John Longaker, a Convicted Predator, Is Now a Pastor and His Brave Victim, Kelly Haines, Wants to Know Why

“In order to escape accountability for his crimes, the perpetrator does everything in his power to promote forgetting. If secrecy fails, the perpetrator attacks the credibility of his victim. If he cannot silence her absolutely, he tries to make sure no one listens.” ― Judith Lewis Herman


Strong Woman

The story I am about to tell is quite difficult. It deals with the grooming of a 14 year old student, Kelly Haines, by a Christian school teacher, John Longaker. He went to prison, was released and is now serving as the sole pastor of a church in Vermont.

Kelly is remarkably transparent as she shares her struggles with mental illness, a struggle that was made much worse due to her abuse. I believe that Longaker could have targeted Kelly because he could use the argument that she was not to be believed, if necessary.  He even tried that with me when I had the opportunity to speak with him.

Kelly told me that she has come forward because she is concerned (reasonably so given his history) that Longaker is now the pastor of a church in Vermont and may have access to teenage women. Both she and I  believe that a pastor, who has been convicted of *corrupting the morals of a minor,* should NEVER serve as a pastor.

How some predators pick victims

Most predators are smart. They know how to target vulnerable people while being pleasant and thoughtful to others looking on. Today, one of our readers, NJ, linked to an article by Sandra Newman who explored “What kind of person makes false rape accusations?”  The following quote is relevant to today’s discussion. Please read it carefully.

It’s necessary to add an important caveat: The same kinds of people who are most likely to become false accusers are also frequently targeted by predators. Teenagers, people with severe mental illness, people with criminal records—all are vulnerable to rapists, who often have a very keen sense of which victims are most likely to be mistrusted by authorities. Although the accounts of these complainants need careful scrutiny, police should take them more seriously, not less seriously, than they currently do. The lesson to be drawn here is not that any individual’s story of sexual assault should be discounted; it’s that the vast majority of rape reports can be believed.

Kelly’s story of being groomed by Longaker.

(Minor graphic descriptions necessary to understanding the progression of the grooming process.)

In 1992, Kelly was a freshman at Faith Christian Academy. During this time, she was dealing with both an eating disorder as well as cutting issues. Longaker became aware of her problems and began counseling her in his classroom, alone, in the second half of that year. During the following summer, she would see him at Faith Baptist Church which was affiliated with the school. These conversations continued throughout her 10th grade year.

In 1994 things began to change.

My first recollection of anything different was in the fall of 94 during softball season. I was on the bus going to softball practice. He coached the baseball team but they would drop the softball team at their field and then went on to their field.  John Longaker always tried to sit in the seat behind me on the bus.

One day while we were driving I felt John Longaker’s foot rub up against the back of my leg. I wasn’t sure if it was an accident. The next day I felt it again and I turned around and saw John smiling. As a girl with mental health issues who is looking to this teacher for help and acceptance, I remembered this feeling of excitement yet I felt very confused.

I knew it was weird that a teacher would touch my leg but in a strange way I felt like he was trying to show me he loved me and cared for me. So I took it as a way to continue feeling comfortable with him and it was enabling me to share some problems I still had not shared. I never felt like it was meant in a sexual nature more of a nurturing nature. Throughout the softball season it went to feet touching my leg to his fingers on my shoulders over the seat he would rub my shoulders and my hair.

In the years that I have been writing the stories of victims in school settings, I have been surprised by the number of victims who point to being on the school bus when teacher/predators first began to touch them. It was on a bus that the process progressed. Please note that Kelly perceived these initial conversations and physical touching as counseling.

In my Junior year, our conversations/counseling sessions became daily.  I would come after class and school to talk with him things would begin to advance from there those foot and back touches to brushing up against me and feeling my breast. When he was “hard” he would rub against my leg or he take my hand and touch it. He frequently touched under my clothes.

By the end of her Junior year, Longaker’s activity became overtly sexual in nature and Kelly became emotionally confused. These sexual contacts occurred in both the school and the church.

I felt as if I loved him and he loved me. I knew I could never talk to anyone about it. I don’t remember if he ever said don’t tell, but I knew that if he wanted it to be our “little secret.”

During that year, the Longakers adopted a little boy. Kelly became the baby-sitter which provided further private venues for sexual encounters. These encounters continued throughout her senior year.

Kelly then attended Clearwater Christian College. Longaker moved to a Christian school in Massachusetts. This would eventually lead to Longaker’s undoing. (Editor: To avoid confusion: Massachusetts and New Hampshire are adjoining states and many people work in Massachusetts and live in New Hampshire where there is no state income tax.)

Kelly was becoming suicidal. Thankfully, she told someone what was going on.

Throughout my first year of college he would email me every day, then once a week and then the emails would be less and less by the end of my first year I hardly heard from him. It would make me really upset. Soon after I arrived home from my first year of college, I arranged a trip to go visit him in New Hampshire. I spent a week with him and, during that week, I realized that he was showing the same affection to the girls in his new school like he did with me. I confronted him one evening and he denied that anything was happening but in my heart I knew. I was crushed. I remember saying to him, “if you’re not gonna be in my life then I just wanna die.”  He said, “well you do what you have to do.” I asked him if he would come to my funeral and he said,”yes.

I ended up going home with his wife and meeting a friend, Jason . in New Jersey who picked me up and took me the rest the way home. On the way home from that trip he realized that I was emotionally not stable and asked me what was going on. I began to tell him that I was having a relationship with John and that he was doing the same thing to girls at his new school and that I was not feeling very special. I told him that I wanted to die. Jason decided the best way to help me was to go to Pastor Paul Auckland at Faith Baptist Church and tell him what I told him.  I was not aware that he was going to tell. I was then called in by the pastor and confronted.

Pastor Auckland reported this to the police. Kudos to this pastor who got it 20 years ago! So many pastors today claim they didn’t know they should report 20 years ago.

 I confessed, July 1997. Do to the investigation and criminal charges I ended up sitting out of college for my second year.  I remember that he decided to plead guilty to corrupting the morals of a minor and endangering the welfare of a child in order to receive a lesser sentence.

By this point, Kelly was admittedly emotionally fragile. The District Attorney was concerned that she would not have the stamina to testify at a trial.

John was sentenced to 12 1/2 – 24 months in prison. He spent the first year in prison  and the remainder on probation. Soon after that he moved to Vermont. I did not have any interaction with him after that.

Longaker avoided being placed on the sex offender registry by pleading to lesser charges. According to Kelly (Longaker also alluded to this in my conversation with him), he almost didn’t get a prison term. However, the judge felt that a teacher who abused a student should go to prison.

News article regarding the arrest of Longaker

In this article, note how his defense attorney claims she was of age to have these encounters. He didn’t believe that it was illegal for a teacher to do this with a student. Times have changed for the better since 1997. Thankfully, Longaker got prison time anyway.

Ex-teacher Charged In Sex Case * Officials Say The Former Sellersville Schoolteacher Had An Affair With Girl, 14.

He was charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, endangering the welfare of children, indecent assault and corruption of minors, according to court records.

…Hileman said his client is not guilty of the charges.

