A Columbus megachurch is under investigation following allegations of sexual abuse.
A Columbus megachurch is under investigation following allegations of sexual abuse. Faith Life Church, located in the suburb of New Albany, is facing numerous claims against its faith leaders.
The Licking County sheriff’s office has taken over the investigation after a conflict of interest arose between Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and church leaders Gary and Drenda Keesse.
Yost publicly acknowledged his friendship with the couple, whose son Tom is one of the accused: "The suspect’s parents are friends and have been to my home for dinner. My relationship with them meant that we could not credibly perform the investigation.” Tom Keesee resigned as the church’s chief media officer in August.
Records show that there may be dozens of victims of abuse – some as young as 8 years old – and that these crimes span decades.
A former member of the church told reporters that concerns from members of the congregation about suspected abuse were met with intimidation and guilt from church officials. According to documents from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, allegations include “assault and attempted assault; inappropriate relationships with young girls; inappropriate texting; and grooming.”
The lawyer representing Faith Life Church, Katie Tabor, has confirmed that the organization is aware of “serious allegations concerning past conduct involving a member of our church leaders’ family.”
“Our leadership and pastors are fully committed to truth and transparency and are prepared to cooperate fully with law enforcement in any way necessary. We are seeking guidance from legal counsel to navigate this situation responsibly and in a manner that prioritizes truth and healing,” Tabor said in an email.
News of the investigation has brought up painful memories for numerous survivors, who choose to remain anonymous.
“I had people reaching out to me, ‘Hey, you know, there are allegations. Did you ever experience anything?’ And I was like, ‘Oh my God,’ you know, like, I have a lot of problems with that place,” one woman said of her experiences with the church.
Another survivor who spoke with reporters said that she was “not sexually assaulted,” but that she was groomed by a staff member at the church beginning when she was 15 years old. She also witnessed others experiencing similar abuse.
“I was the most devout of devout members as a teen,” she said. “Back then, of course, I was like, you know, ‘Oh, he’s like my big brother. He’s looking out for me. He cares about me. He understands.’ That’s, you know, the impression that you’re going under.”
Tom Keesee’s brother, Tim, is a pastor at the church and posted to Facebook that “the church would work with law enforcement.” No charges have been filed at this point.
“Words do not describe how broken we are as a family,” Keesee wrote. “All their stories must come out. As we have learned these things and heard the stories of these victims, we have been broken and will do what we can to help. Our silence was not due to lack of concern, care, or denial, but rather protocols that stymied our desire for transparency.”
One of the anonymous survivors expressed fear for the safety of her family members who are still heavily involved in the church.
“To me, it’s not over until it is over and that means every person who was complicit, every person that knew and did not speak is guilty. You enabled — not only enabled, you encouraged — not only encouraged, you intimidated and silenced and shamed any person that tried to speak out against it. Whether or not you committed the abuse, the sexual abuse yourself or not, you were equally as sick and sadistic,” she said.
The investigation is ongoing and requests for comment from Faith Life Church have not been returned.
Authors: Andy Goldwasser and Alexis Kabat
