New Life Chapel, a church of about 3,000 people in West Chester, Ohio, has fired its founding pastor, Lonnie Snell. The church said on Oct. 30 that the board removed him a week earlier for "sexual misconduct with a subordinate of consensual age and development." Snell is 54.

What happened

Snell founded the church in 2010 with three families. Reports say it grew to 900 people by 2017 and has since more than tripled in size. Snell and his wife of 32 years, who also served on staff, have four sons. One son still works at the church as a youth minister.

The board said it would investigate Snell's conduct but did not share details. It asked the public not to speculate or investigate on their own. Instead, it asked people to come together and pray for the church, its leaders and its pastors.

According to The Roys Report, the formal investigation began on Oct. 21. The outlet said it obtained a recording of board member David Norris announcing the firing. Norris is lead pastor of City Church for All Nations in Bloomington, Indiana. In the recording, he said he was sorry for the broken trust, for the family and for the staff. He called it one of the hardest days of his life. He gave few details about the investigation. He also said an unnamed staff member was fired, without giving a reason. The Roys Report said that staff member is more than 20 years younger than Snell.

Context

In a later report, The Roys Report said a New Life Chapel executive team leader has been suspended for the rest of the year. The reason given was failing to report Snell's misconduct. The board said the executive's actions were "below the standard of conduct that is expected at New Life Chapel." The statement did not say how the executive learned of the conduct or how long it was kept quiet.

The firing came as the church was preparing plans for a larger building that could seat more than 1,500 people. At the Nov. 1 service, member Randy Thome thanked congregants for attending. He said churches often lose many members after a scandal. He estimated losses of about 50 percent, or about 35 percent for a strong church. Thome said the church's members were still present.

The church and Norris did not respond to requests for more information.

What to watch

Norris said the board hopes to begin a restoration process for Snell, though he gave no timeline or details. The church has not released findings from its investigation. Members have been asked to pray for unity and leadership during this period.