Assault Charges Dropped Against North Texas Pastor
Jury finds no probable cause, alleged victim files civil lawsuit for $1 million
Authorities have cleared charges of sexual assault and indecent assault against a Texas pastor.
Ronnie Goines preaching at Koinonia Church/Facebook screenshot
Last July, MinistryWatch reported on the arrest of Rev. Ronnie Goines, lead pastor of Koinonia Christian Church, who turned himself in to authorities after police issued two warrants for his arrest.
Investigators filed two criminal charges against Goines — one for indecent assault and another for sexual assault. According to WFAA News 8 and court records, a woman who joined Goines’ church in 2022 accused him of making repeated unwanted advances during two encounters at his apartment in March 2023—allegations he denies, though a recording reportedly captures him apologizing for making her uncomfortable.
Goines and the woman—who did not live in the area—first met more than a year before the alleged assaults. They had exchanged phone numbers and began texting frequently. In the spring of 2024, the woman reportedly reached out to Goines to meet up at a conference in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. During that time, she accompanied Goines to the theater and his apartment two days in a row when the alleged assaults occurred.
This March, a grand jury no-billed Goines on the sexual assault charge, concluding insufficient evidence to justify proceeding with a formal indictment, confirming that he will not go to trial in a sex assault case.
According to Tarrant County court records, the prosecutor dismissed the misdemeanor indecent assault charge in April.
However, although authorities have dropped all charges against Goines, he now faces a civil lawsuit.
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Court records show the same woman who accused him of sexual assault filed a separate civil suit in Tarrant County in February.
The civil lawsuit states the woman became a member of Koinonia in October 2022. It alleges Goines repeatedly made advances toward her while she was visiting his home. She refused those advances, and he sexually assaulted her. The assault left her with trauma, the suit says, leading the woman to seek counseling, the woman told The Dallas Morning News. She is seeking $1 million in damages.
Koinonia Church has denied all allegations in the lawsuit, asserting it bears no responsibility for Goines’ alleged conduct. The church claims protection under the state’s Charitable Immunity Act of 1987 due to its charitable status and argues the case should be dismissed based on the statute of limitations and the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine, which bars civil courts from intervening in internal church matters.
Goines announced in October that he was returning to the church after the interim lead pastor said he was asked to resign. In a statement earlier this year, Koinonia said that the church supports Goines and believes the accusations against him are motivated by financial reasons.
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