Pastor steps down amid revelations of past misconduct

Eternal Church's Pastor Don Logan is taking a break until September after people found out he's on the sex offender registry, according to the the Fort Mill Sun.

During a Sunday service, things became serious as church leaders disclosed their pastor's troubling past, why they hired him anyway, and how they failed to prepare for this situation. Discipleship Pastor Jacob Collins and Elder Lorne James addressed the congregation, stating that Pastor Logan would enter a "time of rest" due to both the publicity surrounding his criminal past and his previous cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Logan and his wife Heather sent a note, read out by Collins: "We are taking time to heal and seek emotional restoration and peace while we discern if we can bear the cost of continued ministry for me, my family, and the church."

The leadership team revealed Logan's past: he had previously pleaded guilty to molesting a 14-year-old in Indiana. Logan was nearly 30 when he committed the crime. He served a year and a half in prison before being released on parole.

Collins claimed Logan found faith in prison, saying he became religious, apologized, and turned his life around. The pastor was previously required to register as a sex offender in Indiana for a set period, which has since expired. However, he recently registered in South Carolina after learning of his legal obligation to do so.

Elder James acknowledged that church leadership had known about Logan's conviction for a decade but failed to share this information with the congregation. He apologized for the oversight, saying, "We should have seen it coming. I am sorry that we did not. We should have been ready to make sure that if at some point if it does come up in the media, that it wasn't such a surprise," he said. "This inaction has been exploited by us not being proactive. It's allowed Satan to have a foothold here. And I want that to end, and I want that to end now," James said. "I repent that we failed in this oversight. I am sorry, I am sorry, I am sorry. I am not going to let it continue."

The church leaders expressed their continued support for Pastor Logan, citing the "good fruit" from his teaching and their belief in redemption and forgiveness. However, they also recognized that the revelation has "triggered past wounds of abuse and eroded trust in church leadership" among some members of the congregation.

Reaction to the news has been mixed among those associated with the church. Some supporters, like Sally Lulu York, who worked with Logan in the mission field, emphasized the need for "understanding, grace, love." Others, like Dawn Harrington, argued that Logan's past actions should "permanently disqualify him from having access to children or anyone vulnerable."

As the church grapples with this revelation, many questions remain unanswered regarding trust, leadership qualifications, and the path forward for both Pastor Logan and Eternal Church. The congregation and community will be watching closely as this situation unfolds in the coming months.