“They did have a relationship,” Hileman said, but he would not describe it. “She was 17 at the time…. If she’s not under 16, then he’s not guilty. There’s no allegation of force. There’s no allegation of lack of consent. She was not underage.”

The probable cause affidavit for Longaker’s arrest indicates he admitted to officials at the Massachusetts church school where he taught after he left Faith Baptist that he began the relationship with the girl when she was around 14.

“That’s not exactly what happened — what’s quoted there,” Hileman said. He declined to elaborate.

According to the affidavit, detectives interviewed the alleged victim, a Coopersburg resident who is now 19 and a student at a Pennsylvania college, in July. Rubenstein said the woman went to police at the urging of a friend in whom she had confided about the relationship. Her name was not released.

Kelly unknowingly began to suffer from PTSD and Dissociative Identity Disorder which led to her being arrested.

I need to interject something here. Kelly is one of the most transparent victims that I have ever interviewed. She insisted that I tell our readers this story since she didn’t want to hide it, even though her record has been expunged. (Kelly, you are incredible!) It was her insistence on telling me uncomfortable details that should help others to recognize her righteous nature.

Kelly got married in 2002 and had three children from 2003- 2006. Unfortunately, her emotional issues had never been fully dealt with. This led to a difficult incident.

In 2005 I started having issues with forgetfulness and insecurity. I started to believe that Longaker was following my kids and me. I thought I saw in locations around my area. I was fearful that he was going to try and hurt my girls.

I didn’t know what to do so I figured the best option would be to file a police report and make sure that he was nowhere around me or my girls.  I believed I was making an honest report in order to keep my children safe.

The police investigated my claims and determined that they were not true. They had proof that he could not have been in my area. The young police officer decided to press charges against me for filing a false police report. (editor: She tried to explain what she had been through but the officer would not take her emotional state into consideration.)

In February 2006 I was charged and plead guilty and was sentenced to one year probation and then my record would be expunged.

Kelly realized that she needed counseling and was diagnosed with DID.

Soon after that I began having mental health issues and started forgetting things that I was saying and doing. My husband and I started attending a new church and the pastor of that church met with me for pastoral counseling. The pastor realized that there was something wrong and reached out to some of his counseling friends to find me some help. (editor: This pastor deserves a standing ovation for realizing that she needed a professional counselor. He didn’t try to do it himself!)

He found a counselor who specialized in dissociative identity disorder. After my initial visit she diagnosed me with DID. It took 4 to 5 years of intense therapy to try to regain back my ability to not let my alters control me.

My diagnosis was determined in 2009. It took till about 2015 until I was regaining back my normal life.

Then Kelly discovered that Longaker is now serving as a pastor in Vermont.

In 2015, I happened to find out that he was pastoring at Fellowship Bible Church in Castleton Vermont.  I did some research and found out who the pastor was before him and reached out to him about who I could contact in the church to make them aware of these charges. I reached out to 10 members of the church by email and just let them know that I was sending them articles that were on the Internet and giving them a heads up. I never received any emails back from the people that I emailed. I did however receive a letter from a Mike Adams who continue to angrily accuse me of lying and disrupting his church and threatened to call the police if I continue to bother his church. I did not respond back to that email and I stopped interacting with the people in his church.

Here is the letter Kelly received from *Mike Adams* who sounds suspiciously like John Longaker. Maybe its just a coincidence?

This is a disturbing response by someone who claims to be from a Christian church. Read the letter carefully. Kelly told me about her brother who is in prison and I decided that it was not relevant to her story of being abused by Longacre. Notice the vicious language. How anyone could write a letter like this to an abuse victim is beyond me. Shame on *Mike.*

Mrs. Haines,

I’m writing with regard to an email correspondence that you recently sent to 10 of our church families here at Fellowship Bible Church in Castleton, Vermont.  Initially I had decided to just bite my tongue and not respond to you, but my conscience won’t allow it.  With one click of your mouse at approximately 11:00 pm on March 9th you succeeded not only in executing the cruel, heartless and selfish desires within you (cloaked in your ridiculous suggestion that you are looking out for the welfare of others)….but you also succeeded in hurting many innocent people. You have wreaked pain and havoc on one of the most innocent and loving people one could ever hope to meet in Mrs. Longaker, you have devastated the 20 years of minute by minute…day by day committment by John Longaker to fully live an uncompromised  life of service for Christ’s cause, you have wreaked pain on their innocent son Michael, you have wreaked pain in the minds and hearts of many individuals and families in this fellowship.  You might have convinced yourself that all the harm you have cruelly inflicted is for some noble reason, but God knows the true motives of your heart…..and I’m confident I do as well.

You must have done quite a bit digging to pull off this latest ill-willed stunt of yours off.  I decided to follow your example and do some digging myself.  I find it very interesting that you are quick to portray yourself as a poor innocent victim who has taken the noble and honorable task of protecting others upon yourself.  If that generous portrayal of yourself is accurate, why is it that you, in the not too distant past, provided police and law enforcement officers with false information (lies) about Mr. Longaker stalking you in an effort wreak havoc in his life?  My guess is you sweated that one out as law enforcement officers caught on to the lies you fed them.  It’s interesting that you didn’t include that information in your correspondence to our congregation.  If you are as concerned with honor and transparency as you claim to be I’m surprised that you would forget to include that little detail.  Quite a convenient omission wouldn’t you agree Mrs. Haines?

One other thing….if you are so committed to being the great and honorable protector of society at large, do you plan to notify any future employers of your brother when he is released from prison about his past transgressions? (Thank you for being such a fine example of what diligent digging can uncover).  20 years after your brother has been out of prison…has rebuilt his life…..and is and has gone to great lengths to live an honorable life….are you going to rip his life to shreds again by telling anyone who will listen how he had fallen 20 years previous?  Or is that good will of yours solely reserved for Mr. Longaker?

In short, I’m on to you Mrs. Haines.  It sickens me that you would pursue the cruel and hateful desires of your heart and guise them in Christianity…but that is between you and God.  You clearly have no apparent understanding of God’s love.. of His grace or His mercy.  As I close let me be clear about one thing: stop your harassment of Mr. Longaker. Leave him, his family and this congregation alone.  If your pattern of behavior continues I promise that I will strongly encourage Mr. Longaker to formally pursue criminal charges of harassment and any other applicable charges against you…..and I will contribute any resources at my disposal to hold you civilly responsible as well if need be.  Move on to your next prey Mrs. Haines.

My conversation with Longaker

I was so disturbed by the letter sent to Kelly that I decided to call the church and try to speak with Longacre. He picked up the phone, much to my surprise. I will try to summarize my discussion.

