**The Phillip Harrelson mentioned in this post is from Lake Worth, FL. There is another Philip Harrelson (different spelling of the first name) who is a pentecostal pastor and resides in Dothan, AL.**
The Canary in the Coal Mine
‘The Canary in the Coal Mine’. represents a practice that the miners used in the coal mines in the early 20th century to detect poisonous levels of carbon monoxide. According to this article from Appalachian Magazine, they would take canaries down into the mines, and “when the bird began to show signs of distress, the men knew that it was time to put on their rescue apparatus…” The canaries had a special ability to detect poisonous carbon monoxide gasses and alert the miners in time to escape. I believe there are ‘canaries’ in the church today -those who are sensitive to the health of the church, know when there is a problem and want to warn others of danger. These people also know when a spiritual situation becomes so toxic, that it’s time to leave. That’s what I believe about Alex and Julie.
I was first contacted by Julie several months ago. She and her husband had left their church due to a very distressing situation, and they were literally in turmoil over it. I have watched this couple agonize over what has occurred at the church they loved and served at for 12 years, then reluctantly had to leave. I am personally heartbroken for this family. Confused and distraught, Julie had contacted me searching for clarification and guidance on spiritual abuse, after having read and researched my blog. Her intent initially was to seek counsel; now the desire is to tell their story and it is firmly rooted in bringing about holy justice in the house of God.
The Back Story
Lake Worth, Florida
It’s a beautiful community by the sea, approximately 10 miles from West Palm Beach. Nestled near Lake Worth is the City of Atlantis, a community that is its own town and where many of the people in this story reside. It’s important to establish this, because by coming forward with their story, Alex & Julie are taking a risk. They live in close proximity to the people that they have to tell the truth about. They are part of the community and know that they might suffer some ‘blow back’ for coming forward. They’ve calculated the risks, prayed about it, and have ultimately decided the truth is more important than the cover up. People are being hurt by the lies.
Journey Church is where it this all begins.
Journey Church was started in 2004 by Scott Baugh, who is still the lead pastor. According to this 2014 online article:
“The church began with humble beginnings a decade ago with 16 people in a home and had services successively in a recreation center, a cafeteria, a gymnasium, in the Lake Worth Christian Church and at Park Vista Community High School.”
Currently, the church has two campuses, the main campus in Lake Worth & another in Boynton Beach/Delray. Their estimated average weekend attendance across both campuses is around 3000.
Who is Scott Baugh?
Little is known about the lead pastor of Journey Church. His Linkedin profile is sparse, and I was told he attended a semester at Liberty University & graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic University as a business major. It does not appear that he has any formal seminary or bible college education. If he does, he does not reference that anywhere in his bio. Some may argue that a formal seminary or bible college education is not needed to be a pastor, but I will respectfully disagree. I believe that if a man wants to take on the role of pastor of thousands of people, he should follow II Timothy 2:15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” Being properly educated is a sign of dedication to the pastorate, to earnest study, and proof of humility that you are not leaning on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5). There are also other classes taught in seminary that are for the purpose of learning how to manage a church, conduct counseling, etc. There are plenty of men who have claimed to have a ‘calling’, but in the end it was revealed that they certainly did not.
Blurred Lines
There are two families that intersect in this story – the Baugh’s and the Harrelson’s. There are also two Christian schools that intersect in this story Lake Worth Christian School and another Christian school (I’ll refer to as ‘OCS’), which are within 10-15 miles of each other, AND Journey Church.
Phillip Harrelson*
Phillip is a pastor & a former Liberty University football player. He was previously employed at Journey Church as a Youth/Campus Pastor (until July 2018) and is currently the Campus Pastor at Lake Worth Christian School. He and Scott Baugh are the focus of this story.
CONNECTIONS
It’s important that I establish how all of these people and places are connected. Journey Church, Lake Worth Christian School and ‘OCS’ are all very intertwined into the community of Lake Worth, West Palm Beach & Boynton Beach. A lot of kids who attend Journey church go to one of these schools, including the children of Scott Baugh & Phillip Harrelson.
In 2016, Phillip Harrelson was on staff as a campus pastor at Journey Church, then took the position of Director of Discipleship at the ‘OCS’ during that same year. His wife was also a teacher at the ‘OCS’.
The Harrelson’s, Baugh’s, Julie & Alex & several other families were very close due to the fact that they all attended church together, their children went to school together, and they lived in the same community. While this was a blissful time of friendship and belonging, what was happening behind the scenes would disrupt these families forever.
The First Incident
Before I get into the story of Phillip Harrelson, I must preface it with the ‘First Incident‘.
Around 6-7 years ago, a worship pastor at Journey Church was discovered to have perpetrated clergy sexual abuse against a married woman in the church. I will not identify her here, in order to protect her, since she is a victim of clergy abuse. Julie was the one who discovered the clergy abuse and insisted the abused woman inform the lead pastor – Scott Baugh, which she did. Pastor Scott did what a lot of pastors do – cover it up. He allowed the pastor to resign and leave the church quietly. There was no investigation into the clergy sexual abuse and no formal announcement was made as to why he REALLY left Journey Church. He is now serving as a campus pastor at another church in Georgia.
Another case of passing the trash.
This is how abusers continue to abuse. They get a slap on the wrist, are allowed to leave under false pretenses (like Jules Woodson’s abuser Andy Savage & more recently, Wes Feltner) and move on to potentially abuse somewhere else, with the new church being none the wiser.
WARNINGS - THE SECOND INCIDENT
As far back as 2015, there were signs that Pastor Phillip Harrelson was behaving inappropriately.
There was a woman who worked at Journey Church and who also was part of the group of friends that Alex & Julie regularly spent time with, which included Phillip Harrelson & his wife. She stayed on staff at Journey then eventually got a position at ‘OCS’ – where Pastor Phillip Harrelson also worked. I’ll refer to this woman as *Cheryl.
Phillip was a pastor at Journey AND in a leadership/pastoral position at the school. The friendship between Pastor Phillip & *Cheryl was showing signs of impropriety. Over the course of many years, several people on several occasions spoke to Pastor Phillip privately about the inappropriateness of his interactions with *Cheryl, including the headmaster of ‘OCS’. Pastor Scott Baugh later confirmed in a meeting that took place in January 2019, that Phillip had been warned by the President of ‘OCS’ that his relationship with *Cheryl looked ‘unbecoming’. Alex had spoken to Phillip privately, warning him of how inappropriate his actions were. Phillip failed to tell Alex that prior to his warning, at least 5 other people had already warned him. ALL of the warnings went unheeded.
FYI: This dynamic is similar to what happened with Dustin Boles at Mosaic Church in Mississippi. There were ‘friendships’ amongst several couples in the church & the Boles’. Several women that were friends with Boles & his wife came forward to report that Dustin had sexually harassed or assaulted them. Read more about those stories here & here.
A Position of Power
Phillip Harrelson’s position at ‘OCS’ was ‘Pastor’ and that included all of the duties of a pastor.
In summary, during the year 2016, Phillip Harrelson, his wife, and *Cheryl were all working at ‘OCS’. *Cheryl has worked at this school since 2016, under Phillip’s ‘pastoral authority’, while he was employed there from 2016-2017.
LOTS OF MOVING PARTS
In 2017, Pastor Phillip accepted a position at Lake Worth Christian School as Campus Pastor. His wife also moved her employment to this school. *Cheryl remained employed at ‘OCS’.
In 2017, Phillip was still on staff at Journey Church as a Campus/Executive Pastor and was employed at both positions concurrently.
