Strife continues to unfold at the Reformed church and ministries founded by the late R.C. Sproul. Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Florida, has excommunicated three former members, including teacher and author Stephen Nichols. Nichols also has departed from Ligonier Ministries, where he served as chief academic officer, and from Reformation Bible College (RBC), where he served as president for 12 years.
In a March 19 statement, Nichols thanked Ligonier and RBC for acting “in an amicable, gracious, and honorable manner during this season of transition,” saying he and his wife, Heidi, have “sought to do the same.” Nichols had once been considered Sproul’s successor.
Behind the upheaval is an ongoing dispute between the Nichols family and Stephen Adams, former associate pastor of youth and family ministry at Saint Andrew’s. As a result of the conflict, Adams also left the church.
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Stephen Nichols: Daughter’s ‘Suspected Sexual Abuse’ Is at Issue
In a statement explaining his version of events, Stephen Nichols wrote that “the heart of this issue is the suspected sexual abuse of our daughter.” Grace, whom Nichols named in his statement, reportedly told a counselor in January 2024 about sexual abuse by Stephen Adams, then the youth pastor at Saint Andrew’s. Adam strongly denies the allegations.
Saint Andrew’s said it reported the suspected abuse to local authorities and urged the Nichols family to do so also. Grace Nichols, her father explained, wasn’t prepared to move forward with the case, which prevented law enforcement from investigating the allegations.
The Nichols family eventually found a new church, Stephen said, both because they and Saint Andrew’s hit an “impasse” about the abuse allegations and because Saint Andrew’s “voted to dissociate from the Presbyterian Church in America” (PCA) in December 2025.
Strife continues to unfold at the Reformed church and ministries founded by the late R.C. Sproul.Click to PostMeanwhile, Stephen and Heidi Nichols “each received separate indictments” from Saint Andrew’s, accusing them of “slander, unresolved anger, collusion to deceive, failure to follow session directives, and breach of membership vows.” No trial ever occurred, according to Stephen, but Saint Andrew’s found the couple guilty of contumacy in January 2026 and then excommunicated them on March 10.
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