  • He claimed that he was innocent of the charges. His lawyer told him to pled guilty so that he would get *only probation.* He appeared to say that his lawyer is to blame for his prison term.
  • At first, he was friendly as he attempted to convince me he was innocent. He became progressively upset when I questioned his version of events.
  • He claimed that he and his wife are the real victims, saying that they have suffered every day since the trial. “Not a day doesn’t go by that I don’t think about this.”
  • He attempted to convince me that Kelly was out for revenge and that he was glad when she was arrested for a *false report.* I asked him if he understood the trauma Kelly suffered at his hands and how that might have caused her to think she was seeing him around her town. He did not answer my question.
  • He claimed that he was going to make a statement to his church on 10/7/18. I asked him if he would share a copy of that statement and he said he would send it to me. I offered to post it in its entirety. It was no surprise to me that I never received the statement.
  • I told him that I would be writing about Kelly’s story and would use his name. He wanted me to be sure to mention that he was innocent.
  • When I asked why he was convicted if he was innocent, he claimed that the DA had it out for teachers in Christian schools.
  • He claimed that his church members asked him 3 times to be the pastor so he believed that this is what God wanted. I’m a bit unclear as to whether he actually told the church of his incarceration a priori. They know now due to Kelly’s diligence. If he did say something,  I’m sure he declared his innocence and that he merely pled guilty so he wouldn’t go to prison like his lawyer promised… Apparently one woman told Kelly that he went to prison to prevent going through the trauma of the trial.

Here is the most interesting (at least to me) part of our conversation. He asked me if I believed in redemption. At this point, I smiled. I knew the direction that he was going in and I also knew that he didn’t understand how this part of the conversation would lead me to conclusively believe in his guilt.

I told him that, of course, I believe in redemption since I’m a Christian. However, redemption, after appropriate repentance, doesn’t mean that a person should be restored to the pastorate. It simply means he is now restored to being a member in good standing of the church. I reiterated that I do not believe that any pastor or teacher, etc. who abuses a student or has an affair with a member of the church should ever be allowed to be a pastor. He disagreed with me.

I explained that teachers who are now convicted of sexual activity with students go to prison and lose their licenses permanently. Did he feel that churches should have lower standards than public schools? Again, he offered no response to my question.

At this point, he brought up how the apostle Paul was forgiven and went on to be a church leader. This is one of the silliest and most common *gotcha* proof texts that I hear frequently. Do people actually read their Bibles? I told him that Paul persecuted Christians BEFORE he became a Christian and that had he continued that activity after his conversion he would have been booted out!

He claimed that there was nothing in the Bible that proved he could not be a pastor. I, of course, referred him to 1 Timothy 3 which proves my point. He disagreed.

Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full[a] respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap. (NIV)

However, I believe that he made a serious mistake in this discussion. If Longaker didn’t need redemption, why did he ask me if I believed in redemption? Why did he bring up the sins of Paul if he was totally innocent. If I was accused of a crime that I didn’t commit, I would absolutely refuse to discuss a need for redemption. I am now of the opinion that his discussion with me revealed that, deep down, he feels the need for forgiveness for his actions with Kelly. I fully believe that this man is guilty and should not step one foot in the pulpit.

The *Mike Adams” letter and Longaker

It is my opinion that Longaker either wrote or helped write this letter posted above.

  • How did a fictitious Adams know about Kelly’s arrest or her brothers arrest?
  • The person refers to the pain of Mrs. Longacre and Longaker’s now adult son as if this was of highest importance.
  • The letter does not mention Kelly’s suffering. We have a prime directive at TWW. Always express empathy for the victim.
  • Longaker is referred to in glowing terms ” to fully live an uncompromised  life of service for Christ’s cause,”
  • He threatens Kelly with the police as if he knows her full story.
  • But, the most important thing of all, is that he does not mention Longaker’s innocence.

This injudicious letter reveals the heart of Longaker (or someone who knows him well.) It is mean and vindictive. However, it does not hurt Kelly any longer. Kelly now see beyond his carefully constructed facade. She is the one who emerges as the victorious survivor who is taking charge of her life by willingly confronting the man who  believe harmed her greatly. If Longaker continues in the the pastorate, it tells me all I need to know about the members of the church as well as him.

Did you know that two pastors referred Kelly to me?

This is a first for TWW. Kelly has two pastors who care deeply about her. They understand and believe her story. They are sensitive to her emotional state as well as her needs. They asked if we could help her in any way. They are supportive of this blog post as are Kelly and her husband.

This is a post about Kelly and her fight for wholeness. However, I need to thank these pastors who want to remain unnamed. Not only are they being incredibly supportive of Kelly but they understand the terrible consequences of abuse.

“Thank you for being a part of the *good guys* in pastoral leadership. You are wonderful, caring pastors. May your tribe increase.”

“Kelly, you are amazing. Even as you fight for wholeness and survival, you care about protecting others. I not only believe you but I admire you.”

Comments

John Longaker, a Convicted Predator, Is Now a Pastor and His Brave Victim, Kelly Haines, Wants to Know Why — 116 Comments

  1. “He claimed that there was nothing in the Bible that proved he could not be a pastor. I, of course, referred him to 1 Timothy 3 which proves my point. He disagreed.”

    And Titus 1 as well, if he or the church need another.

  2. From the defense attorney per the news story at the time of sentencing:

    “Hileman said his client is not guilty of the charges. “They did have a relationship,” Hileman said, but he would not describe it. “She was 17 at the time…. If she’s not under 16, then he’s not guilty. There’s no allegation of force. There’s no allegation of lack of consent. She was not underage.””

    ‘They did have a relationship’ one being the married pastor and the other being a minor babysitter. I believe the “above reproach” threshold is ripe for consideration by his current flock.

  3. Thank you for bringing this to Light. John should never be a pastor. I have always hoped that some day he would be able to humbly admit his sin, acknowledge the trauma he put Kelly (and his other victims) through, apologize to all he hurt, and seek to make restitution for his past actions. It greatly saddens me to hear how he has attempted to twist the truth, to blame the victim, to deny what actually happened…all to continue to manipulate the people around him. He is a conman.
    Yes, God offers forgiveness, freely, to those who truly repent. John has made it clear that he does not bear the fruit of Biblical repentance.

  4. Before I even mention this… Someone has probably already notified the local newspaper on this and sent this link. It will be reported on just for the readership appeal by itself let alone the the current state of the affairs in this country.

    Has “Mike” not looked at the news in the past 30 days… He walked himself right on to the proverbial plank with that letter/email.

  5. I know I sound like a broken record when these things come up, but Mr. Longaker should be permanently disqualified from the office of pastor. If he is truly repentant, he can be restored to fellowship but not to leadership.

  6. I read Longaker’s profile at his Vermont church’s website linked in the article. I found it odd that the profile only refers to him as “Pastor John”. Looks like he is actively trying to hide his identity from anyone who might try to check on his background.

    Regardless, his guilty plea disqualifies him from the pastorate in my book.

  7. “He claimed that there was nothing in the Bible that proved he could not be a pastor. I, of course, referred him to 1 Timothy 3 which proves my point. He disagreed.” (Dee)

    There are no examples in the New Testament of pastors who failed morally being restored to the ministry.

    Mr. Longaker was not disagreeing with you, he was disagreeing with the Word of God. Dangerous ground.

  8. Yuk. That letter from Adams to Kelly made me nauseous. I can’t imagine Kelly (a victim) receiving that letter from a man who claims to be a “Christian,” to use Mike Adams’ own words. Good grief.

    John Longaker should never be a pastor, ever.

  9. So, at the very least, he delcares himself to be a liar by pleading guilty to something for which he claims innocence, making his word false and his character unreliable.

    I believe Kelly.