July 2018-Annual Mission Trip
Journey Church would go on an annual international mission trip. Phillip Harrelson was always the leader on these trips, along with *Cheryl, who would also go as well.
After they returned from the 2018 summer trip, by chance and with proof, it was discovered that Phillip and *Cheryl were indeed involved in an inappropriate, ongoing relationship. Both Phillip & *Cheryl were confronted and admitted to the relationship, but insisted it had not turned physical. There was a great deal of blame shifting and denial, and as of now, no one really knows when or how it started. Promises were made to call it off and cease contact.
Within a months time at least 50 people from Journey Church knew what had happened between Phillip & *Cheryl. Phillip coincidently had just finished a temporary Campus Pastor position at Journey Church prior to his mission trip duties immediately before the revelation, but continued to perform ‘pastoral duties’ such as weddings & other pastoral work from the pulpit, to the dismay of many. The behavior of both families was shocking and bizarre, because it appeared that that there were no real consequences, evidence of repentance, or acts of healing. Phillip continued on as the Campus Pastor of Lake Worth Christian School, presenting himself as a pillar of the community and a man of God. The hypocrisy and cover up was too much for Alex and Julie. This situation demanded a confrontation. Before we get to that, let’s address the most important issue in this story – which is what I believe the situation TRULY was – clergy sexual abuse.
Sexual abuse is defined as:
“Sexual Abuse—When an older person (or a person in a position of power such as a therapist, teacher, pastor, coach, etc.) sexually exploits a child (or patient, counselee, student, vulnerable person, etc.) in order to satisfy the abuser’s needs. Sexual abuse includes any sexual activity—verbal, visual or physical, i.e., lewd remarks, pornography, fondling, sexual contact, etc. It is illegal.”
www.hopeofsurvivors.com/definitions
What Is
CSA
Clergy sexual abuse is many things. It is a relationship of trust that has been broken by sexual behavior. It is when one who is in a position of trust or power takes advantage of the person who is entrusted to his care. It is when someone who is supposed to help another takes advantage of her to satisfy his own selfish sexual or emotional needs. Abuse of power causes tremendous harm to both parties (and their respective families, the church, etc.), but especially the one whose trust (and body) has been violated.
Visit The Hope of Survivors website for more information on Clergy Sexual Abuse.
The pastor is always the spiritual leader, the shepherd and guardian of the flock.
In his pastoral role as a representative of Christ, he is expected to act accordingly in all of his interactions with the congregation under his care. This creates an imbalance of power/authority since he is the one spiritually in charge of the church.
Just as a physician is trained to help the physically sick and, with his knowledge, diagnose the illness, so too, the pastor with his many years of education and experience can, with the mind of Christ, see that this is someone who is not spiritually whole.
He is also the one who has the greatest spiritual knowledge and many years of Biblical training. He knows that his role is to lead sin-sick souls to the “Fountain of Life.” The pastor has the ability to lead others to Christ, or away from Christ, if he chooses to distort Scripture.
A physician is sworn to uphold the position he occupies and to heal the sick, so too, the pastor must take responsibility for upholding the position he has pledged to God.
As you can see, Phillip, in the role of PASTOR, has the sole responsibility and fiduciary duty to maintain appropriate boundaries with congregants, coworkers or anyone that he has pastoral care or authority over. It is his responsibility ALONE to maintain these boundaries 100% of the time. What Phillip Harrelson has done to *Cheryl could land him in a jail cell according to the laws in 14 states. Clergy Sexual Abuse is a crime, and in my opinion, to call this anything other than that would be inappropriate and wrong. Phillip Harrelson abused this woman. It was not an affair, because when there is an imbalance of power, there is NO CONSENT. The focus must ALWAYS remain on the ministerial aspect of the relationship, which means all responsibility to maintain boundaries belonged to Phillip Harrelson.
*Cheryl – if you are reading this – you are a victim of Clergy Sexual Abuse. It was not an affair. I hope this information will help you see this and that you will seek help for the trauma Phillip Harrelson has inflicted upon you. Click here to read ‘Why It’s Not an Affair’.
THE MORALITY CLAUSE
Lake Worth Christian School requires its employees to maintain a standard of conduct in their professional and private lives. This includes what is commonly known as a ‘morality clause’. According to the standards of this school, Phillip Harrelson should have been fired for his moral indiscretion.
Confronting the Abuser
Alex and Julie were horrified to learn that Phillip continued on in his position as campus pastor at Lake Worth Christian School. Their concern was for the children and the fact that a pastor who had admitted to an inappropriate relationship (in my opinion-abuse) was spiritually shepherding these innocent children every single day – children who knew his misdeeds (in detail) more so than anyone else, except Phillip. Sadly their parents didn’t know it – and were paying for it.
How did the students know? No one can say for sure, except that either the students themselves noticed the inappropriate actions of Pastor Phillip, or that students close to the situation were sharing it with other students.
In October 2018, Alex confronted Phillip and asked him why he hadn’t stepped down from the pastoral position, because he was no longer qualified to lead. When questioned about how he could continue on in this state of duplicity, Phillip responded that he had been ‘shown grace’ and was forgiven. (Where have we heard that before?). To Alex’s dismay, his best friends heart seemed to be unrepentant, defensive and hardened. Alex was so desperate to right this wrong that he even offered to pay Phillip’s mortgage and support his family and help him find another job, if only he would do the right thing and step down. He refused the grace & support that Alex was offering him.
Alex also told Phillip that he heard that there was a ‘plan in place‘ to talk with a particular Lake Worth Christian student (who had knowledge of the inappropriate relationship) to make sure she didn’t spread the truth about him. When asked, Phillip became indignant and said they would never do such a thing. He acted as if that sort of thing would never have crossed his mind to do. Alex said he was glad for that and stated, “just the thought of thinking such a thing was evil.”
I don’t know about you folks, but when someone is so moved to do the right thing that he would offer to support your family financially so that it would be easier for YOU to do the right thing – that is someone with the heart of God.
During this time Alex & Julie, along with Phillip and his wife were still attending Journey Church, pretending as if nothing ever happened. It was causing much distress for Alex & Julie. They were anguished and losing sleep, because they knew all of this was being kept hush-hush and swept under the rug, not only by Phillip & his wife, but also by Pastor Scott, the lead pastor. This was a concerted effort to protect livelihoods and reputations, not to expose wrongdoing and abuse. Not just the personal reputations of the Baugh’s & Harrelson’s, but the reputations and ‘brands’ of Journey Church & Lake Worth Christian School. It was also the world’s worst kept secret as so many people knew, and walls were being put up in every friendship, people struggled with whom they could speak to and about, everyone was so guarded. Phillip had already tracked down one such person and accused them of gossiping about him, and they were keeping a list of who knew.
The Harrelson’s could not keep a lid on the situation. It was getting worse.
EXPOSURE
The students at Lake Worth Christian School were starting to find out about what happened with Pastor Phillip & *Cheryl.
And this is where it all takes a very sinister turn….
Like I mentioned above, one student at Lake Worth Christian Academy was singled out to be talked to because she knew too much. She was friends with *Cheryl’s kids. Phillip’s wife had grown increasingly concerned that this student would ‘talk too much’. Phillip’s wife suggested that perhaps the headmaster should talk to the student.
Pastor Scott Baugh, in a meeting with Alex, later admitted he was called in to ‘minister’ to the student & her family. This is what happened, in Alex’s own words:
HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOU KNEW SOMEONE ELSE WAS ASKED TO KEEP A DEVASTATING SECRET FOR YOUR PASTOR?
