Austin Stone Neighborhood Church, a multi-campus evangelical church in Austin, Texas, introduced Sunday that it has fired its lead worship pastor after discovering he engaged in “inappropriate and specific ongoing textual content messages with an grownup male,” in accordance with a press release from church elders.
Aaron Ivey, a worship and creativity pastor and elder on the megachurch, was fired final Monday for what the assertion referred to as a “disqualifying state of affairs” that the elders mentioned they realized of the day earlier than.
“A number of elders have been alerted to this example on the night of Sunday, February 4, and after reviewing the express nature of those messages, it grew to become clear that the termination of Aaron's eldership and employment was obligatory in accordance with the clear biblical requirements set forth in 1 Timothy. 3:1-7 and 1 Timothy 5:19-20,” the assertion mentioned. The primary passage, from the apostle Paul's letter to Timothy, exhorts church leaders to be trustworthy in marriage; the opposite says that church elders “who sin” ought to be rebuked earlier than all.
After Ivey was fired, the elders mentioned, they found that Ivey, the husband of best-selling creator and common podcaster Jamie Ivey, had a historical past of texting males, together with one who was a minor on the time of the express texts. declaration.
“We now have since uncovered a number of related instances involving completely different people from 2011 that present a really clear sample of predatory manipulation, sexual exploitation and abuse of affect,” the assertion mentioned.
The elders detailed the timeline of the texts they found, claiming they started in 2011 with an change with a minor, who they mentioned they reported to the “applicable authorities.”
“The primary identified incident, which occurred with a teenage male sufferer and continued over time, concerned inappropriate and specific communication, indecent publicity, and the usage of alcohol and unlawful substances,” the assertion mentioned.
A spokesman for the church, which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Conference, declined to remark additional on the allegations and Ivey's termination.
The elder's assertion mentioned Secure Ministry, which trains church workers to forestall little one abuse, was alerted to the state of affairs.
“As elders, our hearts are damaged for the victims and their households. Figuring out that the Lord's sheep are price our safety and our love, we’re decided to like this physique and root out evil. We all know this may have an effect on your confidence as we all know it has actually shaken ours,” the assertion mentioned.
Jamie Ivey, host of the favored podcast Pleased hourappeared on Good morning America on Friday to advertise his new guide, Why can't I put it collectively? She then posted on her Instagram that she “went to China City with my husband for some epic Chinese language meals for lunch!” It's unclear if she knew on the time her husband fired.
In 2021, they wrote to Ivey Complement, a guide and companion Bible research on marriage. The couple subscribed to and infrequently spoke a couple of complementarian theology of marriage that emphasizes male headship. Aaron Ivey appeared on a 2019 panel hosted by the SBC Fee on Ethics and Non secular Liberty titled “Trustworthy Husband, Sturdy Father: Embracing God's Plan for Manhood in Marriage,” which targeted on the position of biblical manhood in marriage.
The couple, who’ve 4 kids, together with three adopted black kids, have additionally spoken publicly concerning the challenges of residing as a multiracial household in a majority white neighborhood and church.
Aaron Ivey didn’t reply to requests for remark.