  10. He went to prison, was released and is now serving as the sole pastor of a church in Vermont.

    Just out of curiosity, was this “church in Vermont” a church plant by Longaker?

    Kelly is remarkably transparent as she shares her struggles with mental illness, a struggle that was made much worse due to her abuse. I believe that Longaker could have targeted Kelly because he could use the argument that she was not to be believed, if necessary. He even tried that with me when I had the opportunity to speak with him.

    I grew up on the receiving end of a similar psych abuse dynamic, though NOT in a sexual predator context. When you’re not wrapped all that tight to begin with (and the mind manipulation side effects only make it worse), the abuser’s Angel of Light mask shines ever brighter in comparison. “Go ahead and squeal, Tattle Tale. Nobody will EVER believe you. Because YOU’re the Crazy Kid and I’m the Sweet Little Angel.”

    Abusers don’t just groom their victims/targets. They also groom third parties as allies and sympathizers so the victim is pre-discredited.

  11. Bridget: That letter from Adams to Kelly made me nauseous. I can’t imagine Kelly (a victim) receiving that letter from a man who claims to be a “Christian,” to use Mike Adams’ own words.

    You’d be surprised.
    When the Corruption of Righteousness sets in and Entropy factors in, Christian(TM) = Just like this Adams character. (Assuming that Adams is for real instead of a Longaker sock puppet. There ARE Christians like that out there, utterly inerrantly secure in their Righteousness and Faith Faith Faith.)

  12. He claimed that he and his wife are the real victims, saying that they have suffered every day since the trial. “Not a day doesn’t go by that I don’t think about this.”

    Isn’t playing the Real Victim (especially convincing third parties of it) an almost certain indicator of a Sociopath?

    He attempted to convince me that Kelly was out for revenge and that he was glad when she was arrested for a *false report.* I asked him if he understood the trauma Kelly suffered at his hands and how that might have caused her to think she was seeing him around her town. He did not answer my question.

    When your Universe has room only for yourself, all others do not really exist.
    It’s called Solipsism: Only *I* Exist; all Others are just figments of MY Imagination.

    In Scott McCloud’s Eighties ground-level comic ZOT!, there was a villain called “Dekko” (a cyborg whose head resembled the Chrysler Building) who achieved this end state of being. Dekko’s arc ends with a Shymalan Twist Reveal that the entire arc was going on in Dekko’s mind, told from his Unreliable Narrator POV. Instead of destroying the universe, he had shut himself off from outside reality to where at the end he has become totally utterly catatonic, sealed off forever inside his own head.

  13. I was struck by how similar Longaker’s grooming techniques were to those of Bill Gothard, down to being on a bus, IIRC. Makes me wonder if that one allegation of rape by BG that briefly surfaced is true.

  14. The “do you believe in redemption” argument may not indicate a felt need for forgiveness. It might simply be an attempt to shut interlocutors down: “God forgave me; that settles it. It’s the victim, and other believers who won’t forgive who are actually in the wrong now.”

  15. “In the years that I have been writing the stories of victims in school settings, I have been surprised by the number of victims who point to being on the school bus when teacher/predators first began to touch them.”

    Although I’ve never been the victim of sexual assault, I HAVE been the victim of bullying on a school bus from sixth grade up to 12th grade (with a break in 7th grade when my parents drove me to and from school.) My parents finally, in my last semester of 12th grade, pulled me off the bus.

    When my son first started school, I would NOT let him ride the bus for the first year. He is special ed, so the bus comes straight to our door. If my son had to go to a bus stop and ride the bus to school, he would not be riding a bus, period. I’ve experienced and observed too much abuse on a school bus, and the bus driver is practically powerless to do anything to prevent abuse or stop it once it starts.

  16. Tina:
    When my son first started school, I would NOT let him ride the bus for the first year.He is special ed, so the bus comes straight to our door.If my son had to go to a bus stop and ride the bus to school, he would not be riding a bus, period.I’ve experienced and observed too much abuse on a school bus, and the bus driver is practically powerless to do anything to prevent abuse or stop it once it starts.

    My sister died in a tragic automobile accident, and her then 13 year-old daughter survived the accident, but she had extensive head injuries and brain trauma that resulted in an induced coma and brain surgery. She was in the hospital for months, but we were not sure how she would ultimately turn out. Her brain injuries resulted in partial blindness, and partial paralysis in her right arm. She could eventually walk, talk, dress and feed herself, see to her own toilet needs so in other words, she was not in a state of total care in a nursing home for the rest of her life so we consider this a miracle in itself and she adapted well to being partially blind. Anyway, my mother was able to get guardianship of her because her sperm donor father was never in the picture and didn’t want the responsibility (except when a lawsuit was settled on behalf of my niece a couple of years later-luckily that money was put in a trust so sperm donor could not access it, but that’s another story). When my niece came home from the hospital, the local public school did not even want to allow her to attend because they deemed her “too disabled”. This was 1992 so we were able to fight this because of the Disabilities Act and a proactive neurosurgeon who threatened the school with a lawsuit. My niece was tested and she retained all that she learned in school prior, but she had trouble learning anything new so she was put in Special Ed. The Special Ed teacher was great, but the school guidance counselor was a horrible woman who really discriminated against my niece and other special ed kids. Unfortunately, my niece was bullied a lot, and the school bus was one of the worse places this happened. She came home with 12 pieces of gum in her hair put there by the brats on the school bus. These kids were junior high/ high school age, and they knew why my niece was the way she was as the accident happened right in the middle of town and was well publicized. My mother complained several times to the school about the bullying on the school bus as well as in school, but trying to get the school to actually do anything about it was terrible. Somehow, it seems like my niece was always scapegoated in these situations even when when she wasn’t capable of really understanding why these kids treated her that way. Of course, no one would come forward as to who put gum in my niece’s hair, and my niece didn’t really seem to know who they were (or was afraid) and of course the bus driver was oblivious. What a horror show! At least my niece graduated, was adopted by my mother, and she is living a happy life today, but this kind of stuff still leaves scars.

  17. I’m so sorry Kelly. It’s shocking & to say, “it’s wrong” is so weak. What a brave woman you are against such evil.

  18. NJ: I was struck by how similar Longaker’s grooming techniques were to those of Bill Gothard, down to being on a bus, IIRC. Makes me wonder if that one allegation of rape by BG that briefly surfaced is true.

    Sadly, there seemed to be a pattern of Gothard choosing girls who had been sexually abused and traumatized by others as his victims. These were easier prey, being victims who trusted him for healing and guidance. Second, it gave him plausible deniability should anyone accuse him of abuse – the accuser is obviously ‘messed up’, thus cannot be believed. Abusers like this are dastardly clever. It turns my stomach.

  19. TS00,

    I believe it also engaged the strategy of hiding abuse in plain sight – who would believe an abuser would be stupid enough to molest or ‘caress’ a victim in public? Just another strategy for making the accuser appear to be lying.

  20. Kelly Haines, thank you so much for fighting and caring. I am a survivor of repeated childhood sexual abuse and I will call you a hero. If we had more people like you child sexual abuse would diminish.