What if you knew that someone else was an adolescent teenager, who wasn’t so much asked as she was pressured, to do that very thing, a faith altering ask for her? Would you be ok with it then? Would you feel compassion for her? Would you think anything wrong with this?
To what lengths should a pastor go to keep his job? What lengths should a pastor go to help out another pastor embroiled in a self inflicted, life changing set of circumstances?
Through communal relationships, a high schooler witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of infidelity in her friend’s home. She knows how hurt and devastated her friend is to suddenly learn about his mom’s infidelity with another man. She knows just how devastating it is for everyone inside her friend’s home, with every relationship strained to the max. She found out that the cause of the devastation was her Christian School’s Campus pastor. She knows his wife. She can quickly assume to know the turmoil that he has caused in his own home as well. At school she gets to witness everyday the show of hypocrisy as he leads chapels and spiritual challenges as if her friend had completely lied to her about what happened. Except she sees the signs. She gets to witness the pastor and his wife pretend they couldn’t be happier. Maybe because of her insights she can tell his wife isn’t nearly happy at all. She notices how quickly a smile disappears from her face. She questions how can this be? How could my school pastor and former hero be the cause of all this devastation and still work here and no one says or does anything to rectify it?
What do you expect a high school girl to harbor in her heart? Would she, should she, tell another soul the devastation she’s feeling inside?
Through a truce between the two imploded families, the pastor and his wife discover that their secret isn’t safe from the students because of this girl’s knowledge. So, now they seek a solution to mitigate the threat and they’ll devise a plan and the most saintly reason they can for cover. They now have to convince someone else to step in and help silence their student problem. The lead pastor of a local mega church will soon arrive at her house and plead with her parents that their daughter must keep this secret quiet because the mega pastor believes that the school’s pastor, despite his hypocritical lifestyle, will “make a difference at her school for a generation”. Somehow maybe it was his influence and position in the church that worked, maybe it was the feeling of how they might be able to help restore the kingdom, maybe it was a threat and guilt that did it, and soon they would be passing the pressure to their daughter about the devastation she could cause if her secret were allowed out. Sadly, two formerly respected men of God erase some of the innocence from one high schooler as they help introduce her to the real world of power, greed and manipulation as they seek to throw away her personhood and faith to protect their livelihoods and comfort. Maybe the children’s pastor will go on to make a difference for a generation after all, if only at the expense of this generation.
Ethics Violations
It is suspected that the only way for Pastor Scott Baugh to have known about the ‘student that knew too much‘ was if Phillip’s wife, or Phillip himself had informed him. Phillip & his wife, both employees of Lake Worth Christian School, possibly violated the Florida code of Ethics for Educators, because they may have used their positions at the school to intimidate a student to protect their own interests. Below are screenshots from the Ethics in Education link on the Lake Worth Christian School website.
I have notified the Florida Department of Education regarding these possible ethics violations so that they may do their own investigation.
I also contacted Lake Worth Christian School’s Board President Jim Harwood in regards to these issues and the fact that Phillip Harrelson remains on staff despite violating the school’s policy regarding employee conduct. During our email exchange he would neither confirm or deny that he was aware of Pastor Phillip’s morally dismissible behavior. I do know for a fact that he is aware (and has been for some time) because Alex had a conversation with Jim Harwood prior to the beginning of the 2019/2020 school year, expressing his concern over the fact that Pastor Phillip remained on staff despite his moral indiscretion. Harwood’s only response to Alex was, “I’ve been working with him.”
After months of sleepless nights and agony, waiting for SOME resolution or even action, a meeting with Pastor Scott was arranged.
January 2019 – Meeting with Pastor Scott Baugh
Alex met with Pastor Scott to discuss the ongoing issues with Phillip Harrelson and it’s affect on the students at Lake Worth Christian School and the people at Journey Church. The situation was extremely distressing and Alex was hoping this meeting with Pastor Scott would initiate some positive movement in the right direction.
Right out of the gate Alex was told that Phillip was discouraged by the meeting that had taken place between Alex & Phillip. Pastor Scott dove right in with the unthinkable – he made excuses for Phillip and insinuated that Phillip’s wife was culpable. We are talking about a PASTOR here.
Let’s summarize what Pastor Scott said to Alex that day:
- Blamed Philip’s wife – said she and Phillip didn’t have much in common
- Blamed *Cheryl – because she and Phillip had EVERYTHING in common
- Blamed *Cheryl’s husband – said he was not a good husband
- Gave Phillip a ‘pass’ -because of his personal ongoing struggles as a result of a loss
How shocking is this, coming FROM A PASTOR!! Does he counsel couples? Is this the kind of rationalization he uses when one of them has an affair? I’m completely astounded that a man who claims to speak the words of life from the scriptures used the most dreadful excuses to defend a fellow pastor’s abuse of a congregant! These are the kind of excuses that men use to justify affairs -all the time. Again, Pastor Scott also admitted to colluding with Phillip & his wife, to ‘counsel’ a student & her family to keep quiet about what she knew concerning Philip’s ‘indiscretion’. What this also confirmed was that Phillip lied to Alex when he said no action had been taken to silence this student. Pastor Scott Baugh used his pastoral power & influence to silence a student and her family about the clergy sexual abuse perpetrated by Phillip Harrelson. This is abuse of power and disqualifying behavior.
Angry Alex
In the course of this same meeting, Pastor Scott tried to manipulate Alex. He did this by accusing him of being judgmental by saying “we’ve seen this with you before...” in reference to the worship pastor abuse incident and the fact that Alex & Julie were the ones to expose it. This is a tactic that Pastor Scott used to attempt to shame Alex into dropping the issue with Phillip – to make it look like he was a problem and a troublemaker and to intimidate Alex.
But Pastor Scott takes it a step further…
He proceeds to tell Alex about a couple that had recently visited Journey Church. When they walked into the church, they immediately saw Alex in the foyer, they became upset because they recognized him, so they turned and left the church immediately, but thought about this reaction upon reaching their car and decided not to hold a grudge on account of one person’s attendance. Pastor Scott said they told him in a conversation that the reason they wanted to leave the church that day was based on an incident where they had been driving in their neighborhood and had a confrontation with Alex while he was on his bicycle. They alleged Alex hit them. Of course Alex admitted in that moment he was at a loss for what was being stated concerning this story, which had come from out of left field, because he had zero recollection of it. He also wondered why his friend (and trusted pastor) was telling him now, of all times and places? When Alex questioned Pastor Scott in response, “why wouldn’t you tell me this sooner” along with other pertinent questions such as how Alex hit them or why or when or where, Pastor Scott couldn’t provide answers. Did he punch one of them? Did he hit or kick the car or just had a crash with them between their vehicle and the bicycle? Pastor Scott couldn’t or wouldn’t say, but implied that it was a significant altercation. He capped the story with- in spite of Alex’s behavior, “two weeks ago they gave their lives to Christ!” When asked why he was telling him this story, Pastor Scott said it was a show of grace that he wouldn’t let these accusations change his opinion of Alex, and how Alex could show Phillip the same grace to “support him.”
Alex left the meeting that day completely dumbfounded, because he had no recollection of that incident and felt horrible that this family almost stopped attending Journey Church because of him. Pastor Scott had assured Alex that he defended him and asked the couple to ‘show him grace’, which made them decide to keep attending.
