Arise Vineyard Pastor Rick Olmstead Resigns

Olmstead allegedly took inappropriate photos of young women at a local Trader Joe’s.

Rick Olmstead, pastor of Arise Vineyard Church in San Luis Obispo, California, has resigned his post at the church after allegations resurfaced that Olmstead had taken photos of the backside of young women at a local Trader Joe’s years earlier. Olmstead was also a former national leader in the Vineyard USA movement.

Rick Olmstead preaches in Oct. 2025 / Video screenshot

The allegations stem from October 9, 2020, when Olmstead is said to have taken the pictures.

Working at Trader Joe’s at that time was Taylor Berns, who was also interning at Arise Vineyard — then known as Mountainbrook Church. After she learned about the incident from her store manager and traced the man’s license plate back to Olmstead, she reported it to a fellow church pastor, Greg Jeffery, through a hand-delivered note written by a firsthand witness.

In an article reporting Olmstead’s resignation, the San Luis Obispo Tribune spoke with Berns, who said she wasn’t aware of the church taking action against Olmstead at that time. When she did ask the church for an update, the board told her Olmstead had admitted to taking the photographs and that he needed help.

Church leadership admitted that it learned of the incident at the time, saying it was addressed “through confession, counseling, accountability, and a restoration process with the Board, that was completed by Rick.”

The allegations resurfaced after an anonymous report was submitted through a Guidepost Solutions sexual misconduct and abuse hotline set up by Vineyard USA in 2023.

Following the Guidepost submission, the Olmsteads decided the best course of action was for them to “step back” from leading the church. The Olmsteads were not removed from leadership, the church stated, but were allowed to voluntarily resign, which was announced during the week of Christmas.

“There was mutual agreement that the situation was affecting the Olmsteads’ wellbeing and the church’s ability to focus on the future,” the church wrote in a newly published FAQ section.

At the time of the incident in 2020, the church board did not disclose it to the national Vineyard USA leadership. It now acknowledges that was a mistake. “[I]n hindsight, this lack of broader disclosure to Vineyard USA leadership contributed to the current situation, and responsibility for that has been acknowledged,” the church FAQs stated.

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When asked if the church is going to hire an outside investigator to determine if any other incidents took place, Arise Vineyard treasurer Bryce Moore told MinistryWatch, “We are looking into other [third] party investigators to determine if that is the best course of action, but the board has not received any information about any other incident than the one in 2020 outside of the store.”

The church also said it is working on protocols and policies to “offer clearer guidance for addressing staff and volunteer misconduct.” This includes training, reporting channels, and a “better rubric” for the board to evaluate how to address misconduct. The church will use outside help to develop the policies, which will be available upon request after they are completed.

One of the questions asked why Olmstead was not fired in 2020 after the incident. In response, church leadership claimed it had limited information about the incident at the time, having received an anonymous note from a store employee.

This was not the first time Olmstead has resigned. He stepped down as the church’s pastor in July 2021, the Tribune reported, but was invited back in 2024.

“I think when stuff like this happens, people get — especially Christians — get apprehensive about shedding light on things that are not right, and it comes with a fear that it’s going to push people away from God,” Berns told the Tribune. “And what actually happens is when you’re covering up somebody’s dishonesty … you’re actually pushing people away from God, ultimately, because it all comes out in the wash. And when it does come out, and people look back and realize that there were a handful of other Christians who covered it up, that’s going to make them not want to go to church or not want to have a relationship with God.”

In a church memo from October 2020 obtained by the Tribune, the response plan included an apology to Trader Joe’s, individual and couples’ counseling for the Olmsteads, reducing Olmstead’s preaching responsibilities, and the condition that Olmstead “not be alone with teens or young women associated with the church.”

The Tribune also obtained a letter from August 2021 in which the church board told Olmstead they were satisfied that he had completed his required time of “restoration.”

“It was overwhelmingly and unanimously clear to the entire board that you have moved through a time of focus and healing that has been transformative and strengthening to you. We unanimously and joyfully affirm that you fulfilled all that was asked of you with humility and sincerity and that the matters that began this process are in the past and no longer have any bearing on your life and leadership,” the board wrote.

In its recent FAQs, Arise Vineyard said it was already planning a pastoral transition in 2026 and is preparing for new pastoral leadership.

This is not the first Vineyard Church pastor to be involved in sexual misconduct allegations. The Vineyard Church in Duluth, Minnesota, was involved in a controversy involving Jackson Gatlin, a former youth pastor and son of Senior Pastor Michael Gatlin. Read more about that issue here.

Vineyard USA provided the following statement in response to the Olmstead matter: “To strengthen accountability across our movement, Vineyard USA partnered with Guidepost Solutions in 2022 to review how we handle misconduct concerns and support local boards in their work. In March 2023, we asked Guidepost to launch a 24/7 confidential reporting line so church members and staff can report allegations of sexual misconduct directly to an independent third party. This ensures impartiality, consistency, and transparency.”

Vineyard USA says it first became aware of this situation with Arise Church in August 2025 through a report to Guidepost. “We are continuing to gather information and engaging with the local church to understand the matter fully and determine appropriate next steps, as this was addressed only at the local level when the situation occurred. Vineyard USA remains committed to clear communication and strong accountability to support the safety and integrity of our churches.”

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