Assemblies of God South TX Ministry Network Discovers Financial Misconduct
Same Assemblies of God network plagued by Chi Alpha sexual abuse scandals
The South Texas Ministry Network of the Assemblies of God announced last month that it had discovered “financial misconduct” by a former accounting office employee, who was immediately terminated upon the discovery.
The employee was not named.
The letter, penned by Network Superintendent Tim Barker, noted that the network had notified law enforcement and would launch a “thorough investigation.”
“The irregularities included unauthorized salary adjustments, personal expenses charged to Network credit cards, and unapproved reimbursements lacking appropriate documentation,” Barker wrote.
He said the employee avoided detection by falsifying documents.
According to Barker, the network has begun strengthening its internal financial systems and controls to prevent future misuse. He said the network is working to secure full restitution of the misappropriated funds.
While Barker said the South Texas Ministry Network remains “committed to full transparency and accountability,” he has not replied to multiple requests for comment about the investigation, including who was hired to conduct it and the amount of money involved in the misconduct.
MinistryWatch also reached out to the national body of the Assemblies of God, which responded, “The General Council has no knowledge of the alleged misconduct you are referring to nor can we speak for, or on behalf of, the South Texas District which is a separate entity.”
Chi Alpha Scandal
The South Texas area of the Assemblies of God has come under scrutiny over the last couple years due to sexual abuse issues arising in the Chi Alpha college ministry.
Many of the sexual misconduct allegations, including those against Daniel Savala, took place in the South Texas Ministry Network. Savala, although not employed by Chi Alpha, was a registered sex offender in Alaska, and was granted access to students through connections with Chi Alpha chapters.
Daniel Savala
A statement on the national Assemblies of God webpage acknowledges it was first notified in 2018 of Savala’s proximity to a church in Texas with ties to Chi Alpha chapters. It claims that it notified the appropriate districts and that National Chi Alpha “made relevant Chi Alpha leaders aware of his status and warned them to cease contact and not permit students or leaders to be around him.”
Savala was indicted in 2023 for indecency with a child and trafficking of persons. He is currently awaiting trial in McLennan County.
In July 2023, William Robinson, a Chi Alpha pastor in Corpus Christi, Texas, was charged with a first-degree felony of the continuous sexual abuse of a child. In July 2024, he received 10 years of probation for his sexual abuse of an underage family member.
William Robinson
Assemblies of God addresses Chi Alpha scandal
At its August 2025 national meeting after an NBC News investigation, Assemblies of God General Superintendent Doug Clay said, “We’re committed to identifying within our system, within our structures, what’s broken, what can be fixed to prevent these kinds of things.”
At that same meeting, General Secretary Donna Barrett addressed the Chi Alpha abuse scandal, saying “our hearts are broken for those who have been hurt and for the families impacted.”
Barret explained that the General Council completed a “thorough investigation” using an outside law firm with experience in “these types of matters.”
She said the investigation focused on what knowledge national officials had, when they had it, and what they did with the knowledge. The results of the investigation were presented to the executive presbytery, the body that oversees the business of the General Council.
Barrett added that both the North Texas and South Texas districts also conducted investigations and recommended dismissing the credentials of those ministers involved.
She named Eli Stewart as a credentialed minister who appears to have helped Savala gain access to students while assisting in concealing Savala’s alleged crimes and his Alaska conviction.
A 2024 lawsuit filed against Chi Alpha and the Assemblies of God alleges that Stewart, who was part of the youth group in Alaska where Savala abused children, was also part of the Chi Alpha leadership team at Sam Houston State University where Savala became involved.
Stewart moved to College Station to relaunch a Chi Alpha chapter at Texas A&M University and Mountain Valley Fellowship church in 2017, according to the court filing.
Mountain Valley Fellowship fell under the North Texas District of the Assemblies of God.
While leading the church, Stewart is accused of allowing Savala and several other Chi Alpha members access to children.
Barrett told those gathered that the General Council has no authority over local churches and ministries nor the policies and procedures they put in place.
Because the investigation includes personal identities and details about victims, Barrett said it isn’t “appropriate” to release it more broadly.
She said the national body continues to look for ways to strengthen its service to those members in Chi Alpha and to encourage policies and training that will discourage this kind of misconduct in the future.
Suggested changes to the structure of Chi Alpha include eliminating the role overlap that allowed Stewart to serve as district lead and chapter lead at the same time, emphasizing the importance of abuse training, urging the implementation of performance reviews, and encouraging the reporting of misconduct.
“There are no words that can capture the sorrow we feel for those targeted and impacted by this,” Barrett said, adding that such instances are not prevalent in the Assemblies of God fellowship.
Earlier this month, Thomas Pinkerton, 52, was arrested for multiple sex crimes he allegedly committed between 2006 and 2010 while a youth leader at Central Christian Church, an Assemblies of God church in Baltimore, Maryland.
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