    I grew up in a huge Christian family full of many grandparents, mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, and sister who did not care if anyone got molested or raped. We had more than one gross pedo in the family. You are a better person than all my family members combined. I have cousins who have committed suicide and went to prison because they were sexually abused as little boys.

    It looks very much like Christians think it is worse to say, “I was sexually abused” then it is for a man or women to sexually abuse someone.

    Kelly, I have been suicidal since I was eleven because of my sexual abuse. People have trash talked me for my negative mental health. I am very sorry for all you have been through and completely understood.

    The letter this man sent you is so typical of the kind of Christian leaders I have known all my life. They want the victim to take the blame and the man to get his bottom kissed. It is like they are telling raped women and raped children; please make your sexual abuser feel better for abusing you. It is the sexual abuser who needs coddling, pampering and doting on.

    These men are pure evil. Neither one of them hate sexual abuse or care about people or children who have been sexually abused. I was badly burnt as a child and compared to the sexual abuse the burns were like Disney Land. It is the selfish misogyny in Christianity that makes so many Christians poop all over abused women and children.

    The letter this man sent you makes me sick. I doubt he would talk this way or take these opinions of a sexual abuser. Which proves he is a horrible human being.

  21. TS00,

    Thank you and Guest for your comments. What happened to my niece was a long time ago, but she is doing great today. That said, I just related her story because of a comment about abuse on a school bus and Kelly Haines abuse from a teacher started on a school bus. In Kelly’s case, I cannot believe that this guy is a pastor today. What was this church thinking of when they hired him? Kelly may have been technically old enough by law as far as age of consent, but this guy was a married teacher. The abuse of power here is astounding. Lawyers, psychiatrists, and teachers can’t have sexual relationships with clients or students, or they can lose their license. Why aren’t pastors held to the same standards? And how could a former teacher turned predator even become a pastor is beyond me??? It doesn’t make sense.

  22. “executing the cruel, heartless and selfish desires within you”

    The two men John Longaker and Mike Adams are 100% cruel, heartless, and selfish. And they have a desire to minimize sexual abuse and kick dirt in the face of a victim.

    “cloaked in your ridiculous suggestion that you are looking out for the welfare of others”

    This self-serving comment is ridiculous. As someone who was sexually exploited as a child, I consider Kelly to be a hero and she is looking out for the welfare of naive vulnerable girls. And the man or men who wrote this letter do not hate sexual abuse and are completely clueless.

    “succeeded in hurting many innocent people”

    Any good mother wants to be warned she is taking her children to a church run by a pervert that preys on vulnerable girls.

    “20 years of minute by minute…day by day committment by John Longaker to fully live an uncompromised life”

    Bullpoop!

    “Mr. Longaker stalking you in an effort wreak havoc in his life?”

    More bullpoop.

    “It sickens me that you would pursue the cruel and hateful desires of your heart and guise them in Christianity”

    It sickens me that anyone would let their children around a man who is a sexual predator. It sickens me that anyone would defend a sexual predator against the person he abused.

    “stop your harassment of Mr. Longaker. Leave him, his family and this congregation alone.”

    Is Mr. Longaker afraid he might have to go get a real job? Why can’t people know who John Longaker really is?

    “Move on to your next prey Mrs. Haines.”

    What a totally stupid thing to say. It is John Longaker who preyed on an underage girl. And no doubt wishes to do it again and not be called out about it.

    Mike Adams is so protective of a predator I am wondering if he is not one himself. One thing is for sure about these men; they have no shame about sexually exploiting a vulnerable young girl and then pooping all over her.

  23. Blessings to you, Kelly; hopefully your coming forward will give others courage to do so, and maybe even prevent more victims of this selfish predator.

  24. “If she’s not under 16, then he’s not guilty.”

    From the dudes lawyer. How many churches appear to believe this sort of thing, though? Further, they tend to believe the teenage girls are all seducing grown men. Gross.

  25. From that Letter:

    you succeeded not only in executing the cruel, heartless and selfish desires within you

    The cruel desire to…self reports from the news telling what someone was convicted of? This is little the Chantry-bros who thought you couldn’t report on filed charges! Actually arrests! This guy went to jail! What nonsense.

    but you also succeeded in hurting many innocent people. You have wreaked pain and havoc on one of the most innocent and loving people one could ever hope to meet in Mrs. Longaker

    Can I tell you how much I am OVER these dudes trying to use their wives (and kids) as shields to protect them from their own predatory behavior? Also, she stuck by him when he went to prison for this behavior???? Then she already knows. I don’t know how this could hurt more than..that.

  26. Ken P.: I read Longaker’s profile at his Vermont church’s website linked in the article. I found it odd that the profile only refers to him as “Pastor John”. Looks like he is actively trying to hide his identity from anyone who might try to check on his background.

    Oooh. Good call!

  27. Ken P.: his guilty plea disqualifies him from the pastorate in my book.

    Can I just take a second to point out that the playbook for any accusation seems to go down the road of
    1. I need proof to believe it
    2. If it really happened it would go to court
    3. If it really happened, there would be a guilty verdict/jail time.

    BUT when these conditions are met, we just see more shifting to ‘oh actually it’s still not true because xyz’/he already paid his time/ you’re hurting his wife and kids.

    Basically, way too many people will never be happy holding a man responsible for his actions in these types of cases. There will always be an excuse why he didn’t do it or it’s ok that he did. Tired of it.

  28. Headless Unicorn Guy: Isn’t playing the Real Victim (especially convincing third parties of it) an almost certain indicator of a Sociopath?

    It is absolutely a tell and we should be watching out for it.

  29. Guest: It looks very much like Christians think it is worse to say, “I was sexually abused” then it is for a man or women to sexually abuse someone.

    Must Keep Up the Appearance of the Perfect Christian Bubble, where everyone is Devout and Joyful and Perfect and Sinless all the time. (After all, it’s those HEATHEN who have all the problems — We’re SAVED!)

  30. TS00: Sadly, there seemed to be a pattern of Gothard choosing girls who had been sexually abused and traumatized by others as his victims. These were easier prey, being victims who trusted him for healing and guidance.

    And they were already Spoiled Goods (non-virgins), so it didn’t matter anyway.
    Add “you can’t rape a whore” to extreme Virgin/Whore Dichotomy and how can you not end up there?

  31. Dee, in your conversation with John Longakre, did he say he knew of “Mike Adams”? Did he acknowledge him as part of the congregation? “Mike” sure seemed to know a lot about the pastor…..

  32. Lea: Can I tell you how much I am OVER these dudes trying to use their wives (and kids) as shields to protect them from their own predatory behavior? Also, she stuck by him when he went to prison for this behavior???? Then she already knows. I don’t know how this could hurt more than..that.

    Yes. The person who did the “hurting” in this case was the unfaithful husband… not the young girl he pursued and abused. People try to use this line in cases of abusive marriages as well: “He is suffering so much because you left him.” No, he is suffering because he abused his wife and there are consequences to sin. John’s wife may be suffering but it is because of her husband’s sinful choices, not because the victim is speaking of those choices.

  33. nw hiker,

    Mike Adams has never and is still not anyone the church knows. He is fictitious. It was a way for him to communicate to me. His Facebook profile which is where he sent it is now gone. It’s odd that no one knows this “Mike Adams” who spoke on behalf of the church and Pastor but he has a lot of information no one else would know except John Longaker.

