When Shiflet later sought a role as the church’s high school pastor, he was denied the promotion because of his history of being alone with female students.
“Other adults also witnessed Shiflet interacting with girls in inappropriate ways, including wrestling with a girl, counseling a girl sitting on his lap, pulling girls over his body while caving in a small tunnel, and otherwise interacting with middle school girls in ways that made the observers feel uncomfortable,” the letter says.
Though Shiflet was confronted about his behavior, including by Nelson, he was never formally disciplined. Further, when Shiflet sought a job as a youth pastor at a church in Arkansas, Nelson provided a recommendation. Nelson told Denton Bible Church that at the time of the recommendation, he “had no idea” about the possibility of Shiflet being an abuser.
RELATED: Third-party Report Details ACNA Leaders’ Inaction on Sexual Abuse Allegations
While working for the Arkansas church, Shiflet reportedly abused three more female students. After Shiflet was dismissed from that church in 2003 for being seen alone with female students and touching them inappropriately, he returned to Denton, Texas, where he reportedly continued to abuse one of the Arkansas students.
In 2005, two of Shiflet’s Denton victims came to leadership at Denton Bible Church to report that Shiflet had sexually abused them. Since both women were 19 years old at the time, the church was not legally obligated to report their abuse to authorities—and they didn’t. However, they did revoke Shiflet’s ordination.
In 2015, another former Denton student reported to authorities and Denton Bible Church that Shiflet had abused her. The church reportedly offered no care to the abuse survivor, though they “again confronted Shiflet, who was no longer attending Denton Bible.”
In 2019, parents of the victim who came forward to Denton leadership in 2005 asked Denton to provide some kind of care for their daughter, who was now in her thirties. Since Texas state reporting laws had changed, Denton was now required to report to authorities allegations of the abuse of a minor, even if those accusations came to light when the victim was no longer a minor—which they did.
“In total, the investigators found credible accounts that at least 14 girls were victims of Shiflet’s abuse: 11 at Denton Bible and 3 at Fellowship Bible,” the letter says. “The misconduct described in these accounts was characterized by everything from grooming behavior and sexual harassment to criminal sexual abuse, abuse of power, and spiritual abuse. Equally troubling, was the consistent accounts that Denton Bible did not shepherd and care for the victims after they showed great courage in coming forward.”
Apart from the church, others had reported Shiflet’s alleged abuse to authorities in 2019. Following an FBI investigation, Shiflet was convicted and sentenced to 33 months in prison. He is set to be released in April 2023.
Though the sentence was part of a plea agreement, the judge at Shiflet’s sentencing hearing lamented the brevity of his prison term, saying, “I would have sent you away for 25 years. I think you are a danger to society.”