Pastor Scott twisted what was actually a sweet story from this new couple from the church, and instead vilified his friend, then feigned grace for him in order to pressure Alex into silence about Phillip’s legitimately disqualifying behaviors, all the while hinting that maybe he too should show the same cheap grace for Phillip as well. Alex said that in that moment he realized that Scott wasn’t really his friend, and that that story was the cap stone on his and Julie’s decision to leave Journey Church.
There’s a problem with this story however – It wasn’t entirely true.
There was, in fact, an angry cyclist, and there was a confrontation, but Alex wasn’t the cyclist that this couple encountered that day – in fact – this incident occurred 3 years earlier.
When Alex left the meeting with Pastor Scott that day, he wracked his brain trying to remember if the angry confrontation ever took place. He asked Julie if she remembered anything (which she didn’t) and Alex just knew he would NEVER act out in such a way – and then not remember it!
For over a month he scoured the neighborhood until he finally found the couple – and they told him that the confrontation they had was not with Alex, but with an unknown cyclist. They said on that day they saw Alex in church he was on stage being used as the bad example in one of pastor Scott’s sermon illustrations where Alex unexpectedly got ice water dumped on him. They said they saw what a good sport Alex had been in the illustration and having recognized him from the neighborhood as a cyclist himself, had an epiphany that they needed to forgive the unknown cyclist in his angry confrontation with them. (Here is a link to that sermon on Journey Church’s Facebook page)
What Pastor Scott did here was particularly insidious. He took a legitimate story, put his spin on it (lied), and gaslighted Alex to shame him in an attempt to keep him quiet. ‘Stop making waves Alex, you have an anger problem..’
What Went Wrong in This Meeting
This situation, where someone has been abused by a pastor, requires true biblical grace, where the Word of God is followed, so that everyone involved receives grace. What’s not required is a cheap grace, (which is what Pastor Scott was asking from Alex) feigned in order to cover up and protect the abuser, because it continues to harm the victims and the community. Also, there is grace for the abuser by removing him from pastoral leadership where a truly repentant abuser can no longer falsely portray being a righteous teacher nor abuse someone else. It wasn’t compassionate or just for Pastor Scott to pressure or enable Phillip by allowing him to believe that he “will continue to make a difference at LWCS as the campus pastor for a generation to come.” (which is what Pastor Scott later told the student that was pressured to stay quiet) The abuser needs to start living authentically, not as the phony pastor, but as someone who needs to repent, make amends, heal and change their ways while finding a different line of work outside of pastoral ministry.
Exiles
After this incident, Alex & Julie were DONE at Journey Church. Pastor Scott Baugh had proven himself to be dishonest, manipulative, abusive and unqualified for pastoral ministry.
Matt Tumas, who co-founded Journey Church with Scott Baugh, told Alex that he had also warned Phillip about his inappropriate interactions with *Cheryl years prior, when everyone worked together at Journey Church, and after hearing about Alex’s meeting with Pastor Scott, his response was, “That wasn’t Scott. That was the devil speaking through Scott.”
Alex & Julie have not been back to Journey Church since that meeting. Surprisingly there has been little ‘care and concern‘ from church members following their departure, which is painful and disheartening. It goes along which what I believe is the phenomenon of ‘they already have a story‘, and given Pastor Scott Baugh’s storytelling abilities, it’s probably a doozy. There’s no doubt in my mind that Pastor Scott has spun a story about Alex & Julie that is circulating in the church. It’s what abusive pastors do.
Call to Account
Pastor Phillip Harrelson is still the ‘Campus Pastor’ at Lake Worth Christian School. He still spiritually guides and directs hundreds of students week after week. Phillip Harrelson is also a predatory clergy sexual abuser who has never been held accountable.
Instead – he hides behind his wife, Pastor Scott Baugh, and anyone else that is content to prop up the hypocrisy & illusion that ‘everything is just fine’ and that there are no real consequences for his actions. He has allowed other people to make excuses for him, take responsibility for his actions and essentially allow his ‘flying monkeys’ to do his bidding. Again, it’s what abusers do.
But there is fall-out. Like a nuclear bomb that goes off and leaves radioactive dust on every surface, contaminating everyone and every thing it comes in contact with. That’s what clergy abuse does. It implodes – explodes – contaminates. If it’s not properly contained and dealt with, it can (and will) happen again.
This is what fall-out in the church looks like:
This one’s on you, Pastor Scott Baugh. You had two chances to do the right thing – to deal with abuse in your church, in your family, in your community – and you failed. You have failed this precious family who trusted YOU to do the right thing, no matter the cost. Now they have lost trust in the church.
You have failed your church, by not exposing and standing up to abuse. Instead you hid it and concealed other’s sins and quieted victim’s voices. You have made your church unsafe.
The cost was too high for Pastor Scott though. The cost was reputations, livelihood’s, status, pride. Read what Jesus said:
Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Luke 14:25-35
Phillip Harrelson – You have betrayed your wife, your children, your friends, your students, your church and the office of pastor that you regarded so lightly. You have abused a woman under your pastoral care. You failed to protect her as a loving shepherd, and instead devoured her for your own selfish desires.
You also abused a student under your care, by coercing her to keep quiet about what you did, creating another victim who will have to live with the consequences of your actions.
True Repentance
What does ‘true’ repentance look like?
Repentance can be a relative term, depending on who you ask and in what context it is being applied. Some would say it is an attitude of sorrowful regret, expressed by someone who is deeply grieved by their actions and the impact those actions have had on others. Is there a tried and true formula to determine if someone is, or is not, truly repentant?
I read an article online from Core Christianity that I felt adequately described the differences between true & false repentance. Here are 3 ways that you can determine true & false repentance:
- True repentance does not regret parting ways with sin; false repentance does.
- True repentance hates sin; false repentance hates the consequences of sin.
- True repentance accepts godly counsel and accountability; false repentance avoids accountability.
Has Phillip Harrelson demonstrated true repentance, especially as a pastor who has crossed sacred boundaries to abuse those under his care? Has he stepped away from ministry to accept the consequences of no longer being ‘above reproach’? It appears he has not. He is still performing pastoral duties for Journey Church, serving as the Campus Pastor at Lake Worth Christian School, and recently led prayer before a Liberty University football game (his alma mater).
From the outside looking in, Phillip Harrelson has not suffered ANY consequences for his abuse of power, and in my opinion, appears to be completely unrepentant. The reason I believe that Phillip Harrelson is unrepentant is because he’s done this before.
*Prior to his position at Journey Church & the two Christian schools, Phillip was fired from a pastoral position at a another church – Christian Life Church in Milton, FL, due to abuse of a congregant. (clergy abuse).
Phillip Harrelson is a predator pastor that needs to be stopped.
What Now?
There is a lot to unpack from this story. Alex & Julie feel that they owe it to the students and the parents at Lake Worth Christian School and the Journey Church congregation to tell the truth about what happened with the campus pastor. While it’s assumed that only a ‘few students’ know, it’s safe to say that probably most of the students know something happened with Pastor Phillip & an employee from ‘OCS’. The access to information and how it’s shared amongst teens these days is astronomical. We would be extremely naive to think that only a few kids know.
They deserve the truth.
Additionally, if I were a parent of a child at this school, I would want to know the truth. I would want to have the infomation in front me to make a decision about whether I felt LWCS was enforcing their policies. If not – how would I know that my children were safe? If I found out that a student was possibly singled out (a form of spiritual abuse) and pressured to keep quiet about the Campus Pastor’s sexual abuse of a woman at another Christian School, I would immediately remove my child from their care! I would also question whether Superintendent/Headmaster Jim Harwood should remain in his position, given his knowledge of the situation and his lack of appropriate action taken to ensure the well-being of the students. He has an obligation to uphold and enforce school policies. Like I mentioned before, I have notified the Florida Board of Education about possible ethics violations involving Lake Worth Christian School staff pressuring a student to stay silent to protect Phillip Harrelson’s job. Folks this is serious.
