Mega-church pastor RESIGNS two months after he was put on leave following confession he drove a girl, 17, into the woods and sexually assaulted her (before then insisting his victim was ‘flirtatious’)
Andy Savage put on leave after assault 20 years ago came to light in January
Jules Woodson wrote in blog that Savage drove her to the woods on way home
Unzipped his pants and asked her to perform oral sex before fondling her breasts
Savage said in a radio show in January that Woodson had been ‘flirtatious’
But Highpoint Church pastor had now admitted the encounter was ‘abuse’
By RORY TINGLE
DAILYMAIL.COM
21 March 2018
A pastor at a mega-church in Tennessee who drove a teenage girl into the woods and sexually assaulted her has resigned from his post – despite initially insisting the victim was ‘flirtatious’.
Andy Savage, the Teaching Pastor at Highpoint Church, confessed to taking a detour while driving the 17-year-old girl home before pulling down his pants and asking her to perform oral sex on him, which she did, before fondling her breasts.
His resignation, which took place Tuesday after he had been put on leave for two months, was welcomed by the leaders of Highpoint Church, who for the first time termed the encounter 20 years ago as ‘abuse’.
Jules Woodson, the woman who accused Savage, said Tuesday she was ‘trying to process’ the news and would release a statement soon.
Savage, 42, posted a personal letter on the church website in which he said he was taking time away from ministry in order to ‘right the wrongs of the past’.
‘As I’ve reflected during my leave of absence, I have come to see that many wrongs occurred in 1998,’ he wrote.
‘The first was my inappropriate relationship with Jules, which was not only immoral, but meets the definition of abuse of power since I was her youth pastor; therefore, when our relationship became physical, there could be no claim of mutual consent.
‘Another wrong was the failure to follow due process afterward; Jules deserved, and did not get, a full investigation and proper response 20 years ago.’
Highpoint Church noted in a post on its website that an investigation by specialist abuse lawyer Scott Fredericks had not found any other instances of sexual abuse at the organisation, but said Savage’s resignation was ‘appropriate’.
Church leaders were highly criticised over a video showing Savage receiving a standing ovation after discussing his encounter with Woodson.
They said in a letter posted online: ‘Highpoint leadership has come to recognize that it was defensive rather than empathetic in its initial reaction to Ms. Jules Woodson’s communication concerning the abuse she experienced, and humbly commits to develop a deeper understanding of an appropriate, more compassionate response to victims of abuse.’
The Rest…HERE
