The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Jeffrey Anthony Charles, former pastor of Neighbors to Nations Church in Princeton, Minnesota (previously named Open Door Fellowship Church, Vineyard Christian Fellowship, and now Souls Church), stands accused of sexually assaulting a three-year-old child. Charles was previously convicted of Sexual Abuse, 3rd Degree, in the state of Iowa in 1997, yet he was still pastoring a church when these crimes were allegedly committed. I hope authorities will investigate whether Neighbors to the Nations Church (now Souls Church) was complicit in Charles’ crimes.
Attorney General Josh Kaul and Douglas County District Attorney (DA) Mark Fruehauf today announced that Jeffrey Anthony Charles, age 61, has been charged with one count of Repeated Sexual Assault of a Child, Persistent Repeater, for incidents that occurred from 2005 to 2010.
“We are committed to holding perpetrators of sexual assault accountable,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul. “Thank you to DA Fruehauf for his continued partnership with the Clergy and Faith Leader Abuse Initiative, and for the work of his office and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in seeking justice in this case.”
According to the criminal complaint, Charles served as the pastor for Neighbors to Nations church in Princeton, Minn. at the time of the assaults and parishioners routinely traveled to Charles’ cabin in the Town of Summit, Wis. The complaint states that Charles sexually assaulted a victim three to four times at his cabin in the Town of Summit, Wis. over the course of five years, when the victim was between the ages of 3 and 7. Charles was previously convicted of Sexual Abuse, 3rd Degree, in the state of Iowa in 1997.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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Sorry, I’m a bit hung up on the fact he was convicted of sexual abuse before and was allowed to pastor a church where children were. Even as a church-goer, I would have bailed that place as soon as I found out. I guess Evangelical forgiveness excuses possible liability and professional irresponsibility.
You are right. The officers of the Church were perhaps complicit in the cover up. There were a lot of lies. Desperation to find a new pastor?
S.D.–I couldn’t agree with you more. As I’ve mentioned on some of my guest posts, I was sexually abused by a priest. When I finally talked and wrote about it, I did an amateur investigation of him. Surprise, surprise: I’m not the only one who has accused him of sexual misconduct. He was moved between parishes and dioceses, and was on “sick leave” for ten years.
The problem is not with churches that love
& forgive- God knows our world could use a whole lot more of this! The problems come when a church is confronted with an issue and either refuses to – or doesn’t know how to -implement church discipline. If these churches had followed the BIBLICAL directions-exactly, people – like Jeff Charles would never have gotten a second chance to repeat his crimes. He would never been allowed to be in any situation where he would be tempted to sin this way. Because of the failure of the churches’ leadership, the legal system will have to step in & try to rectify the situation. Still, the church leaders need to deal with this- as the Bible directs them to! They also need to put in place policies that safeguard the rest of the church.
So, you are saying churches should handle sex crimes internally, and not law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges; that the teachings of the Bible trump civil/criminal law? (I assume you support Charles being stoned for his crimes?)
By law, church leaders are required to report alleged sexual abuse to law enforcement. That’s the standard, not the Bible.
Perhaps Charles confessed his sin and repented. According to I John 1:9, he would then be forgiven of his sin. Isn’t that the “Biblical” way to handle sex crimes? Should Christians be kept out of the church or kept from serving Jesus if they have repented of their sex crimes? What about other “sins”? Aren’t all sins the same in God’s eyes?
What’s to keep an offending Christian from moving across the country and starting over in a new place?
Some churches believe background checks are wrong; that they are a denial of God’s forgiveness and grace. If God has forgiven people such as Charles, shouldn’t they?
The investigating, prosecuting, judging, and punishing of crimes is not the purview of the church. Churches have one duty when it comes to alleged sexual abuse: immediately, without delay or internal investigation, report it to law enforcement. Church leaders who fail to do this should be prosecuted.
The Evangelical has failed miserably at protecting children, teens, and vulnerable adults from predator preachers, often choosing to protect the church over protecting the “least of these.”
The QAnons need to look at actual pedophilia occurring in churches rather than talking about their stories of Democrats and Hollywood folks allegedly sexually assaulting kids and drinking their blood for youth-inducing properties. There’s lots of evidence for clergy sex crimes, but none for the QAnon crap.
I can assure you, the church leaders at this church were very much in the know of his sexual misconduct. They too should be held accountable as complicit to the crimes. Jeff Charles needs to pay the price for his crimes this time for sure!!! I am a Christian and what he did and has done im certain many many many times over is wholly unacceptable in the eyes of the Lord.
The church never knew this was all jealousy just a smear, my uncle and his wife it was so sad and disgraceful I know all about it. It was a lie. Very sad, terrible. Horrible disgraceful lie and I do know that much.
Thanks for sharing this. I know Jeff from my (former) evangelical days. His focus—when I knew him in the early 90’s was on sexual purity and abstinence aimed at the youth…I actually volunteered at a youth camp and a church lock where he was the main speaker/guest (omg!!!!). Later, my friend’s parents and sister went to his church in Princeton and her sister was one of the underage victims there. Someone needs to thoroughly investigate him as he also did a TON of “missions” work in Haiti. Who knows what he was up to there, since the government in Haiti is so corrupt. I talked to the pastoral abuse tipline in WI and they’re concerned that if more victims don’t come forward, he may be free to continue his disgusting predatory behavior. In addition to raping kids, he was a grifter of the highest order, living large off the churches he spoke at (I remember him taking 2-3 offerings per service) and (according to my friend) also had women from the church in Princeton working for him at his home, cooking, cleaning, etc. for free.