The people who attend Journey Church also deserve to know the truth. Their pastor, Scott Baugh, has covered for two sexual abusers. This church has close ties to Lake Worth Christian School & ‘OCS’. This is not ok. If you are someone who attends this church, you need to call for Scott Baugh’s resignation, as well as any Journey Church board members who had or have knowledge of this situation that aligned to do the same. He’s not qualified to lead you. Any board members with knowledge are not qualified to lead you. Scott Baugh has demonstrated that he will compromise ethically & biblically to protect his position and reputation.
As Alex told Pastor Scott Baugh,
“The kids I know, now young adults, that are his (Phillip Harrelson) former youth students, are simply the best proof that we know that he’s lost his ability to communicate all things spiritual or even all things superficial considering what they now know. They’re disgusted with him.“
Lastly, EDUCATE YOURSELVES.
If you are a person who does not have a firm grasp of knowledge concerning pastoral abuse, appropriate boundaries for clergy and the laws in your state concerning clergy sexual abuse – make that a priority. Chances are there is someone you know who has been abused by a pastor or someone in ministry. I referenced several resources in this post that are excellent to refer back to in order to learn more.
*details of this section were edited on 1/13/20. Details were added regarding the identity and location of Phillip’s previous employer.
Keep this story alive. There is so much more to the narcissism of Scott Baugh and his “lead team”. It is sad, but money can buy a church and silence victims. You have only scratched the service of this manipulation.
I happened upon this story after googling Phillips name tonight. Many years ago I saw he was a youth pastor in his home state of Florida, and after many years of not thinking of him, he has come to my mind recently in the context of my life experiences. I briefly “dated” Phillip in college at Liberty University. We were freshmen. I was a Christian school raised girl, and college was my first time out in the world. He was handsome, charming, charismatic, and an athlete with a winning smile. I was drawn to him. But every evening we “hung… Read more »
Today, I am in christian counseling. A part of that is spiritual abuse in many of these local churches, including Journey Church. Years ago, my family had an unfortunate circumstance with Pastor Rasku and his family. He was a pastor there. Journey church protects their “own” at any cost. Sad to see this still continuing. I am so tired of these skinny jeans, smoky air, give you good pimples through motivational speeches men that think they have been called by God to teach His Word and truth. Self appointed Pastors. All they do is leave many wounded, broken souls and… Read more »
I’m so sorry for your pain and the years of kept secrets. Your story matters.
Thank you! Those in the comments defending and supporting because they “know” the Harrelsons and go to Journey Church is exactly what happens in ALL of these Lukewarm, NAR, Progressive, Hyper Charismatic, WOF churches in Palm Beach county. This is the spirit that leads all of them. It’s horrible here.
I am the Sr. Pastor of Philip’s previous church. We had no choice but to terminate Philip, with an open letter to the church as to why. We were judged harshly by many. Philip did nothing to help the pain in our community. I am grateful and sad to read this, mostly heart-broken. I believe that Scott (Philip’s brother-in-law) knew why he was terminated, yet hired him – I assumed because of family ties. I have prayed that Philip would truly take responsibility, but alas because he has never done so here, I feared that he hadn’t changed. I am… Read more »
Doug- your courage to comment here and your courage to protect your church back then have moved me beyond what I can explain. The fact that you did the right thing so many years ago- truly gives me hope for the church. You have been a true shepherd to your flock. Thank you.
Lauren, thank you for your kind words. Honestly, I am surrounded by very wise people. To this day, there are people very close to us who have “sided “ w Philip. It doesn’t easily or quietly go away. People who sacrifice the church for their own protection have some real justice coming, the church – imperfect as she is – is Jesus’ sweetheart. I would never want to intentionally “throw her under the bus” for selfish reasons. Through all these years in ministry, ( and I am having more fun than ever), we have had our share of clergy meltdowns;… Read more »
You have illustrated so powerfully how important each voice is. Julie and Alex has no agenda- they only knew they couldn’t stay quiet. They expected nothing to change because they have been down this road before- and sadly, so have I. But their obedience somehow made a difference in your life and you were able to see that you protected your flock as you are called to. Again- no one wants to be “right” in these situations. There is little solace in seeing another sheep being targeted. We are all simply trying to prevent the next “Cheryl”. And as you… Read more »
Pastor Holmes, can you clarify why you did terminate Phillip? You are implying that it was for sexual abuse.
I would really like to know also, especially in light of the fact that it has happened again. This speaks to his character and heart. So many people are willing to blindly support him without knowing what really happened.
Pharland, We terminated Philip’s service with us because of a very similar incident.
i will try to find the original open letter to the church and share.
Thank You Pastor Doug. I would also be interested in the open letter.
Why is no one outraged that Pastor Scott covered up for him? or the worship pastor several years ago? All I can see here are people blindly supporting a church that does not deal with issues biblically. The bible says when a pastor sins this way he should be brought before the congregation and rebuked. In the blog it says he was still a pastor there in 2018 and then still doing pastor stuff after that, which means he should have been called out in the church. Also he should have stepped down from his job at the christian school.… Read more »
Unreal right? No one wants to aknowledge that part beacuse Jurney is whre so many good things happen.. Its ok in so many peoples eyes to dismiss complete wrong doing becasue of how much they simply love a person and his deliverence of the word.
Alex and Julie… I believe you wanted to do good. We all believe in the same God and Jesus as our savior. I know you feel this is justified, but as a fellow Christian and Bible reader I do not believe you should have done it in this manner. Speaking to the superintendent of LWC because of the code of ethics is the only thing that makes sense here. No reason to send this blog to the masses. I do not see any abuse against any victims. Only victims are the families that have to deal with the backlash of… Read more »
I couldn’t agree more.
Are you suggesting “no harm, no foul”? Is it okay that Scott became involved in a “cover-up” to protect Phillip? Is a pastor only responsible for his acts from the pulpit? Are there no requirements for proper behavior by a pastor that extends beyond the doors of the chapel? Please rethink this. I will as well.
Anna – This blog post is well written and w ell researched. Your heart and compassion are evident. Thank you for exposing what others want to remain hidden. Julie and Alex – Thank you for your courage to speak out. I believe the LORD is exposing all that is going on in HIS churches that bear HIS name. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you FALSELY for My sake.” – Matthew 5 :10-11. This… Read more »
Clerical abuse is a very serious issue… in this narrative, there is one primary victim and there are multiple secondary victims. When clerics abuse congregants they do not have affairs, they commit an abuse of power and a breach of fiduciary duty/trust not only of the primary victim but of all the secondary victims as well. This is a case in point. I ardently hope that all affected parties and will individually seek trauma informed care. The layers of pain in this package are many.
This is gossip not news. You would be sued in the outside world. If you are going to tell a story then check your sources and get the real truth.
Then what is the REAL truth? Were you involved? I’d love to know
I will tell you the real truth. 1. This relationship had been going on for years, and friends and coworkers saw the signs and confronted both parties many times. They denied it until they got caught. They claimed to be in love with each other and had been for quite some time. They have both denied any physical or sexual involvement. 2. Both parties were ( and still are) in spiritual leadership roles. Both are currently leading and disciplining students at Christian schools. 3. Although Philip is a pastor, ‘’Cheryl’ is not innocent. She willingly pursued a relationship with him.… Read more »
Truth
No matter what happened, my family stands by the Harrelsons. This was not abuse. This story is not credible as it is. King David was a man after God’s own heart despite everything he did. Phillip is a man after God’s own heart and God is going to continue to use him and his family in mighty ways.
