Pastor Isaac Hunter of Summit Church in Orlando, the son of megachurch pastor Joel C. Hunter, resigned his position this week after admitting to an affair with a former church staff member. John Parker, on behalf of the leadership team at Summit Church, sent a letter to the congregation explaining that Hunter’s “moral failing has made it impossible for him to continue in ministry” and that Parker would be taking on the role of Lead Pastor.
“I understand the responsibility of leading us through this time alongside my fellow pastors,” wrote Parker, “and I will be gladly supporting our staff and volunteers as we follow Jesus together … If you are wondering what to do, please pray for the Hunter family during this time, help to protect the space around them, and avoid gossip as much as humanly possible.”
Robert Andrescik, a spokesman for Summit Church, told The Christian Post, “We are all hurting right now, and we don’t have all the answers to fix the hurt. But we know that the vision God has given Summit hasn’t changed, and will not change. God has been the head of this place from the beginning, and it’s God who builds His church.”
Joel Hunter is a noted evangelical and senior pastor of Northland, A Church Distributed with 12,000 members. He is also a board member with the National Association of Evangelicals and occasional spiritual adviser to President Barack Obama.
