Houston-Based Megachurch Accused of Covering Up Sexual Abuse

A former member of a Houston megachurch has accused the church of covering up sexual abuse. Tyler Bates claims that a former church employee, Joel Davis, sexually abused him in 2009 and 2010 when Bates was 17 and 18. Davis, who was in his mid-20s at the time, allegedly confessed the abuse to church leadership around the same period, according to Bates.

Bates shared his account on the Rita Springer Podcast, revealing that church leadership was aware of the abuse for years but instructed him not to inform his parents. In 2011, Grace Church Senior Pastor Garrett Booth told Bates to remain silent, telling him, “it’s not your story” to tell, but Davis’s, Bates said on the podcast.

In an interview with the Houston Chronicle, Bates expressed disappointment with the church, stating that Grace had failed him and all the families at the church. He emphasized the importance of confronting abuse within the church community, saying, “We can’t just shuffle around or walk on eggshells because we’re afraid to call the church out.”

Grace Church, established in 1983, is a non-denominational megachurch that describes itself as one of the “biggest churches in the Houston area.” The Roys Report attempted to contact Grace for comment but did not receive a response before publication.

On the podcast, Bates described how he did not remember the abuse but was told about it by Davis in 2011. At the time, Bates was an intern at Grace, and he had reached out to Davis for advice on a dating relationship. Instead of offering guidance, Davis confessed to Bates that he had molested him in July 2010 while they were sleeping in the same hotel room on a church trip.

Bates recalled the conversation as awkward, saying he did not know how to respond to the confession. He stated that he had no recollection of the incident because he was asleep at the time. He said the fact that he learned of the abuse from his abuser right away left him confused and distressed.

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