The General Council of the Assemblies of God argues it should not be held responsible for sexual abuse committed by Daniel Savala during his association with Chi Alpha college ministries, citing the denomination’s structure of local church autonomy.
Assemblies of God national office / Insert of Daniel Savala
The national body has been named as a defendant in several sexual abuse lawsuits, including one filed in April. The plaintiff argues in the court documents that the General Council, along with the Chi Alpha Campus Ministries and the South Texas District Council of the Assemblies of God were negligent in failing to properly investigate Savala’s background, warn of the dangers he posed, and protect people in its organization from him. The plaintiff further argues the defendants bear responsibility for the acts of agents under their supervision.
“[T]he General Council’s only authority is on doctrinal matters,” the organization wrote in its answer to a sexual abuse lawsuit filed in Harris County, Texas. “The General Council does not direct, supervise, control, restrict, or otherwise participate in the management, organization, or day-to-day operations of any church, ministry, or ministries in Texas.”
The General Council is the national body of the Assemblies of God, which describes itself as a “cooperative fellowship” rather than denomination. Its national headquarters in Missouri “provid[es] educational curriculum, organiz[es] the missions programs, credential[s] ministers, oversee[s] the church’s colleges and seminary, produce[s] communication channels for the churched and non-churched publics, and provide[s] leadership for many national programs and ministries of the Assemblies of God.”
Because of its governance structure, the General Council claims it has no authority over employment decisions or disciplinary processes of individual churches. Its constitution and bylaws do not grant the General Council “any authority over its members outside of ensuring doctrinal consistency.”
The General Council goes further, arguing that local churches retain “full sovereignty and self-government” — a model “based on the General Council’s interpretation of the Bible,” the court documents note.
Three models of church government
There are generally three main models of church government: Episcopalian, Presbyterian, and Congregational — the last being the one the Assemblies of God adheres to.
All three claim a biblical basis and have been recognized throughout church history.
The Episcopalian model — distinct from the denomination of the same name — is defined by the “rule of bishops,” according to Ligonier Ministries. A bishop holds authority over a geographic area and the churches and clergy within it. Roman Catholics, Methodists, Episcopalians, and others follow this form of government.
Presbyterianism vests authority in elders elected by the congregation. Those elders also participate in regional bodies called presbyteries and a broader governing assembly — often called the general assembly or synod — that oversees the whole denomination.
Congregationalism, the model claimed by the Assemblies of God, is “defined by the independence and autonomy of each local church. Each congregation is its own entity, accountable only to God,” Ligonier explained.
Chi Alpha’s Relationship to the General Council
The General Council argues that Chi Alpha is a separate legal entity, not “subject to day-to-day supervision or monitoring by the General Council.”
The plaintiff, however, counters that Chi Alpha is directly connected to the General Council, pointing to its listing as one of the “core ministries” on the General Council’s U.S. Missions division webpage.
The lawsuit also contends that the General Council and Chi Alpha, together with other Assembly of God-related defendants, “trains, hires, and fires all the pastors involved with college students” — including two pastors central to the plaintiff’s alleged abuse: Eli Stewart and Eli Gautreaux.
Stewart and Gautreaux were ordained Assemblies of God pastors who were promoted within Chi Alpha. The plaintiff claims both men knew about Savala’s history of sexual abuse yet still encouraged victim John Doe to spend time with Savala.
The lawsuit further alleges that Scott Martin, Chi Alpha’s executive director, was informed of a Title IX investigation of Savala at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, in 2018, yet took “no action to protect students like John Doe” from Savala.
Ecclesiastical abstention doctrine
The General Council is also asking the court to apply the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine — a First Amendment-based principle that prevents courts from adjudicating disputes rooted in church governance or doctrine.
“Here, whether and to what extent, as Plaintiff alleges, the General Council controls the individual churches, pastors, districts, or alleged sexual assault that gave rise to this lawsuit is purely a matter of church governance and doctrine. Exercising jurisdiction over the General Council would inherently involve ecclesiastical matters, and the case must be dismissed,” the court documents state.
Superintendent deposition disputed
In a related lawsuit, the General Council has moved to block the deposition of Superintendent Doug Clay.
Plaintiffs contend Clay was “actively involved with the Defendant’s reaction to the Daniel Savala sex abuse scandal” and should therefore be required to testify.
Harris County Judge Lauren Reeder ordered Clay to sit for a deposition, but the General Council has again moved to quash the notice, arguing it was set for a date when Clay is unavailable.
Separately, on June 10, John Doe 2 filed a motion to dismiss with prejudice the South Texas District Council of the Assemblies of God from his sexual abuse lawsuit, saying he had “resolved all disputes” with hat party. No details of any settlement were disclosed.
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