JJ Jones My Uncle Jeff Never talked about you you must be a Made up User who is Just looking to say something how disgraceful.
That is all true! I witnessed this behavior for 13 years, although I did not know of the sexual behavior until after I left the church for his other egregious behavior.
All of you are very insecure and sick people the Church mislead our family away from the church My Uncle Jeff And Aunt Bonnie were The greatest Pastors so sad And so disgraceful that it had to ehr Just because people are Jealous of the Great amazing work that My Uncle Jeff And Aunt Bonnie did I am proud to call this man, my uncle I don’t care what any of you say who is my uncle and I’m gonna defend them just like you all are allowed to speak with your opinions on social media while I’m allowed to speak mine so again people were very jealous and they wanted to buy uncle Jeff out of the church the church misled and made up lies because the church knew that the church was just fine with my uncle Jeff people were very jealous. I’m just decided to accuse him of sexual misconduct. It’s just disgraceful. Tell a man named Dennis Calhoun. Can make a child tell him things. To get my uncle in trouble and that’s exactly what happened to Dennis Calhoun is a disgrace. To the world. And to. Our great country this man lies to his congregation week after week, and he knows nothing about the Bible. And. Should go back to the University of Northwestern. To figure out what love is in what compassion is this man Dennis Calhoun knows nothing all he knows how to do is get people in trouble and it’s a disgrace because of jealousy my Uncle Jeff And Aunt Bonnie did great work for the world, and I am proud to say it. I don’t care what any of you all say I’m gonna defend my uncle right and left regardless of the disgraceful comments to get thrown around thank you
Al, I see from the article that your uncle has a previous conviction for sexual abuse. Why would anyone be “jealous” of someone like that, rather than outraged and dismayed? If he actually did assault that child, I hope he gets a life sentence.
Because sometimes people are jealous and sometimes people hate each other it’s just the world we live in if anyone is outraged it’s us The lies of this is just disgraceful.
Al, if your uncle is indeed guilty of sexually abusing a child *, he deserves, as Astreja says, a life sentence. As someone who was sexually abused by a priest during my childhood, I have a life sentence, if you will, of trauma. I didn’t talk or write about it for decades, and although I have learned some ways of living with it, I don’t think the residual psychological scars will ever heal completely. So, if you believe the Biblical prescription of “an eye for an eye,” a life sentence is warranted, as it reciprocates, at least somewhat, what the victim will live with for life—if, indeed, that life isn’t cut short by illness, addiction or the victim’s own hand.
I am not jealous of him or anyone else. I do the good work for others my physical self, talents and means (such as they are) allow. And if I do hurt anyone in any way—which I never would do intentionally—I am under no illusion that my good works excuse whatever hurt I’ve caused. I don’t believe anyone else should be allowed to use their “good works” as a “get out of jail free” card.
Having said what I’ve said, I am willing to see him as what he is, for the moment: accused. I am willing to suspend any judgment of guilt, his previous conviction notwithstanding. But that previous conviction doesn’t help his case, any more than his “good works” exempt from the same standards the rest of us have to live by.
None of it is true and that is the bottom line.
None of what is true? That he was previously convicted? That’s on record. That I was sexually abused by a priest? Are you calling me a liar? I
Al doesn’t care what anybody says…. Al says he doesn’t care and that he will continue to deny all that is said because he feels its ‘made-up lies’. This reaction-in-denial is very common among those who refuse to doubt and therefore believe that loyalty is taking sides against one another instead of seeking truth. Al’s truth is stated: ‘I don’t care what you say…’ and is such a refrain among the cultish believers.
What if Belief systems are more truly ways to avoid caring than to actually care… What if ‘love your neighbor as yourself’ means sharing your ‘I don’t care…’ Is Al disturbed about harmed children?
I’m saying in defense of him I don’t care what anybody says that’s just what Family’s deal they’re going to protect and a lot of you are just crazy you’re all upset because I’m defending him which is gonna happen. Whether. You like it or not
In defense of my uncle Jeff no, I don’t care what anybody says because it’s all a lie it was a jealousy attempt to get my uncle Jeff in trouble the bottom line is that if it’s true.
Straight up question. Yes or no. Did your uncle have a previous conviction? Just yes or no, Al.
No he did not have a previous conviction.
“Charles was previously convicted of Sexual Abuse, 3rd Degree, in the state of Iowa in 1997.“
“The former pastor was convicted of third-degree sexual abuse in 1997 in the state of Iowa, according to the criminal complaint. The statute under which Charles was convicted requires proof that the defendant committed a sex act with another person who was 12 or 13 years of age.”
https://www.superiortelegram.com/news/local/former-pastor-accused-of-repeated-child-sex-assault
Current Wisconsin inmate registration:
https://www.sheriffofdouglascountywi.org/roster_view.php?booking_num=35141
Please do your homework. Google is your friend:
Would you like to change your answer now to yes?
Thank you, Bruce, for exposing this. Being at that church was a source of much trauma for me and my family. He damaged so very many! I’m sorry for his nephew that is so deceived. Knowing Jeff and the tales he spins, I understand why he is so brainwashed. So many of us were! The only thing that comes out of that man’s mouth is lies!