The Church That Started Calvary Chapel Will Pay $12 Million. Judgment Begins at God's House.

The church where the Calvary Chapel movement began has agreed to pay $12 million to a woman who says a former pastor raped and beat her while she worked for the church and its school programs.

Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa reached the settlement on the eve of a September trial, the Orange County Register reported. The woman, a single mother whose children attended the church's school, accused former pastor, missionary and wrestling coach Jacob Harman of assaulting her repeatedly. She also accused church leaders of protecting him despite warnings.

This is the original Calvary Chapel, where pastor Chuck Smith started a movement that spread around the world, MinistryWatch noted. For millions of evangelicals, that name means something. That is exactly why this story matters.

What she alleged

The lawsuit, filed in 2024, named the church, its then-senior pastor Brian Brodersen, Harman and others, MinistryWatch reported. It alleged that Harman isolated the woman by giving her tasks for his wrestling program and then forced himself on her, and that during one car ride he punched her repeatedly in the head and strangled her, according to the Register.

She said she was afraid to report it because she depended on her church job and the free tuition for her four children. The suit alleges Harman told her he would use his influence with Brodersen to get her fired if she spoke up.

The suit also alleges that church leaders had been warned. According to MinistryWatch, it claims Harman's then-wife told Brodersen in 2014 about his "sexual violence" and "severe addiction to alcohol," and that no investigation followed. It alleges church leaders received complaints in 2016 describing Harman as a "ticking time bomb," and that after the woman reported him in 2017, her complaint was leaked to Harman, who then sent her threatening texts. The lawsuit claimed the church's executive pastor acknowledged that the board, "and specifically Brian Brodersen, knew about Harman's abuse for many years and failed to properly address it."

These are allegations in a civil case that settled before trial. They were not proven in court.

The other side

Harman denies assaulting her. "It is just awful, the way this has painted me," he told the Register. He said the two had a relationship and that she made increasingly serious accusations after a falling-out. Police in Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach received reports, and no charges were filed. Harman has never been criminally charged with rape, MinistryWatch noted.

But in an earlier defamation case Harman brought against a family who called him a rapist, a judge called the woman's allegations "detailed and compelling" and wrote that "on at least one occasion" Harman sexually assaulted her, the Register reported. Harman's attorney said that ruling was about whether she was believable, not about a specific assault on a specific day. Harman pays nothing under the settlement, and he still coaches wrestling in Southern California, according to The Roys Report.

The church said it investigated when concerns were raised in 2017, permanently removed him and revoked his ordination. "We are grateful to have reached a resolution that reflects our commitment to caring for those affected by harmful behavior," it said. "With this painful chapter of our church's history behind us, we remain fully focused on being more conformed into the image of Jesus."

Judgment begins with the household of God

It is tempting for Christians to look away from stories like this, or to blame the reporters who tell them. That instinct is wrong. "It is time for judgment to begin at the household of God," Peter wrote (1 Peter 4:17). The church does not protect the name of Jesus by protecting men who abuse the flock. It protects his name by telling the truth, caring for victims and removing wolves.

Scripture sets a high bar for those who lead. An elder must be "above reproach," "not violent but gentle," and "well thought of by outsiders" (1 Timothy 3). Jesus said it would be better for a millstone to be hung around the neck of anyone who causes one of these little ones to stumble. A church that ignores warnings about a leader's violence because he runs a successful program has its priorities upside down.

Her attorney, Grady Howe, said what she wants most is "for other victims to know that they aren't alone." Another of her lawyers, David Sugden, put the lesson for churches plainly: "You have to have structures in place to make sure that the flock is protected."

Every church, large or small, should take that seriously this week. The questions are not only for churches. Closer to home, Montgomery County families are asking how a school district handled grooming allegations against a former wrestling coach. Do you check backgrounds and follow up on warnings? Do you report to police when the law requires it? Does a single mother on staff have someone safe to go to? Has your board ever chosen a ministry's reputation over a member's safety?

A settlement is not a confession. The church admitted no fault and offered no apology under the settlement's terms, her attorney told The Roys Report, which first reported the deal. But $12 million is a loud warning. Shepherds are accountable to God for the sheep. The best way to honor that is to make sure no one in our pews ever has to wait years to be heard.

Hero photo: St. Mary's church, Wilsford, England (not Calvary Chapel), by Jules & Jenny via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped and resized.