When those in power use God to get their way in any way it is of the flesh and all else can not be trusted! When their r lies deceit cover up for the sake of reputation and church becomes about business keeping the status quo not rocking the boat u don’t have a church anymore!
Before jumping to any conclusions, consider the facts before blindly following.
Perhaps you would be better served if you were to do a little research. All the folks here that were aware of the relationship for some time would be a good place to start. Oh yes, “King David”?3
What nobody is addressing is the fact the scripture MANDATES this be dealt with before the church since they wouldn’t deal with it previously. This article is the obvious last choice for a couple embedded in seeing justice wrought in this earth. When RTB writes a post it seems to come from pure hate and not a place of peace. This situation has caused this to happen. This a lesson. A lesson God thought this church really needed. The fact that RTB would tear down Alex and Julie and speak in such vulgarities is proof to me that this church… Read more »
amending* “This pastor has no right to pastor”
From a sister in Christ to a brother in Christ: I respect your comments. I love that you added scriptures. Let’s not cast judgement when there is more to this story. Most importantly, this should not be a church wide issue as Pastor Phillip has not pastored our church in years. This is a family issue and should not have been aired out for all to judge.
GAL6:9
Well said in your comments. Thank you! Our church is amazing and we love, forgive, and show grace . We know our pastors are people and therefore they are not perfect. We also get to see God working through them in huge ways for His kingdom.
Love, forgive and push out anyone who dares to stand up against Scott….
Scott tends to leave out a lot in the tales he tells from the pulpit. When he talks about the miracle of acquiring the land for the Lake Worth campus…and how he received death threats from another church…he fails to mention he was once employed at that church.
It has taken me years to heal from my own pain inflicted upon me by Journey Church. Reading what has happened to Alex and Julie has reopened that wound, I hope the church never decides you too are disposable.
No matter what happened? He is a man after his own desires and would use anyone in his path along the way to get what he wanted. To cover things up, to lie to, and to walk all over whoever he could suck in to help him and then throw them out like a piece of trash. Sounds like you’re OK with a pastor doing whatever it takes to meet his needs, whether it’s right or wrong
“No matter what happened, my family stands by the Harrelsons. ” This is indicative of a group of people in love with the pastor and his celebrity status amongst them. What you said goes against scripture. “This was not abuse” By definition it most certainly is. What your failing to realize is anyone in a position of power creates a dynamic over those that work with them. This power structure by law and scripture cause those in authority to be held to a higher standard. Your failing to act on this and excuse this sin and sweep it under the… Read more »
The Apostle Paul. Romans 7.
Romans 8
“No matter what happened, my family stands by the Harrelsons.” In the first sentence you already know this person is just defending their friend so their stance isn’t valid obviously.
Deleting comments you dont like isn’t very “uncovering the truth” of you. You hide behind a first name and no accountability for your comments. Your not a real blogger no more then every person on facebook is one. I’m fact they may be more truth seeker then you at least on facebook most people use their real names. Truth my ass.
What is lurking and hiding in “wolf” Scott’s background that he is so amicable to sacrificing children? Perhaps someone may know something which would shed some light here? Sounds predatory like wolves preying on sheep. I must be confused about honoring God through snuffing out the light (1. Truth. 2. The spiritual soul of children being asked to lie and harbor toxic secrets for gross unrepentant self serving men ~ if you can call these cowards men) and opting for darkness (secrets). I applaud Alex & Julie for choosing to stand for God over these men. I am sorry Christianity… Read more »
Hahaha if your gonna comment on your own blog you should at least change your writing style. You are terrible at this.
RTB – this is Not Anna commenting on her own post. Perhaps the style is similar because I was reading and analyzing her words as I wrote the comment. I was more appalled at a child being brought into this than at the affair. Affairs do happen and I interpret any judgement in this article to be about the behaviors and actions taken in response to these problems – I am not reading it as a life judgement on any individuals in the story. God is Truth and light and I do not believe an article will derail work He… Read more »
To those that were deceived into reading this. Not those on the outside. Those on the inside on this church that know ALL these people involved. If they or if they did not is non of our business. We wre not their judge or jury. God will judge write and wrongs of life just as he will judge the write and wrongs of the people that started this fire and the author that is stoking the flames.
Dear Anna, I admire your willingness to defend and speak out on important issues, however the first rule of journalism is to get your facts from credited sources. In this case you received very personal information from those that were NOT involved. I can appreciate Alex and Julie wanting truth, however all you did in this article is make a TMZ out of an amazing family and church. There are a few points I would like to point out to your readers. 1. If may infedility has occurred “Cheryl” is not a victim of said abuse. For which if you… Read more »
agreed. looking at this website content it seems the owner has a passion in the matter. i suspect probably the victim of a similar crime, as was i. not the place to air this out. i inderstand the desire to protect, but this also could deter people from finding Christ. the energy spent on writing these type of posts should be chanelled jnto healing, imo
Cookie Monster, Thank you for your comment. Exposing abuse in the church is life-giving and biblically commanded.(Eph. 5:11, John 3:20, Psa. 94:16, Isaiah 5:20, I Peter 4:17) We must not be afraid to rebuke others who would bring shame to the name of Christ. When we remain quiet about abuse, we are joining in (complicit) and God is not honored. If we don’t expose evil, rebuke false teachers, and confront believers, we will have more people lost and led astray. The person who truly loves Christ is the one who’s going to stand up for Christ no matter if they… Read more »
Do not chastise Justin for sharing an opinion that all of us believe this is Dumb. Dumb writing with an author that writes in clever little circles to create a narrative about people she doesnt even know. Woth words given to her by people that have some butt hurt that nobody missed them and their 15 thousand children coming to church. To Julie and Alex Shame on you for doing this to a person that called your family.
You sound like such a nice Christian! Really showing Christ’s love with this comment. You are definitely an accurate representation of Journey Church that’s for sure!
Anna, besides Alex and Julie, who did you talk to in order to gather your information? It doesn’t sound like you spoke to anyone directly besides a couple that is upset because no one cared about them leaving the church (as you said). Separate of them, it doesn’t appear that you’ve had any conversations with Phillip, Scott, Cheryl, their spouses, Matt, anyone at Journey Church, Lake Worth Christian or Atlantic Christian in order to find the truth. Who have YOU spoken to that can verify anything you’ve written?
I attempted to reach out to Matt and received no response. I did receive a response from LWCS, which I referenced in my post. I am not an investigative reporter and was contacted to tell Alex & Julie’s story, period. If Phillip, Scott, their spouses or anyone else wish to comment or have me tell their side of things, I am more than willing to do so.
So if I have a different story for you about another church you will write it without verifying anything?
Regardless of what is true or not it’s really disrespectful to write about someone’s life like this.
You are just stating what other people said but wrote it in a way where it makes the other guys the bad guys without evidence.
You might as well work for the fake news media.
All that aside this is just a major spiritual attack on all parties.
So how can you write this article with absolutely no real commentary. You should delete this until you have some sort of witness, or evidence to substantiate your claims. Do you not care that these kind of things ruin people’s lives. If they are guilty of misconduct then write the article. Show some professionalism in writing. This is like an article of TMZ
RTB – The only person responsible for causing distress in anyone’s life is Phillip Harrelson. The blame always belongs with the abuser, not in the ones exposing them.
