Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Wichita, Kansas, Admits It Dismissed Earlier Abuse Reports Against Former Youth Pastor

Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Wichita, Kansas, has admitted that it ignored multiple reports of child sexual abuse by its former youth pastor in the 1990s and early 2000s. According to a Father’s Day letter to congregants, the church named former student ministries director Bodie Weiss as the man who groomed and sexually abused 23 students. The letter said the church paid a settlement to only one victim after a lawyer threatened to sue. Weiss was hired by Eastminster in April 1989 and left in January 2006 to take a position at another church.

The church’s account of how the matter came to light has been reported differently. According to the letter, as reported by roysreport.com, the church initially said the allegations first came to light in July 2024, when former youth group member Tyson Stuart went public with The Wartburg Watch. KWCH reported that claims against Weiss were brought to the church’s governing board of elders in July 2024. Both reports place the start of the church’s public response in that month.

Earlier complaints were also raised. In December 2000, a former student accused Weiss of sexual harassment, and the church found the accusations “were not credible,” according to the letter. In May 2005, two men in Pennsylvania alleged that Weiss had engaged in inappropriate sexual activity with them in 1980. The church found those allegations could not be substantiated.

Eastminster’s Session engaged Fact Finding Ministry (FFM) to investigate. KWCH reported that the investigation spanned six months and included more than 52 interviews with former staff, alleged victims, and witnesses. FFM also interviewed 43 former students. The final report, which KWCH said was released last month, identified 23 individuals as victims. The allegations involve sexual abuse of boys within Weiss’s youth group, and KWCH reported that they date back to the 1990s and early 2000s. Acknowledging what was overlooked before the investigation, the church has taken responsibility for its own failures, a matter of honest dealing before God and neighbor (Proverbs 11:1).

Reports differ on Weiss’s age at death. Roysreport.com said he died in June 2020 at age 58, apparently of Covid. KWCH reported that records show he died in June 2020 at age 59. Roysreport.com also reported that the cause of death was apparently Covid, while KWCH did not state a cause.

The church has scheduled a Service of Repentance, Lament and Healing for 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 22, according to KWCH.