  34. nw hiker,

    Guest,

    I am so sorry for your pain! It’s not right and you are believed! The church is a breeding ground for this behavior and it needs to stop. I am here if you need to talk! God Bless You!

  35. Kelly Haines:
    nw hiker,

    Mike Adams has never and is still not anyone the church knows. He is fictitious. It was a way for him to communicate to me. His Facebook profile which is where he sent it is now gone. It’s odd that no one knows this “Mike Adams” who spoke on behalf of the church and Pastor but he has a lot of information no one else would know except John Longaker.

    SOCK PUPPET.

  36. Jeffrey J Chalmers:
    Headless Unicorn Guy,

    Exactly…

    Part of growing up a Kid Genius is a bent towards Perfectionism to begin with.
    A lot of this probably came from Unrealistic Expectations, first from parents, then from the school system. (Again, Wesley Crusher/Doogie Houser is the FANTASY of the Kid Genius, NOT the Reality.)

    And then when I got sucked into Born-Again Bible-Believing Christianity (read End Times Fundagelical) in my teens, that only supercharged the Perfectionism. (“AND GOD HATES SIN WITH SUCH A PERFECT HATRED…”) I was the only Imperfect One in a sea of Uber-Uber-Christians in a milieu where “Be Ye Perfect” came straight from the lips of God.

    That way lies Madness.

  37. Logical syllogism:
    Premise 1: A pastor must Have a good reputation (1 Tim. 3).
    Premise 2: John Longaker has a dishonorable reputation.
    Logical Conclusion: John Longaker cannot be a pastor.

  38. Lea,

    What is this over 16 business??
    Several times a year, another public school teacher in my area is fired for having “inappropriate relations” with UNDER 18 year olds… There is a reason for this.. and it is pathetic that churches could have lower standards!!

  39. Are we sure that this church really exists?

    If it does, and this individual is still the pastor after Sunday, than you have a number of parents that care little for their children.

    J.M.

  40. DD,

    In the eyes of the courts, he was found guilty. So it is not a she said/he said. Seriously? You think it is innocent and normal for a teacher to be alone with 14 year old girls?

  41. GMFS

    ION: New Wartburger

    My wife, Lesley, has expressed an interest in commenting here on Wartburg. She’s busy during today, so she’ll probably be arriving in Wartburg this evening. I’m not sure how many other married couples we’ve got here.

    Lesley is like me, only better. Though she doesn’t climb at quite the same grades; she on-sights 6a and is working on projects up to 6b+ at the local climbing wall. The seeds of true love were sown the day we did the Cairngorm 4000’s – the five 4000-foot summits in the Cairngorm mountains, a walk of 27 miles with around 7500 feet of ascent by the route we chose. So, overall, she’s not bad for a girl.

    (Quote from behind: Don't give me a big write-up and then I can't live up to it!)

    She has no interest in cricket. But hey.

    IHTIH

  42. dee:
    DD,

    In the eyes of the courts, he was found guilty. So it is not a she said/he said.Seriously? You think it is innocent and normal for a teacher to be alone with 14 year old girls?

    Not only that but HE pleaded guilty. No matter what, he admitted to the court that criminal activities occurred. Which means either he was rightfully guilty of sexual crimes, which I believe to be the case, or he lied to the court in admitting his guilt. Here is the kicker, either of those two possibilities would preclude him from being a pastor under 1 Timothy 3.

  43. DD:
    Looks like a s/he said s/he said. Only those who were there will ever know for sure.

    “The probable cause affidavit for Longaker’s arrest indicates he admitted to officials at the Massachusetts church school where he taught after he left Faith Baptist that he began the relationship with the girl when she was around 14.”

    It can’t be dismissed as he said/ she said when the original affidavit said that Longaker admitted to starting a relationship with Kelly when she was 14. Longaker corroborated Kelly’s story to officials and then tried to deny it through his attorney later on. Changing his story looks really bad in my book.

  44. Jarrett Edwards: Not only that but HE pleaded guilty. No matter what, he admitted to the court that criminal activities occurred. Which means

    Which means they had enough to get him for worse, imo. That should tell you something.

  45. Headless Unicorn Guy: Just out of curiosity, was this “church in Vermont” a church plant by Longaker?

    No, it was founded in the 1980s by a team from Word of Life Bible Institute:

    http://wolvictoryjournal.blogspot.com/2012/10/on-their-way-back-home-chris-gnanakan.html

    “Chris first had to practice planting churches in the United States, and his ministry at the Bible Institute was doing just that. Every weekend for six months, he went with a team led by Brian Gower to Fair Haven, Vermont, where the students planted a church and developed a congregation. Family Bible Church remains today in Castleton, led by Pastor John Longaker.”

  46. Lea,

    “Can I just take a second to point out that the playbook for any accusation seems to go down the road of
    1. I need proof to believe it
    2. If it really happened it would go to court
    3. If it really happened, there would be a guilty verdict/jail time.”
    +++++++++++++++++++

    or, as Denny Burk would say regarding sexual assault,

    “if it really happened, there would need to be 2-3 witnesses”.

    he is a person of influence amongst christian leaders. he actively seeks to influence and shape thinking in christian culture with his platform.

    think of the message this sends to predators everywhere.

    https://twitter.com/mmmirele/status/1046776931134332928

  47. Judas Maccabeus:
    Are we sure that this church really exists?

    If it does, and this individual is still the pastor after Sunday, than you have a number of parents that care little for their children.

    J.M.

    JMJ over at his old blog Christian Monist saw worse than that in the church when he was growing up in rural Tennessee.

    There it was an open secret that one of the Assistant Pastors (or some similar position like Organist/Musicisan or Sunday School Teacher) was a closet pedophile. When a new family with small kids joined that church, the Pillars of the Church would Piously steer them to Pastor Pedo in the hope he would rape THEIR kids, not Mine.

  48. Jeffrey J Chalmers:
    Lea,

    What is this over 16 business??
    Several times a year, another public school teacher in my area is fired for having “inappropriate relations” with UNDER 18 year olds… There is a reason for this..and it is pathetic that churches could have lower standards!!

    They’ve already anticipated you, Jeff.

    Take your pick:
    1) That’s a Godless SECULAR Public School…
    2) SCRIPTURE! “My Ways are Not Your Ways…”, “The Way of The Flesh is Manifest…”
    3) “BLessed are ye who are PERSECUTED For Righteousness’ Sake…”

  49. Headless Unicorn Guy,

    “…in a milieu where “Be Ye Perfect” came straight from the lips of God.

    That way lies Madness.”
    ++++++++++++++++

    madness & neuroses-inducing for any joe- and joeanne-human being.

    quiet confession time in a christian prayer setting: christians start scouring their short and long-term memory banks for things to self-flaggelate over.

    such as

    “Oh, Lord,…. Lord,… forgive me for my tone this morning!”

    “Oh, Lord,…. Lord…. forgive me for my rotten motives. i helped someone (and it truly made a difference for them), but inside i think i wanted to be hero for it.”

  50. Kelly Haines,

    Thank you, Kelly, for your courage in speaking out. You were very right to do so. I am sorry for these circumstances. i believe you. You are credible.

