A former pastor of the church where President Jimmy Carter taught Bible study has been arrested in a sting operation targeting child predators. Jeffrey Summers, formerly pastor of Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, was one of 16 arrested.
Editor’s note: This article refers to reports of child sex abuse, which some readers might find triggering and/or disturbing.
Summers was the pastor of Maranatha Baptist Church from 2005-2013 before moving on to become the pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Port Orange, Florida, according to Baptist News Global.
It is unclear whether Summers was still pastoring New Hope Baptist Church prior to his arrest. The church’s website and social media profiles have been deactivated, as has Summers’ LinkedIn account.
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Summers, a father of four, is a graduate of McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta.
Summers’ time at Maranatha Baptist Church overlapped with that of former President Carter, as Carter was known for years to be an active member of the church.
Carter passed away in December at the age of 100.
Summers’ arrest took place on March 7 as part of Port Orange Florida Police Department’s Operation Full Throttle.
According to Americus Times-Recorder, the arrest report said that Summers “knowingly used a computer, the internet, or a cell phone to solicit a child whom the defendant believed to be a 14-year-old/male with the intent to engage in some form of unlawful sexual activity with that child.”
Summers was arrested after arriving to meet the fictitious child.
