Sarah described several situations in which she believes Armstrong crossed emotional boundaries with her, but she said the first time he crossed a physical boundary with her was when he hugged her from behind when she was standing in the kitchen. She described the embrace as “a very close, sexual hug,” saying that it caused her to freeze. She recounted feeling angry and uncomfortable.
Sarah said that she shared about the incident with a trusted mentor, who advised her to move out. However, she said that she later doubted her understanding of the incident and decided to stay.
Sarah said that later she went on a trip alone with Armstrong to stay with Armstrong’s sister and brother-in-law and that she was surprised when she discovered that she and Armstrong were sharing a room with a bunk bed. She alleged that Armstrong began inappropriately touching her that night. Sarah said that she ended up sleeping in the same bed as Armstrong. While they did not have sexual intercourse that night, Sarah recounted, “This was my first sexual experience.”
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Sarah said that Armstrong urged her to keep the incident quiet, telling her that “this was a spiritual attack, and we passed.”
However, Sarah said that sometime later, after she had moved out of Armstrong’s home, Armstrong invited her over while his wife was not there, encouraged her to drink to the point of being drunk, and sexually assaulted her.
The incident was later framed by Armstrong and other leaders at Bethel Church as a consensual affair, and his church discipline process even became a blueprint for the church for restoring leaders.
Sarah said that the incident only came to light after she exposed it at the urging of church leaders who could see that her mental and spiritual health were ailing.
Bethel Church Places Ben Armstrong on Leave, Promises Third-Party Investigation
In a statement posted the same day as Sarah’s interview, Bethel said, “In early February 2026, we were made aware of an accusation from 2008-2009 involving Ben Armstrong and a former BSSM student.”
“This incident would’ve taken place prior to a known moral failure in 2009, for which Ben publicly repented, was removed from ministry, and walked through a multi-year healing and restoration process,” the statement continued. “This process bore the fruit of repentance, which is still evident today.”
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“Currently, Ben and Heather’s connection and family is very strong, as is their connection and trust with us. We deeply value their ministry with us,” said Bethel. “We have no reports or accusations of Ben being inappropriate with anyone else since the moral failure 16 years ago. Regardless, we take all allegations and concerns reported to us seriously.”
