A senior leader in the Assemblies of God denomination has stepped aside after sexual abuse allegations surfaced against him.
Pastor Rod Loy, senior pastor of First Assembly of God in North Little Rock, Arkansas, since 2001, is facing a lawsuit filed by a former church member who claims he sexually abused her from the age of 16.
“Rod Loy has voluntarily stepped aside from his duties as an executive presbyter during the district’s investigation,” said in a statement.
Loy also serves as an executive presbyter in the Assemblies of God denomination, which involves national leadership decisions.
First Assembly of God in North Little Rock is ranked the third-largest Assemblies of God congregation in the United States, with more than 16,500 members in 2017, according to records.
The civil lawsuit was filed by 45-year-old Suzanne Lander, with Loy and First Assembly of God in North Little Rock named as defendants.
Lander is represented by Basyle “Boz” Tchividjian, a lawyer and grandson of Billy Graham, who has been involved in several abuse cases against Christian leaders.
“After decades of abuse, betrayal, and unfathomable trauma, Suzi Lander has taken a courageous step forward to hold her perpetrator — and the church that empowered and enabled him — accountable,” Tchividjian said in a statement, as reported by The Roys Report (TRR). “By filing this lawsuit, she is making clear that they will no longer escape responsibility, and that the truth will finally be brought to light.”
The lawsuit alleges Loy’s conduct was “extreme and outrageous” and “beyond all possible bounds of decency, and utterly intolerable in a civilized community".
"Defendant Loy exploited his position as a trusted spiritual leader to systematically groom, manipulate, and sexually abuse a vulnerable sixteen-year-old girl who had survived years of parental sexual abuse and trafficking,” the suit states.
“Defendant Loy used religious teachings and scripture to convince Plaintiff that God wanted her to submit to his sexual demands, telling her repeatedly that performing sexual acts pleased God and made her better in God’s eyes.”
According to the complaint, Lander began attending the church in 1996 as a teenager, and, months later, Loy, who was then serving as executive pastor, “initiated sexual abuse".
The lawsuit claims that Loy told her that God wanted her to please him sexually and used Scriptures like Hebrews 13:17 to get her to comply: “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
Lander claimed that she only realised she had suffered abuse after starting therapy three years ago for “complex PTSD, severe anxiety, depression, and neurological impairment".
In a statement posted to the church website, First Assembly of God said they were taking the accusations "extremely seriously" but that their own investigation found "nothing to substantiate the claims".
"We just became aware that a lawsuit was filed by the accuser," the church added.
"Pastor Rod and our church board vehemently deny these claims. We are prepared to defend this accusation, and we ask for your prayers and patience during this difficult time for both the accused and the person making such an allegation."
