When Leaders Become Wolves: The Reality of Grooming and Ministry Abuse
How predators disguised as servants of God manipulated trust and betrayed the innocent.
When the Shepherd Becomes a Predator
There’s a special kind of evil in betrayal. It’s one thing to be wronged by a stranger.
It’s another to be violated by someone you trusted with your soul.
When a spiritual leader—a person who is supposed to embody humility, integrity, and godliness—becomes the embodiment of predatory darkness, it shatters something deep within. It’s not just a personal wound—it’s a soul-deep violation that calls into question everything you once believed about faith, trust, and safety.
The Bible warns of wolves in sheep’s clothing—predators who wear the appearance of godliness while devouring the flock. In the Two by Two Church, wolves didn’t just slip in unnoticed—they were protected, upheld, and allowed to thrive within the very heart of the ministry.
The shock of discovering that a leader you once revered is not just flawed but a calculating predator—it’s more than just disillusionment. It’s spiritual devastation.
This Article is the 4th article in a 6-part Series on the failure of the 2x2 Church.
You can reach the other articles in the series here:
1 - When The Truth Breaks Your Heart
2 - When the Church Protects Power Instead of People
3 - When Form Becomes an Idol: How The 2x2 Institution Became Corrupt
5 - The Weight of Darkness: How Silence Became a System That Protected Predators
6 - Reconstructing My Faith: Standing Firm While Exposing Evil
Grooming Is Satanic Evil
This isn’t just wicked—it’s Satanic. The Bible warns that Satan masquerades as an angel of light.
To weaponize spiritual authority for the purpose of soul-destroying evil is nothing less than a perversion of what it means to serve God.
To take something sacred and twist it into a tool to manipulate and molest the most vulnerable among us for personal selfish deviant pleasure is Satanic.
And yet, these wolves in sheep’s clothing are masters at maintaining their facade. They don’t “stumble into sin”—they meticulously plan their deceptions. They calculate every move, every word, every gesture—knowing exactly how to groom their victims while keeping everyone else blind to the evil festering beneath the surface.
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist. And these predators follow the same strategy—convincing the community that they are righteous, trustworthy, godly men while preying on the innocent.
How Wolves Thrive in the Fold
The most horrifying part is not just the existence of these predators—it’s how easily they thrive in a system designed to protect them.
When reports of abuse began to surface, the instinct of leadership wasn’t to believe the victims—it was to protect the institution. The default reaction was disbelief, denial, and damage control. Leaders who should have defended the vulnerable instead circled the wagons around the predators.
Rather than confront the evil within their ranks, they tried to contain it. They silenced dissent. They swept it under the rug and pretended it never happened. They blamed victims for “misunderstanding” or “exaggerating.” They ostracized anyone who dared to question the integrity of their beloved leaders.
This wasn’t just cowardice—it was complicity. It was a decision to let the wolves stay among the sheep rather than risk their reputation.
And so, the cycle of grooming continued. The predators remained in positions of power—shaking hands after meetings, praying and speaking from the platform, sharing meals with unsuspecting families—all while knowing their secrets were safe.
Scale of Abuse and Predation
The scale of abuse within the Two by Two Church is staggering—far beyond what anyone could have imagined, and still likely just the tip of the iceberg.
It’s almost impossible to fully fathom the reality that there are over 1,000 documented abusers within the network of this fellowship alone.
It’s enough to fill entire conventions with just predators.
(And at this point, one can only guess at the number of victims, but it’s not a stretch to say it could be in the tens of thousands as a conservative estimate.)
I feel sick thinking about just how seamlessly these predators blended into the fabric of ministry life.
The weight of these numbers is overwhelming. How did this go unnoticed? How did this become so normalized?
The answer is simple: Grooming doesn’t look like violence—it looks like kindness. It looks like a man going out of his way to connect with the youth, offering wisdom, guidance, and mentorship. It looks like someone with charisma, warmth, and a reputation for godliness.
Predators didn’t just “make a mistake”—they schemed ways to isolate and prey on the innocent while smiling and shaking hands with those who admired them.
