A Colorado worship pastor has been fired by his church and arrested after confessing to engaging in a sexual relationship with a student he met in 2019 while working as a teacher at a local Christian school. Matthew McGinley, 30, is accused of sexual assault of a minor by a person in a position of trust.
Editor’s note: This article refers to reports of child sex crimes that some readers might find triggering and/or disturbing.
McGinley had been working at Ascent Project Church, a Fort Collins congregation pastored by his brother, Josh McGinley.
The abuse allegedly occurred over the course of a year-and-a-half, after McGinley served as a part-time teacher at Resurrection Christian School in Loveland for the 2018-2019 school year. The abuse allegedly occurred off-campus after McGinley had voluntarily stopped working at the school.
McGinley, 24 at the time, was married during the time of the alleged abuse. He has two young children.
According to authorities, McGinley allegedly groomed the victim, offering her one-on-one time to help with schoolwork. Investigators said that the relationship continued through texting and other meetings outside of school. The relationship reportedly became physical in late 2019.
According to investigators, the victim said that she and McGinley began having sex in early 2020 and that McGinley’s misconduct continued into the spring of 2021 when the victim cut off communication with McGinley.
Ascent Project leaders reportedly confronted McGinley in September after learning of the allegations. During that confrontation, McGinley reportedly confessed to the misconduct and was fired. Ascent Project leaders contacted authorities.
In a letter written to the victim’s mother, which was obtained by police, McGinley reportedly apologized for his actions and said that they were part of a “quarter-life crisis” he was enduring at the time.
RELATED: Assemblies of God Accused of Systemic Failure To Address Clergy Sex Abuse; Pastors Call for Reform
In a statement, the church said, “On September 2, Pastor Josh McGinley and the elders of Ascent Project Church were made aware of serious allegations involving a former staff member, Matthew McGinley. These allegations were unknown to church leadership prior to that date.”
