Fairfield Baptist Church Youth Pastor Matthew Brewer Arrested in Tennessee Human Trafficking Operation

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Matthew William Brewer, 47, a youth pastor at Fairfield Baptist Church in Centerville, Tennessee, was arrested in a recent human trafficking operation. Brewer has been charged with soliciting a minor, according to one report, and with soliciting minors for illegal sexual activity, according to another. He has not been convicted, and the charges remain allegations pending court proceedings.

Anti-human trafficking agents, a police department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations conducted a joint undercover operation. One report says it began on July 8 and lasted two days. The other describes an undercover operation lasting about a month as part of a human trafficking investigation in Middle Tennessee. The reports also differ on the number of people arrested. Authorities placed several decoy advertisements on websites known to be associated with prostitution and commercial sex cases. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation confirmed that 18 men were arrested as part of the ongoing operation, and those men were held in the Maury County Jail. One report states that the 18 people arrested were charged with illegal sexual conduct with minors.

Brewer had served as youth pastor at Fairfield Baptist Church since December 2013. Lieutenant Justin Whitwell of the Spring Hill Police Department said Brewer regularly interacts with juveniles during church activities. Because of that contact, the protection of young people is central to the questions raised by the arrest, a concern addressed in the Scriptures that call for defending the vulnerable (Proverbs 31:8-9).

Fairfield Baptist Church said it was “shocked and saddened” by the arrest. The church has suspended Brewer indefinitely from his duties and from the campus pending court proceedings. It said it is willing to cooperate with law enforcement.

The church’s social media accounts and those associated with Brewer’s ministry have been removed.