The Richmond Outreach Center in Virginia has accepted the resignations of its founding pastor and three other pastors over allegations of sexual assualt and controversy related to their criminal pasts. After a board meeting earlier this week, church officials announced that “upon mutually agreeable terms … we have accepted the resignations of Pastor Geronimo Aguilar, Pastor Jason Helmlinger, Pastor Andrew Delgado and Pastor Matthew Aguilar.”
The statement continued, “The Richmond Outreach Center remains focused on serving those in need and we will never stray from this mission.”
According to a report by The Christian Post, Aguilar was extradited to Texas in late May where he faces seven felony charges including aggravated sexual assault. Helmlinger was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor last month for allegedly threatening a former pastor who was investigating Aguilar.
Named one of the fastest-growing churches in America by Outreach magazine, the Richmond Outreach Center was founded in 2001 by Aguilar and his wife Samantha in order to bring local churches, individuals and secular groups together to serve the urban poor. According to their website, since the church was established, crime in the area has “significantly decreased,” and their ministry was credited with the crime reduction in two local neighborhoods.