They hid behind eloquent sermons and faultless reputations, confident that no one would dare to question a “servant of God.”
Grooming isn’t just about friendliness—it is calculated spiritual manipulation. These men cloaked predation in mentorship and pastoral care, using their authority not just to deceive individuals, but entire communities. After all, these were “Spirit-Led” ministers—and again, who would dare question them?
Maybe I’m repeating this out of frustration, but when survivors speak up, they have repeatedly been silenced, ostracized, or dismissed as troublemakers.
The leadership seems incapable respond with righteous indignation—they can only respond with damage control, and even their efforts to “make the fellowship safer” are only happening because of the fiercely determined efforts of so many members present and past in the fellowship holding their feet to the fire.
I never want to forget: These men didn’t just betray their victims—they betrayed the sacred trust placed in them by their congregations. And those who chose silence and denial over confrontation became complicit in the evil they refused to expose.
The Toll on Survivors
I can’t describe the agony of hearing a survivor’s story. The shame, the betrayal, the feeling of being violated not just by a predator but by a system that protected him.
Some survivors never speak up. They bury the pain, convinced that no one would believe them anyway. Others muster the courage to share their truth—only to be met with suspicion, blame, or outright hostility.
It’s a wound that never fully heals. A scar on the soul. And every time the predator walks into another meeting with his Bible tucked under his arm, it’s like pouring salt into that open wound.
The numbers are NOT just statistics. Even as I write about this, my words feel so inadequate to describe the reality of shattered lives—souls deeply wounded by those who were supposed to shepherd and protect.
I want to cry just thinking about how many times survivors heard, “You’re just bitter,” or “That could never happen here,” or “You need to forgive and move on”?
That’s gaslighting, not healing.
That’s demanding silence from those who’ve already suffered enough.
And I want to scream:
“WHERE IS YOUR HEART??
WHERE IS YOUR COMPASSION FOR THE WOUNDED IN THE DITCH?!”
Where Is the Righteous Anger?
Why aren’t more of these “Servants of God” standing up in righteous anger, demanding justice for the victims?
Where are the leaders pounding their fists on the pulpit, fighting for righteousness and demanding repentance for the evil that’s crept into their midst?
Are they so afraid of admitting they were wrong that they would rather protect the wolves than defend the sheep? Are they so entrenched in their positions of power that they would rather sacrifice children on the altar of reputation than admit their own failures?
God’s people are called to protect the vulnerable—to stand up for the oppressed and confront evil wherever it hides.
To choose silence is to side with the predator.
To refuse to stand against abuse is to become an accomplice.
A Demand for Repentance
If there is any hope of redemption, it will only come through repentance—real, public, sackcloth-and-ashes repentance.
I’m not talking about vague statements about “mistakes” or half-hearted acknowledgments of “missteps.”
I’m talking about a broken-hearted, unreserved, public admission of guilt and failure.
I’m talking about a complete overhaul of leadership that acknowledges the rot at the core and seeks to make amends with the survivors.
But most of all, I’m talking about genuine compassion—about doing whatever it takes to listen to the survivors, believe their stories, and walk alongside them on the journey to healing.
That’s what Jesus would do—and if they truly served Him, that’s what they would be doing too.
He wouldn’t make excuses. He wouldn’t hide behind doctrine or tradition. He would weep with the wounded and confront the wolves without hesitation.
What’s Next?
The evil of grooming is undeniable. But it doesn’t end there. If the evil of abuse is shocking, the silence and complicity of those who knew and did nothing are just as damning.
In the next article, part 5 of 6, we’ll confront the high cost of silence, the cowardice that perpetuated the evil, and the leaders who stood idly by or actively covered up abuse rather than taking a stand for righteousness and truth.
The gospel demands courage and integrity. Without it, the fear of losing power creates a breeding ground for evil.
Thank you again Jonathon for your courage to speak the truth.
The ministry & all perpetrators need to read about the Millstone Jesus spoke about - that's what Jesus said would be better for those who harm/hurt any of his little ones.
💯Jonathan. As always I love your writing but just wish you had better news to write about. But I think we’ve all given up on that by now😢