Anna – A few comments up you commented the following: “I attempted to reach out to Matt and received no response. I did receive a response from LWCS, which I referenced in my post. I am not an investigative reporter and was contacted to tell Alex & Julie’s story, period. If Phillip, Scott, their spouses or anyone else wish to comment or have me tell their side of things, I am more than willing to do so.” I have no problem with that. The issue I have, and I believe others have as well, is that you did not bother… Read more »
Anna – I see that you have responded to other’s comments and was just curious if you had any thoughts on mine? I’d like to hear who your multiple sources were before writing a post that can ruin a man’s life, family, and church. Did you bother to contact Phillip himself to get his side of the story? How am I and others supposed to know the legitimacy of this article if it is only based on one couple’s story? Are you using your past experiences to automatically validate this couple’s accusations?
Please Read the vitriolic comments directed at Julie and Alex and ask yourself why no one else has publicly validated this story. Coming forward means *you* will be attacked as the “home wrecker” instead of the *man* that did the actual wrecking. (someone literally called Julie and Alex homewreckers in the comments) Coming forward means you will be ostracized, while the absuser is comforted and praised. Coming forward means people will call you names and twist scripture to attack you while protecting the predator. Julie and Alex begged the people involved to do the right thing. They didn’t. Did you… Read more »
Lauren – You wrote all that negative nonsense just to say “MY GUESS” is that this was all verified. How would you have any idea and who could of verified it for her? It’s already been evident that she, nor Alex and Julie (aka “the home wreckers”) HAVE NOT spoken to anyone with first hand information. Who is it you think she verified this with?
When I said “my guess” I was speaking “tongue in cheek” or another word for that would be “facetious” or “sarcastic.” Sorry my tone didn’t translate properly. So let me be clear. Anna 100% knows the rules of engagement. I know for a fact- everything she said is verifiable. Now that we cleared that up- please tell me what “negative nonsense” you were referring to so I can help clear that up to 😉
Yes they have. First hand information. Why on Earth do you think they havent?
Because there are no references in this article except for the view of Alex and Julie and one quick line from Jim Harwood. Until I hear from Anna herself what her other resources are I will not be satisfied. Lauren and Johanna, what makes you so sure that the information has come first hand if it is not in the article itself? Do you know the writer? Were you there with her while the information was being taken down? Please tell me, what credibility do you have to state your comments as fact?
My facts come straight from Phillip. They are not second hand
I got real commentary, how about emails, texts, voicemails, phone records of communication after they were caught. Sent and calls from LWC office? This could be blown wide open if she decides to do so. Then you a will feel dumb for defending Phillip
This entire post is disturbing. It is obviously easy to toss around suggestion and innuendo without fact. If the behavior described was truly illegal then contact the police, hire an attorney. The persistent use of the word “abuse” does not make the incident abuse. Sexual abuse is very serious and presenting this incident as sexual abuse without fact or a verified victim is malpractice. Was “Cheryl” contacted? This post makes it sound like her side of the story was unimportant; moreover, her side was not necessarily because she was not adult enough or adequately intelligent enough to recognize abuse. It… Read more »
Confused – Thank you for your comment. Florida currently does not have comprehensive clergy abuse laws that 14 other states currently enforce. While not criminal in their state, Phillip did sexually abuse Cheryl, and does not require a legal definition to label it as abuse. Additionally, I am going to assume it is out of ignorance that you would suggest Cheryl could not recognize abuse due to a diminished intellect as this comes off as victim blaming/shaming. Most abuse victims are unable to identify grooming and manipulation until the abuse has been perpetuated. I would suggest that you educate yourself… Read more »
Your missing some key facts in that statement. Even if these accusations are true(which anyone who knows them both knows they are lies)
1. She doesnt attend the same church
2. She does not work with him
(These two facts make it impossible that she is the victim of clergy sexual abuse)
*know your facts and check the people giving them to you before you write an article destroying people’s lives.
Oh how men will fail us. I find hope in knowing that my God never will. I poured my heart and soul into service of my church years ago. Homeschooling my children in my church so that I could be present and available. I was never an employee of the church. Just a servant of the Lord. Then one day leadership changed. A new pastor was brought in and he was charismatic, friendly, and likable. He said all the right things in front of everyone. But I was there when everyone else wasn’t. He was a master of manipulation. He… Read more »
I was the Alex and Julie of my story. It is an incredibly difficult thing to do. I applaud them for their strength and faith. Only the Holy Spirit could lead them to expose such darkness. I am sure they have had many sleepless night and cried many tears. They have lost their church. Their family. Their friends. And they gave it up for Christ. Naturally persecution will come there way. Christ told us of this. The right road is usually not the easiest. The easy road would be to walk away in silence and go about your own life.… Read more »
“ Little by little I was dying inside.” This statement along with your comment it was destroying you is Precisely the point. If we are plants and require sun (light & truth) all those involved in blocking the light are literally slowly murdering you by manipulating the reality (soil) your meant to grow in. Spiritual abuse is like a form of the slow Murder of a Soul/spirit. The magic of it is how unrecognized the murder is which is going on right in front of other complicit and culpable souls and spirits who are supposed to be protecting and supporting… Read more »
Actually as a mother of two daughters myself I found comfort in hearing her parents were also involved in these discussions. I wonder why they would allow their daughter to be persuaded to do anything they were not in agreement on. I also think you throw the word abuse around a bit much in this. “Cheryl” is an adult, a pastors wife herself. I don’t see the abuse you speak of. My daughters love Phillip and my oldest found great comfort in him as our pastor through difficult times at school. A relationship that went beyond proper boundaries between 2… Read more »
Heartbroken – I would like to reply to this regarding why the parents would allow or go along with any decisions or agreements by the Pastor . The dynamics of a family in a church (plus school) structure often prevent or atleast blur the choices of said families because it is such a great impact on their lives. There are dynamics in which if they continue to speak or make any demands, threaten to go to police (when that is warranted) or any other steps that may challenge the Pastor or the structure, the Bible and “protecting the church” are… Read more »
Tiffany first let me say I am so sorry for what happened to you as a teen. I am so sorry you felt silenced and that caused you more pain. I can only imagine how that was for you. Thankfully that is not the situation here. There was absolutely no pastor student abuse. This was a friendship between 2 adults male and female that went further then it should have and spouses and people were hurt. The student was not telling people and no where does it say she wanted to. I think there was concern of it circling and… Read more »
You act as if you know what happened and what transpired. You do not have all the answers. Spin it how you want to make you feel better. Phillip is a coward. LWC is a great school. Stand by your school, teachers are amazing and so are the students. Phillip is not LWCS. You sound ridiculous defending someone who has evil intentions and faking it just to make it until his kids graduate. There was no apology, no taking responsibility for his own actions. Swept under a rug with a lot of people hurt. How is that biblical of a… Read more »
Since I am pretty sure this comment is not from Phillips wife you sound ridiculous pretending to have a clue what has transpired in their home and relationship. Not a single person can comment on this but her. That’s the only person here Phillip has to answer to and why all these people want to insert themselves is beyond me.
Since I am pretty sure this comment is not from Phillips wife you sound ridiculous pretending to have a clue what has transpired in their home and relationship. It’s nobody else’s business
Since I am pretty sure this comment is not from Phillips wife you sound ridiculous inserting yourself to a conclusion when you have no clue what has transpired in their home and relationship. It’s nobody else’s business.
I feel awful for you and your daughters. I still think its funny you are defending someone when you have no clue as to what happened and who was involved. It is not between them when they involved other people into their lying web.
