually became the youth pastor at Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, after leaving Denton Bible Church. The allegations of sexual misconduct at the Arkansas church led to his dismissal in 2003.