  51. dee: People in churches can be so gosh darn naive.

    Most church folks overdo “gentle as doves.” They need to be more discerning and cautious about the wolves hiding in plain sight (some even in the pulpit!).

    “Listen! I am sending you out just like sheep to a pack of wolves. You must be as cautious as snakes and as gentle as doves.” (Matthew 10:16)

  52. Recently, our daughter’s got us into One Day At A Time, the sitcom (it’s on Netflix; other streaming services are available). AWWBA, although it’s a comedy, it makes a decent fist of dealing honestly with topics that are not intrinsically funny.

    There’s a great little scene between two of the main characters, one of whom has (ill-advisedly) stopped taking anti-depressant medication. The other, a former alcoholic/addict, says the following:

    So, it’s 4th of July, 2011. I’d been sober for a while so I thought I’d celebrate. With a beer. Woke up three days later in an alley…

    That was the day I truly accepted that I can’t have alcohol or drugs. Ever…

    So I kind of get where you’re coming from. There’s something I want, that I can’t have for the rest of my life.

    Schneider, the character in question, is not a predator or an abuser – of course, he is fictitious, but there are people in real life who mess up, and know afterwards that they cannot just pick up where they left off, as though nothing had happened.

    Predators never lose their sense of entitlement. Predators who have latched on to christian support networks never lose their sense of entitlement to be paid clergy.

    The fictitious Schneider, played by actor Todd Grinnell, serves a certain comedic purpose, but also a more serious one; the target audience of One Day At A Time is supposed to like him. The almost-certainly-fictitious “Mike Adams”, probably played surreptitiously, is aimed at a very different audience: the faux- or naive christian enablers.

  53. Nick Bulbeck: almost-certainly-fictitious “Mike Adams”

    If “Mike Adams” is really John Longaker, he is a sick man.

    Another sick man disguised himself as “William Wallace II” and trolled the blogosphere cussing like a sailor in comments defending Mark Driscoll … turned out to be Driscoll!

  54. DD,

    This is NOT a case of he said/she said. It was proven in a court of law. A judge sentenced him and denied his appeal. He went to jail.

  55. Max,

    AMEN!!

    Yes, there can be forgiveness! Yes, there can be restoration to fellowship! But choices have consequences, and in some serious areas such as abuse, those consequences for leadership are clear and lifelong.

  56. dee: People in churches can be so gosh darn naive.

    It’s one thing to uninformed or misinformed, but quite another to be willingly ignorant!

  57. Thank you, Wartburg Watch, for bringing this into the light!
    Thank you, Kelly, for being willing to re-live this so that others can be warned!
    I pray that Fellowship Bible Church in Castleton, Vermont will be willing to see the wolf in shepherd’s clothing that they’ve appointed to watch their sheep.

  58. Max,

    “It’s one thing to uninformed or misinformed, but quite another to be willingly ignorant!”
    +++++++++++++++++

    i can’t help but think that “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (I Cor 13) feeds this mindset.

    The chapter is a great description of love…. but i do think this part is dangerous.

    especially with all the pressure put on people with the bible as ‘infallible, inerrant’.

    considering the fact that it’s wrapped up in the *concept of God, the perceived stakes are God-sized high — people lose touch with common sense, even right and wrong, each of which yield to whatever ‘the book’ says.

    or, whatever the person of influence says it says.

    (*because all that is necessary to manipulate people is to simply allude to the idea of “God”, i distinguish between the concept of God and one’s own belief in God, including my own)

  59. elastigirl: i can’t help but think that “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (I Cor 13) feeds this mindset

    Some religious folks can be so open-minded that their spiritual brains fall out. Darn it, they should at least exercise a measure of common sense about who they put in the pulpit!!

  60. Max: Another sick man disguised himself as “William Wallace II” and trolled the blogosphere cussing like a sailor in comments defending Park Fiscal … turned out to be Fiscal!

    You’ll be familiar, I’m sure, with the concept of the Mary-Sue Character in fiction; it’s usually a self-insertion by an author. When sociopaths get themselves into the pulpit, I suppose they have limitless opportunities to pretend the Real World is what they want it to be.

  61. Nick Bulbeck: You’ll be familiar, I’m sure, with the concept of the Mary-Sue Character in fiction; it’s usually a self-insertion by an author.

    Type example: The two main/viewpoint characters of Left Behind (Volumes 1-16).

    (At least they didn’t insert themselves as Immortal Alicorn Princes…)

  62. Max: Another sick man disguised himself as “William Wallace II” and trolled the blogosphere cussing like a sailor in comments defending Mark Driscoll … turned out to be Driscoll!

    And completely clueless that Braveheart was HEAVILY fictionalized.

  63. RG:
    DD,

    This is NOT a case of he said/she said.It was proven in a court of law.A judge sentenced him and denied his appeal.He went to jail.

    A GODLESS SECULAR Judge(TM).
    (You know that’s how it’ll be spun. Christians are so predictable.)

  64. Max: It’s one thing to uninformed or misinformed, but quite another to be willingly ignorant!

    It’s called denial. Ignorance is lack of information, for which one may be more or less responsible. Being in denial is refusing to address and deal with trustworthy information that has been put before you. When you close your eyes, put your fingers in your ears and hum ‘tra la la’ loudly, you are no longer simply ignorant, which is forgivable and can be overcome.

    A person in denial, however, is extremely difficult to help; it is voluntary, and serves to protect something precious which the individual in denial does not want to give up. It always makes me think of Jesus and the rich young ruler, or his comments that we must hate father and mother . . . if we are not willing to give up everything else, we are not truly trusting in God.

  65. Headless Unicorn Guy: A GODLESS SECULAR Judge(TM).
    (You know that’s how it’ll be spun. Christians are so predictable.)

    They do like to spin it like that but here is the issue they don’t want acknowledge. 1st Timothy 3 verse 7 “He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.”

    So having a good reputation among the godless secular heathens of the world is an actual requirement of scripture. Being convicted of sexual crimes in a secular court means that he does not have a good reputation among outsiders.

  66. Headless Unicorn Guy: And completely clueless that Braveheart was HEAVILY fictionalized.

    For instance… “Braveheart” was, historically, the epithet applied to Robert Bruce, not William Wallace.

  67. TS00: It’s called denial.

    We see it time and again. When a trusted pastor is accused of sexual misconduct, the congregation often runs to their side attempting to silence their victim(s) – turning them into more of a victim than they were.

  68. We are on the ground here with Kelly. Thank you all for your support and encouragement. I cannot stress enough how brave Kelly and her family have been in all of this. Authentic and honest. Risking herself for other potential victims. I do pray that her bravery in the face of her brokenness will lead to wholeness for her and others. We have a good Heavenly Father, who’s heart is broken in all of this.

    Dee, you can’t possibly know how much I appreciate your work on the front lines for Kelly. Bless you.

  69. TS00: A person in denial, however, is extremely difficult to help;

    We seem to have entire churches, and beyond, in denial these days. It’s hard to find a safe one these days.