Jo – It sounds like you are close to the issue. I’m curious to know where you are getting your information from besides just this post and maybe Alex and Julie. Please, enlighten me, what are the grounds that you have based your claims on?
Phillip himself. I dont jump in on things unless I know what I’m talking about like everyone else on here thinking they do.
I consider this a total attack on 3 places I love…Journey Church, LWCS and Atlantis. May I remind people what Jesus said it is those without sin that may throw the first stone. His point was there is no person without sin and he knew no stone would be thrown. Well this had more stones thrown then I can count. I see no point to this article other then to ruin people’s lives and upset communities. When did being a pastor or pastors wife mean you had to be perfect. It sounds like the people involved handled it as they… Read more »
Heartbroken-Thank you for your comment. While it is very upsetting to see the names of the people & places you love exposed, it is not an attack, but a revelation of the truth. Pastors are to be held to the HIGHEST standard of conduct (I Tim 3:1-7) and there are disqualifying sins which would result in removing them from ministry permanently. When a pastor abuses someone under his care (not unlike a teacher/student, therapist/client, doctor patient), it should result in his removal from pastoral ministry, not collusion and coverup by other pastors. I hope that in time you will see… Read more »
Anna- I see you deleted one of my comments. I guess it had content that does not fit your agenda. I will not be addressing you any further but I wonder how you, Alex and Julie sleep at night. Knowing the pain this disgusting blog is causing. And just to be clear I am not speaking of Phillip or Scott. Just you 3 for inserting yourself in a private matter and trying to spin it into something so much worse to hurt as many people as possible. Do you even realize there are real people, children, entire families on the… Read more »
Anna- I see you deleted one of my comments. I guess it had content that does not fit your agenda. I will not be addressing you any further but I wonder how you, Alex and Julie sleep at night. Knowing the pain this disgusting blog is causing. And just to be clear I am not speaking of Phillip or Scott. Just you 3 for inserting yourself in a private matter and trying to spin it into something so much worse to hurt as many people as possible. Do you even realize there are real people, children, entire families on the… Read more »
I have not deleted any comments on this post. There have been some glitches with comments posting, so I will look into that.
As if you know the truth Heartbroken, we know you do not. You are inserting yourself into something you are not a part of. Defending people you love or adore because they are “Journey” looking past the the coverups and abuse. Entertaining
It’s funny to guess which posts on here are from Alex and Julie – there’s no way they are sitting back and watching this without commenting under an alias. Isn’t this whole blog post about people inserting themselves into something they know nothing about? We haven’t heard anything directly from Scott, Phillip, Cheryl, Phillip’s wife, Lake Worth Christian, Atlantic Christian, etc. so how do any of us really know anything through all of this?
They aren’t responding because they know they were caught and dont want to make things worse.
Why would Alex and Julie respond with a false name? If they were bold enough to have their names printed originally, why would they use fake names now? There are plenty more of us from the community that were close to the people involved. Plenty of us who were hurt and feel betrayed also. Alex and Julie have lost a lot to bring this to light. Their intent was never to slander or gossip, but to help. In the article it says that Alex wanted to walk alongside Philip and help him to find healing. I know for a fact… Read more »
Regardless of how anyone feels, scriptural precedence and history must be reviewed, supported, and maintained in all matters of the church. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.(Gal5:9) Once we reflect on scripture we can can glean a system, and a direct reflection on how we are to handle similar issues should they arise. The allegation of adultery is a serious accusation and one that nobody wants to be involved in for the vitriol of these situations extend into the entire community. There is a reason we have scripture and that is to hold it up as light in the… Read more »
I would also like to point out, since it was brought up, that I dont believe formal training is necessary to be a pastor and in fact the a gift from the Holy Spirit cannot be earned but only given as He sees fit. It is therefore no longer of man but of God. Does man now perfect the word of God through various indoctrinations?? but, I digress… Wether or not this man had any training is not he point. The point is he, in the words of scripture he is no longer a valid pastor in the eyes of… Read more »
“When did being a pastor or pastors wife mean you had to be perfect.”——When they took the position they took on them office of it. Scripture tells us how the people who take this office are to behave. This when!!! 1This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 2A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 4One… Read more »
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT—“When did being a pastor or pastors wife mean you had to be perfect.” Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
What a web that has been weaved
This is dumb
Justin-Clergy sexual abuse is a serious issue (a crime in 14 states). I hope that you will educate yourself on the seriousness of abuse, the impact it has on victims, and the further victimization that occurs when others attempt to cover for and protect the abuser. God Bless
Do not chastise Justin for sharing an opinion that all of us believe this is Dumb. Dumb writing with an author that writes in clever little circles to create a narrative about people she doesnt even know. Woth words given to her by people that have some butt hurt that nobody missed them and their 15 thousand children coming to church. To Julie and Alex Shame on you for doing this to a person that called your family.
Me think thou dost protest too much. It sounds like you have a dog in this fight. You reduce your ideas by attacking Alex and Julie’s “15 thousand children”. What do those seven innocents have to do with your disgusting remarks? Perhaps the truth will set you free. Good luck!
“With” words…not “Woth”
He will have our GOD to answer to if he does not repent!
I’m curious on this affair and behavior its curious that I’m this article said behavior is not described and if said behavior was never physical then what is it? Lots of blurred lines here.
Thank you for your comment.
This was not an affair-it was abuse. Sexual abuse encompasses many types of behavior & includes any sexualization of the relationship, which can be verbal or emotional. I described this in length on the post.
But you go on and say tons of things and give zero examples or even an true accusation.. and cheryl is not the one reporting the behavior his wife is not reporting the behavior then I’m confused.. is there some proof here? And fyi I’m all for correcting wrong doing. But if you are out to publicly shame people and try to convince an audience you’re lacking a ton of information WHY would you sensor ACA but not lw christian. Why wouldn’t you go in depth about the connections to ALL the relationships. Again if you’re accusing someone in a… Read more »
I will message you privately.
So someone asks for clarification and because it does not fit your narrative you tell them you will message privately. This story is hogwash. You should be ashamed of yourself for writing it. If that family was as low as you are for writing this bunch of lies they would sue you for defamation of character. * False quotes for pastors. *supposed allegations from two people that are not involved in the supposed relationship. *calling for a person’s Job from complete hearsay. * talking in circles using definitions to defend your accusations. *Leaving certain peoples names out to justify your… Read more »
RTB – your comment is typical of those who do not want the truth revealed & have no insight of abuse. It is always the correct & prudent thing to protect a sexual abuse victim by not identifying them. There is no hearsay in this post, as all conversations were directly with those involved. Your comment is proof of why these situations must be brought into the light and dealt with biblically, not hidden in secrecy and covered up.
I disagree with you, I am a victim of past abuse and I could not come forward about it. I made excuses for my abuser and how it was my fault and how it would make me look bad and that people would just think I was crying victim because I regretted a choice I had made… NO I WAS THE VICTIM, there was nothing that could change that… but because of the shame from others I hid it from everyone, even myself… I spent many many years of my life in that shame and made horrible decisions because that’s… Read more »
Almost 40 years ago I took a teaching job in a small town as I was preparing to go overseas as a missionary. I attended a local church in my denomination that was well-recommended and became very involved. Right before i was ready to leave for overseas, things seemed “strange”-strained relationships, people leaving, sermons from the senior pastor with no depth. I wondered, but I was leaving, so I didn’t worry too much. When I came back 2.5 years later on furlough, the church had split. The senior pastor was having an affair (one of several), people on the board… Read more »