A worship leader associated with Answers in Genesis faces 80 counts related to the alleged sexual abuse of a teen boy.
Editor’s note: This article refers to reports of child sex crimes that some readers might find triggering and/or disturbing.
Michael Howard, 36, had been part of TrueSong, a worship music group that serves as the “resident artist band” at Answers in Genesis’ Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky, and its Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky.
Answer in Genesis, founded by apologist Ken Ham, provides Christians with resources to defend a literal reading of the creation account found in Genesis and the belief that the earth is roughly 6,000 years old.
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In a statement to ChurchLeaders, Answers in Genesis said, “While the ministry does not generally comment on personnel matters, we can confirm that Michael Howard is no longer affiliated with Answers in Genesis. In fact, his departure occurred before we became aware of the investigation against him.”
“To respect the privacy of those involved and because this is a matter currently under investigation, we are not in a position to comment further, other than to ask for prayers for all the individuals involved, especially the possible victims,” the statement added.
According to a now-scrubbed biographical profile on the Ark Encounter’s website, Howard is a husband with two daughters and had also been a worship leader at Florence Baptist Temple in Burlington, Kentucky.
Howard’s profile has also been removed from Florence Baptist Temple’s website, but Howard was previously listed as the church’s worship leader. The profile stated that Howard had been a member of the church since 2009 and the worship leader there since 2022.
The church has deactivated its Facebook account.
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In a statement released on Jan. 3, the Boone County Sheriff’s Office said that it first received a report of sexual abuse in December 2024. The victim alleged to authorities that he had been abused by Howard for multiple years, starting when he was 15 years old.
