AUSTIN (TX)
Baptist News Global [Jacksonville FL]
February 12, 2024
By David Bumgardner and Maina Mwaura
The Austin Stone Community Church, a prominent megachurch with a popular worship band in Austin, Texas, announced the dismissal of its worship pastor, Aaron Ivey, on the grounds of “predatory manipulation, sexual exploitation and abuse of influence” with multiple men and at least one minor.
According to the church’s statement, Ivey’s alleged misconduct began as early as 2011. Along with adult males, one alleged victim is said to be a minor, whom Ivey met “outside (the church’s) formal programming.” The church’s statement indicates the abuse of the minor “involved inappropriate and explicit communications, indecent exposure and the use of alcohol and illegal substances.” Church leadership has announced it has contacted local law enforcement and its church abuse prevention training provider, MinistrySafe.
Aaron Ivey and his wife, Jamie, are well-known podcasters and authors. In 2020, the couple launched a podcast titled “On the Other Side.” One September 2021 episode featured the story of a survivor of sexual abuse. The Iveys are also the authors of a book titled Complement, which included a Bible study on complementarian theology, which emphasizes male headship. Religion News Service reported Feb. 11 that Aaron Ivey spoke on complementarian marriage at a 2019 panel hosted by the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission titled “Faithful Husband, Strong Father: Embracing God’s Design for Manhood in Marriage.”
For her part, Jamie Ivey is an accomplished podcaster and author as an individual. She appeared on a broadcast of Good Morning America on Friday, Feb. 9, to promote her forthcoming book Why Can’t I Get it Together? She also hosts “The Happy Hour” podcast. Jamie Ivey was on tour to promote her forthcoming book when Austin Stone Church announced her husband’s termination from the church. In a statement on Instagram, Jamie’s team announced the suspension of all public appearances.
Austin Stone’s extensive network and connections
Austin Stone is affiliated with the SBC. It was formerly affiliated with the Acts 29 Network, a coalition of conservative and Calvinistic evangelicals of varying denominational affiliations. It is unclear when Austin Stone left Acts 29, although the church is no longer listed on the network’s website.
The church was planted in 2002 by current North American Mission Board Send Network Vice President of Mobilization Matt Carter. Carter served at Austin Stone until he was selected as the second pastor of Houston’s Sagemont Church in March 2020, prior to his abrupt retirement from church ministry and transition to NAMB in September 2022.
Aaron Ivey, Austin Stone Worship, and Austin Stone Community Church have extensive networking and affiliation histories (which include leading worship for both adults and students) with a variety of evangelical organizations, including Acts 29, The Verge Network, The Gospel Coalition, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Lifeway and NAMB.
In 2010, the Aaron Ivey Band played at a large SBC multi-associational free three-day student camp called Youth Explosion. According to the Louisiana state Baptist paper, the Baptist Message, Ivey headlined the youth event with the prominent late Southern Baptist youth evangelist Wade Morris.
That same year also saw Ivey headline the Verge Conference with noted evangelical author and speaker Francis Chan. The Verge Network, a self-identified champion of “movements of gospel-centered missional communities and missional leaders” was started by Austin Stone Church before launching as a separate entity in 2010.
Ivey led worship at a 2015 event called Equip:Austin, which was hosted by the ERLC. The conference theme was “The Gospel and Same-Sex Marriage: Equipping the Church for a Post-Marriage Culture.”
Ivey was a featured worship leader in 2016 at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s “For the Church” Conference.
Austin Stone Worship’s most recent live album was recorded at the 2021 Gospel Coalition national conference.
In 2018, Ivey appeared in a Great Commission Challenge video, a partner evangelism initiative “to join together as churches, associations and state conventions to pledge our commitment to having gospel conversations” backed by Lifeway and NAMB. Further, Ivey and Austin Stone Worship headlined NAMB’s 2017 Send Conference in Long Beach, Calif. Ivey also led worship at the Send Network’s 2016 planter orientation in Toronto.
In an email to BNG, NAMB Executive Director of Public Relations Mike Ebert said NAMB leadership, including Matt Carter, had “absolutely no knowledge” of Ivey’s alleged abuse and sexual misconduct.
The Iveys were featured in a 2021 article in the Washington Post that highlighted their multiracial family and the challenges of living in a predominantly white evangelical world.
Residency alumnus alleges church enablement
Austin Stone Community Church has long facilitated a popular and coveted two-year residency program. Its vast offerings include hands-on training that allowed alumni to find employment in other prestigious evangelical churches or denominational positions.
One such alumnus was Kenny Klinglesmith, who served Austin Stone as a worship resident from 2015 to 2017 and penned a NAMB profile outlining what church planters should look for in worship leaders.
In a Facebook post dated Feb. 12, Klinglesmith lamented that his “first ministry hero, a man that shaped how I lead God’s people in worship, who helped shape some of the best parts of my leadership turned out to be a sexual predator, and showed predatory behavior behind the scenes for the past 13 years.”
Klinglesmith added that he believes Ivey’s behavior was enabled by the church but did not elaborate: “I have many thoughts on the organizational structure and staff culture that I first-hand experienced and with deep conviction and research believe enabled this behavior, but now is not the time to share those thoughts.”
BNG reached out to Klinglesmith through his employer but did not hear back prior to publication.
Austin Stone Community Church could not be reached for comment via telephone as all incoming calls forwarded directly to voicemail.
This is a developing story.
Find help: If you or someone you know has been sexually abused, help is available 24/7 through the National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-HOPE and at online.rainn.org. Individuals with knowledge of sexual abuse related to Austin Stone Community Church are encouraged to contact the Austin Police Department or the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. If you or someone you know has information about alleged sexual abuse in another church or Christian organization, contact GRACE at info@netgrace.org.