Church ‘did nothing’ to keep teens safe from pastor’s sexual abuse, Texas lawsuit says

Three woman say their childhoods were “stolen” and their faith “shattered” because of sexual abuse from a youth pastor as teens, according to a Texas lawsuit.

They say Champion Forest Baptist Church, a Houston-based megachurch, “enabled” the former youth pastor who later pleaded guilty to child sex crimes. The three women are seeking $1 million in damages from the church, former youth pastor Timothy Jeltema and the Southern Baptist Convention.

Attorneys for the church and pastor did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment.

The women were abused by Jeltema, the youth pastor at the time, when they were 14, 15 and 16 years old, according to the lawsuit.

Jeltema “used his position to become inappropriately close to the girls he mentored,” according to the lawsuit, and the church encouraged him to do so.

Who was Timothy Jeltema?

In 2009, 18-year-old Jeltema was first hired by the church as an intern, and then later full-time as a youth pastor, mostly working with young girls in middle and high school, according to the lawsuit.

He often called and texted the teens he was mentoring, even messaging them on Snapchat, the lawsuit said, while the church “encouraged and condoned” these methods of communication.

As Jeltema got closer to the young girls, his “counsel, love and emotional support devolved into flirtation, which quickly spiraled into sexually charged communications and images” to at least 25 women, the lawsuit said.

He sent sexually explicit photos to young girls, sexually assaulted them and attempted rape, according to court documents.

Jeltema was charged with online solicitation of a minor and other child sex crimes in 2018 and 2021 after multiple victims came forward, according to the lawsuit and Jeltema’s criminal court records. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison in 2022.

What happened to the teens?

Victim 1 was 15 years old when Jeltema first sent her sexually explicit photos over Snapchat, according to the lawsuit, which said the abuse began after the youth pastor carried her back to her cabin at church camp when she hurt her ankle.

In 2018, Jeltema sexually assaulted the then 16-year-old and tried to rape her, but the teen was able to break free and drive off, according to court documents.

After the attempt, the youth pastor threatened the teen, saying he would “harm both her and her family” if she told anyone what happened, the lawsuit said.

She later testified at his 2022 sentencing hearing, saying she had known him since she was 9 years old.

“He watched me grow up into a beautiful young woman as well as these other woman and he took advantage of his church position and he preyed on us and he made us feel like we were alone, scared, pathetic, useless, and that we had no purpose in life because of what he did to us,” she said, according to the lawsuit.

Victim 2 said she had known the youth pastor since she was 7 years old.

By the time she was 15, the two had a “close relationship” and the pastor had knowledge of her insecurities, according to the lawsuit.

Jeltema connected with the teen on Snapchat while pretending to be someone younger, saying “all of the things he knew she was longing to her from a boy her age,” according to the lawsuit.

Jeltema later sent her unsolicited sexual photos, according to the lawsuit.

This had a damaging effect on the teen, now an adult, who said during his sentencing that, along with constant anxiety, “I feel like my religion was ripped from me.”

”I feel like my trust in people was ripped from me,” she reportedly said.

The third victim in the lawsuit, then 14, also received sexually explicit images from Jeltema under a fake identity, however she eventually recognized the youth pastor, according to the lawsuit.

Jeltema denied it when she confronted him and the teen took her concerns to church leadership in 2018.

How did the church respond?

When victim 3 shared her concerns in 2018, church leadership was “initially doubtful,” according to the lawsuit. The teen asked to speak with her parents since she was away at a camp, but she was “isolated” after leadership refused to allow her, the lawsuit said.

“Despite being a child, they degraded her and made her feel as if she was the one who had something wrong,” according to court documents.

Leadership eventually looked through her cellphone and allowed her to talk to her parents. Throughout this, they frequently questioned and “degraded her,” according to court documents.

Once the 14-year-old told her parents what had happened, they contacted the police, according to the lawsuit. Church leaders told Jeltema that police were notified, which allowed him to destroy evidence, the lawsuit alleges.

Jeltema was fired that same year, though the lawsuit says church members were kept in the dark about his actions. Victims 1 and 3 were never offered formal counseling, according to court documents.

“(Church leaders) turned a blind-eye to the inappropriate sexual abuse by Pastor Timmy Jeltema, which involved minors and was occurring right underneath their noses,” according to court documents.

If you have experienced sexual assault and need someone to talk to, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline for support at 1-800-656-4673 or visit the hotline's online chatroom.

Ministry leader used Bible to normalize sexual abuse of blind student, lawsuit says

Man studying to be a priest is found with child pornography at seminary, Ohio cops say

Ministry groups allowed teen to be sexually abused by sex offender, Texas lawsuit says