The former pastor allegedly admitted to the allegations this past weekend, according to a letter sent by the church.
FRISCO, Texas — A North Texas church this week confirmed that one of its student pastors was fired after alleged “inappropriate contact with a minor.”
Members of Hope Fellowship Church received an email this week from lead pastor John McKinzie detailing the firing of Jerry Nickerson, a student pastor at their Frisco West location. Hope Fellowship is a nondenominational church with two locations in Frisco, and one each in McKinney and Prosper.
Nickerson admitted to having “inappropriate contact with a minor” when he was an adult volunteer leader at a previous church 10 years ago, according to the letter.
Nickerson made the admission after he was “unexpectedly confronted about these past incidents” last weekend, according to the email, and the church confirmed Nickerson was fired Jan. 6.
“This incident occurred before his time at Hope Fellowship, and we had no prior knowledge of this situation or any allegations against him,” McKinzie wrote in the letter. “It became known to us on Monday after Jerry voluntarily disclosed this information to Hope Fellowship. We are not aware of any other incidents. Following his confession, Jerry’s employment with Hope Fellowship was terminated.”
According to the letter, the minor involved didn’t have a relationship with Hope Fellowship and the church hasn’t spoken with the minor.
“We applaud their courage and support them coming forward 10 years later,” the letter continued.
In a statement to WFAA, Hope Followship said the church is in contact with the organization where the incident allegedly occurred, though, and is “working with them to make sure all reporting is appropriately followed, as well as working with our church legal counsel to ensure that our actions protect the victim.”
“We hold ourselves to the highest standards when it comes to protecting the children and students in our care,” the statement read. “Any violation of those standards is taken with the utmost seriousness, and we are committed to swift and decisive action. The safety and security of the students and children at Hope Fellowship remain our top priority.”
McKinzie wrote in the letter that the church didn’t know about the allegations before Nickerson’s hire and nothing appeared in Nickerson’s background check when he was hired in July of 2021.
“We are devastated by this news. We believe that this behavior is disqualifying to those in pastoral and leadership positions, and Hope Fellowship is committed to supporting and advocating for victims of abuse,” the letter added.