  70. Bridget: We seem to have entire churches, and beyond, in denial these days. It’s hard to find a safe one these days.

    A lot of these abuse cases over the years involve youth pastors. IMO, the American church needs to rethink its youth ministry model. Turning young inexperienced pastors loose on youth groups has proven not to be a good idea in far too many places. Our young people need mature men and women of God who can disciple them, rather than preacher-boys who serve up pizza and Christianity Lite. The Bible provides a better model: older men mentoring younger men, older women mentoring younger women (Titus 2).

  71. TS00: It’s called denial. Ignorance is lack of information, for which one may be more or less responsible. Being in denial is refusing to address and deal with trustworthy information that has been put before you. When you close your eyes, put your fingers in your ears and hum ‘tra la la’ loudly, you are no longer simply ignorant, which is forgivable and can be overcome.

    A person in denial, however, is extremely difficult to help; it is voluntary, and serves to protect something precious which the individual in denial does not want to give up. It always makes me think of Jesus and the rich young ruler, or his comments that we must hate father and mother . . . if we are not willing to give up everything else, we are not truly trusting in God.

    Its called “cognitive dissonance.”

  72. Kelly is a hero who needs to be applauded for her courage to speak up and not let this predator continue to decieve and victomize others. There is no way he should be in the pastorate or in any other position of leadership. And his congregation must take their blinders off for the sake of the youth and children in the community. This man needs to be labeled as a sex offender.

  73. Thank you, Kelly, for sharing all of this so openly. I know it will help others, many of whom do not trust their own perceptions but will see familiar patterns. And thank you, WW, for printing the letter from “Mike Adams.” It’s an excellent illustration of the toxic waste that can spew out of an abuser who feels cornered.

  74. Unfortunately, it looks like Fellowship Bible Church in Castleton is choosing to believe John’s version of the story. They are standing behind him because “this was 20 years ago.”

    If other victims are willing to come forward…please reach out to The Wartburg Watch or to Kelly. We will believe you and support you!

  75. RG: They are standing behind him because “this was 20 years ago.”

    They are choosing to believe man who would do this to a teen? If a man did this once, he could do it again. Do not be surprised if more people come forward. be careful, church. Now that you know this, if it happens again, you will have a lawsuit on your hands.

    Longer should NEVER be allowed to be a pastor. Yes, he can be a member of a church if he repents but he must never stand in the pulpit. He still denies that he did anything. Yet he went to prison. Danger- church. Red flags waving.

  76. RG,

    Also, I hope the church understands that I am a Christian and I am calling them out. This is not an attack of Satan or whatever. It is calling the church to defend the victims, not the perps.

  77. dee,

    I totally agree. John has several other victims. I just don’t know whether they’ve healed enough yet to be strong enough to come forward.

    More victims need to be made aware of http://www.me2csa.com It’s a site that registers reports of child sexual abuse anonymously. Then if another victim lists the same perpetrator, the site will contact each victim and ask if they’d like to share contact info. There is strength in numbers!

  78. RG: Unfortunately, it looks like Fellowship Bible Church in Castleton is choosing to believe John’s version of the story. They are standing behind him because “this was 20 years ago.”

    Did they give him a standing ovation after Pastor John presented his version of the story?

  79. RG,

    Or a leader of the church trying to get more details so he can show this guy the door, particularly if he lied or omitted information when he was before his ordination council.

    J.M.

  80. RG,

    “Unfortunately, it looks like Fellowship Bible Church in Castleton is choosing to believe John’s version of the story. They are standing behind him because “this was 20 years ago.””
    +++++++++++++++

    to some degree this decision is a matter of their own convenience. it’s not purely on principle.

    imagine… closing your eyes to sexual abuse of a teen ager because it’s personally convenient…

    well, unfortunately it is all to easy to imagine christian leaders and their followers doing just this. it’s not all that uncommon.

  81. I assure you John Longacre is 100% guilty. I was a fellow classmate of Kelly’s. He has and always will be a manipulator. Do some more digging and you’ll find he was quietly dismissed from other Christian schools before this and Kelly was definitely not the only victim.

  82. D,

    Yes, John is guilty. His church can’t believe Kelly’s story in this article…and there are court documents to prove that. Do you think they’d believe all the other victims when they would just have their voices?! Probably not. I pray other victims will come forward and join their voices together!!!!

    But WE will! There are some who know the Truth and who will stand by the survivors!!!

  83. D,

    Wow. It would be great if you could provide names and/or dates of other schools he worked at. Or at least hints for the Deebs.

  84. RG: His church can’t believe Kelly’s story in this article…and there are court documents to prove that.

    It’s not that they can’t believe the court documents, its that they stubbornly refuse to believe the court documents.

  85. TS00,

    I believe Dee already has the records that show where John taught school. I know two schools are listed in the newspaper article above. (I don’t think we know where he attended church before Faith Baptist though.) The tricky thing is figuring out EVERYWHERE he had access to teen girls — church, school, work, community groups… There may be many sources of victims.

  86. To the people in Longaker’s church:

    Ask to read the court documents. Also, never fall for the old line of “I took the fall because I had a lousy lawyer.” If you do, one day you will realize that you have been suckered by a man who has used his words and actions to bring pain to another. He ruined her life. Church- read about the long term effects of sexual abuse.
    https://www.acog.org/Clinical-Guidance-and-Publications/Committee-Opinions/Committee-on-Health-Care-for-Underserved-Women/Adult-Manifestations-of-Childhood-Sexual-Abuse

  87. What about the cop who brought charges against Kelly. That is disgusting. Hopefully he has grown in wisdom since then through training or experience. Hopefully there aren’t a bunch of other young women who have been victimized a second time by this idiot

  88. If he was innocent of all this being a man of God why did he not put his faith in God and let God prove him innocent in court instead of a plea deal

  89. Duane Pease,

    Great question, Duane. I believe the answer is this: John knew he was guilty of a lot more, but he decided to plead guilty to the lower charges, hoping he would just get probation. (John also would’ve known that God would not prove him innocent!!) Thankfully, the judge saw through him, realized there was no recognition of the crimes he had committed, and decided to give him jail time!! Too bad there aren’t more judges like that nowadays.

  90. Pingback: Black Collar Crime: Evangelical John Longaker Continues to Pastor After Sex Crime Conviction | The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser

  91. This man was our pastor for a few years. I went through a divorce and he shunned me immediately. I received an email from him stating, I was going to hell and so were my children because I chose to get a divorce. I chose divorce due to my ex hunband comitting adultry. Guess who “Pastor” John protected, the man committing adultry! I replied to the email and his response was my ex husband had been forgiven by GOD. But me protecting my children I was going to hell.
    One twisted human being. Don’t throw stones Mr. Longaker. You closet seems full of skeletons I was never informed of Mr. Longakers past and I had children attending this church with me.
    I never found him very approachable and he was always defensive. Some how this does not surpise me. Sorry you are going through this Kelly!!

  92. Pingback: Convicted sexual predator pastor at Fellowship Bible Church: I’ve been forgiven – JimmyHinton.org

  93. Pingback: Did #PredatorPastor John Longaker, Head Pastor of Fellowship Bible Church in Castleton, VT Win in Deceiving People about his Sexual Misconduct? | Life Hurts.....You’re a Fighter