Arkansas Assemblies of God Pastor Sued for Alleged Sexual Abuse

A Texas resident, Suzanne Lander, filed a lawsuit on January 26 against Pastor Rodney Loy and the North Little Rock First Assembly of God in Arkansas. The suit alleges that Loy sexually abused her over a 20-year period, beginning in 1996, when she was 16, and continuing until 2016, when she was 36. The case is one of several recent lawsuits filed against an Assemblies of God church and its pastor over alleged sexual abuse.

The suit is brought under a “lookback window” statute passed by the Arkansas Legislature. The law allows child sexual abuse victims to bring civil claims that would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations, and lawsuits filed under it had to be filed by January 31. The Arkansas Supreme Court is currently considering a case involving the statute, after the Arkansas Court of Appeals ruled the law unconstitutional in 2025. If the Supreme Court upholds the appellate decision, the source notes, these cases will likely become moot.

According to the lawsuit, Lander did not discover the effects of the abuse she allegedly suffered until sometime in the past three years. She began attending the church in 1996 at age 16, when she was, in the suit’s words, in an “extremely vulnerable” condition, and she believed she had found the “home and family” she had never known. The suit states that Loy was the church’s executive pastor in 1996 and became senior pastor in 2001. It alleges he took her “under his wing,” spent time with her, bought her clothing, played basketball with her, attended her games, and began meeting with her privately for “spiritual development.” Lander characterizes these actions as part of grooming.

The lawsuit alleges that in the fall of 1996, Loy began sexual abuse, including touching of her genitalia, which allegedly led to rape. It further claims Loy “systematically conditioned her to believe” their relationship was “normal, godly, and her own fault,” and that he told her God expected her to allow him to rape her. The suit also alleges the church knew or should have known Loy posed a danger to young females, and that he regularly “mentored” young girls but not young boys. It says he enforced strict rules on other male staff interactions with women while allegedly not following them himself, and that he maintained an “authoritarian” atmosphere in which questioning him was not tolerated. These are allegations in the complaint and have not been established in court.

The lawsuit asserts that because of the church’s negligence, Lander suffered pain, distress, embarrassment, humiliation, loss of self-esteem, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. It includes claims of sexual assault and the tort of outrage against Loy, and of negligence and breach of fiduciary duty against the church. She seeks damages for pain and suffering, mental anguish, medical expenses, lost earnings, and loss of enjoyment of life. Protecting people who cannot easily defend themselves is the concern at the center of such claims (Psalm 82:3).

The North Little Rock First Assembly of God Board of Directors posted a statement on its website in response to the lawsuit. It said the lead pastor and church “have been accused of inappropriate behavior many years ago by a former employee,” and that the church board, upon first hearing of the allegation, “launched an external investigation which found nothing to substantiate the claims.” The board said it had only recently learned a lawsuit had been filed. “Pastor Rod and our church board vehemently deny these claims,” the statement said. “We are prepared to defend this accusation, and we ask for your prayers and patience during this difficult time for both the accused and the person making such an allegation.”

Source: Read the original report