INDIANAPOLIS — A year after the arrest of a Life Church pastor’s son brought scrutiny to the church and its leadership, questions remain about the congregation’s response, an internal denominational investigation and Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith’s ties to the church, reporter Tom Lobianco said in an interview with Indy Politics.
Lobianco, a former Associated Press reporter who now publishes 24 Sight News, discussed his yearlong reporting on Life Church with host Abdul-Hakim Shabazz. The story began after Jonathan Peternell, son of lead pastor Nathan Peternell, was arrested Oct. 23 on charges involving child sexual abuse and exploitation.
According to Lobianco, police found more than 200 videos depicting child abuse on Jonathan Peternell’s phone, as well as intimate videos of his parents. Jonathan Peternell was later sentenced to six years in prison and required to register as a sex offender.
Lobianco emphasized that the criminal case against Jonathan Peternell is separate from allegations about his father. He said he had no evidence of a criminal investigation or charges against Nathan Peternell. His reporting, he said, includes accounts from former church members who allege that Nathan Peternell sought graphic sexual details from children in youth groups and used his position to exert control over them.
The disclosure of the intimate videos and the church’s response fueled questions among congregants, Lobianco said. Nathan Peternell later told the congregation that his son had accessed a password-protected account and obtained the videos without permission, according to Lobianco. Families and staff members left, and the church canceled Christmas Eve services and reduced the number of services it held.
The Indiana District of the Assemblies of God conducted an internal investigation into Nathan Peternell’s conduct. Lobianco said the denomination did not publicly release a detailed account of its findings. He said the matter led to a restorative process and that Peternell returned to the church after four months away. Lobianco said the process addressed conduct unbecoming a pastor, but did not publicly resolve whether the homemade videos violated denominational rules.
Departures continued after Peternell returned, Lobianco said. Among those who left were longtime board member Bill Parker and Mike Molito, Peternell’s brother-in-law, who had taken on a leadership role during Peternell’s absence. Lobianco described Molito’s resignation message as a criticism of church leaders for pursuing personal ambition rather than their responsibilities to the congregation.
Beckwith has remained connected to Life Church, where he and members of his family have held employment, Lobianco said. He also reported that Beckwith had urged congregants to stop questioning Peternell’s leadership. Lobianco said he had not established whether Beckwith might seek to take the church out of the Assemblies of God and make it independent. Beckwith and Peternell did not respond to his repeated requests for comment, Lobianco said.
The interview also covered separate allegations concerning Bloomington pastor David Wigginton, who is associated with the Stone Table group alongside Beckwith and Peternell. The Roys Report alleged that Wigginton arranged to meet escorts while traveling on ministry business. Wigginton denied the allegations and threatened legal action, Lobianco said. Those claims are separate from the Life Church investigation and have not been adjudicated.
Former church members who spoke with Lobianco described trauma and, in some cases, backlash after raising concerns. Others, he said, left the church, found support among former congregants or moved on.
Lobianco called the reporting one of the most striking stories of his career, citing both the accounts of former members and what he described as efforts to discourage questions. The interview left unresolved the church’s future, the extent of Beckwith’s financial ties to it and what further action, if any, the denomination may take.
