Granbury youth pastor accused of sexually abusing minor
Luke Cunningham
GRANBURY, Texas - A Granbury youth pastor has been arrested after being accused of sexually assaulting a minor.
The Justice Department confirmed to FOX 4 that 41-year-old Luke Cunningham was arrested on June 19 near Lubbock.
Online records show he was charged with two counts of sexual assault of a child and one count of aggravated sexual assault.
Cunningham was the student minister at Lakeside Baptist Church in Granbury.
In a public statement sent to members of the church, Lakeside said that it learned Cunningham was accused of inappropriate conduct with a minor in another church on June 2.
Lakeside Baptist said they immediately suspended Cunningham and conducted an investigation.
The church said within days they found enough evidence to fire Cunningham and reported what was discovered to law enforcement.
Before coming to Granbury, Cunningham served as a student pastor at Turning Point Church in Lubbock from 2010 to 2016.
Gateway Church founder Robert Morris resigns over abuse allegations
In the past, Morris has admitted to an extramarital relationship with a "young lady." Tuesday, the Southlake church’s board of elders said they weren't aware that the "young lady" in question may have been 12 years old.
The church in Lubbock asked anyone who has been a victim or has information about incidents involving Cunningham to contact police.
They say they received no complaints, no allegations, nor any suspicion of wrongdoing.
Details about the abuse have not been released.
Lakeside Baptist Church in Granbury says they are taking a closer look at ways to safeguard members.
"We believe that, if the Southern Baptist Convention had a working database for offenders, we would likely have never been exposed to Mr. Cunningham. We plan to do everything possible to encourage national leaders to exercise their spiritual responsibility, identify perpetrators in the churches, and stop this from happening again," said the church in a statement.
Lakeside Baptist says they plan to institute their own more rigorous process for hiring.