The megachurch founded by Terry Hornbuckle, who was convicted in 2006 of raping three women, is emerging from bankruptcy less than a year after filing for reorganization, the church’s attorney said.
Agape Christian Fellowship, faced with lawsuits and owing hundreds of thousands of dollars to creditors and women who sued the church and its pastor for sexual misconduct, could satisfy its creditors by selling land for $1 million.
With the help of God and gas wells, church officials believe they will soon be on the right path. They have started rebuilding their membership. They expect the turnaround to continue with the naming of the founder’s wife, Renee Hornbuckle, as senior pastor and a tentative $1 million deal to sell land and mineral rights to a gas drilling company.
The church is facing seven civil lawsuits, said Davor Rukavina, a Dallas bankruptcy attorney hired by the church.
A former church employee who testified against Terry Hornbuckle during his sexual assault trial filed a federal job discrimination lawsuit against Agape Christian Fellowship on Friday. In the suit, Lisa Fuller alleges she was sexually harassed by Hornbuckle, the pastor, and wrongfully terminated.
Agape Christian Fellowship’s board has fired the church’s founder and pastor, Terry Hornbuckle, because of his sexual assault convictions, according to a statement released Tuesday. His wife, Renee Hornbuckle of Colleyville, will take over as senior pastor for at least four months. A group of pastors and bishops from around the country will evaluate her based on “her readiness and capacity to serve as senior pastor on an indefinite basis,” the statement read. Renee Hornbuckle had been assistant pastor at the southeast Arlington church. Board Chairman Charles Richardson declined to say who is in the advisory group. The statement also
Last Sunday, Pastor Renee Hornbuckle urged Agape Christian Fellowship’s congregation to keep its focus on God, not the scandal that had swirled for more than a year. “God is not man,” she preached. “He won’t let you down.” With founder and Rev. Terry Hornbuckle sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting three women, church leaders say Agape will move forward and rebuild. That may prove difficult, experts on church scandals and growth warn. The criminal proceedings have ended, but the church still faces civil lawsuits filed on behalf of some of Hornbuckle’s victims. The church claimed 2,500 members
FORT WORTH – A Tarrant County jury on Monday sentenced Arlington pastor Terry Hornbuckle to 15 years in prison for the rapes of three young women, including two church members. The jury of nine women and three men recommended 14 years in prison on the first count, 10 years on the second count and 15 years on the third count. But because the sentences will run concurrently, he effectively received a 15-year sentence. Mr. Hornbuckle also received fines of $10,000 on each count, for a total of $30,000. He could have received up to 20 years in prison. The pastor
Rape conviction makes Hornbuckle’s return unlikely, not impossible FORT WORTH – Terry Hornbuckle‘s flock called him “Bishop.” To many now, the fallen minister is just another drug addict and convicted rapist. Churches across the nation are led by pastors who have cheated on their wives, stolen money from their congregations and spent years in prison. Despite their crimes and sins, they have been “restored” to the ministry. No one knows whether Mr. Hornbuckle, who will be a registered sex offender when he returns to the free world, will ever be called pastor again. “You have examples of God restoring even
FORT WORTH — There will be no more victims on the witness stand. No more fiery closing arguments. No more talk of sex, drugs and religion. Jurors in the sexual assault trial of the Rev. Terry Hornbuckle have heard it all. Now, the panel must decide whether Hornbuckle gets prison or probation for raping three women. The nine-woman, three-man jury began deciding Hornbuckle’s fate Thursday morning, deliberating for about three hours before adjourning for the week. On Tuesday, jurors found Hornbuckle guilty of three charges of sexual assault after six days of deliberations. Hornbuckle, the 44-year-old founder of Agape Christian