Elevation Church Youth Pastor Fired Over Former Sexual Misconduct Allegations

Allegations surfaced during investigation into another student pastor at a TX church

The Charlotte-based megachurch Elevation Church fired its youth pastor, Tim Somers, in late February for alleged sexual misconduct.

Tim Somers / Video screenshot via @elevationyth

Somers’ accused misconduct is with a student or students in the youth ministry of Oaks Church in Red Oaks, Texas, where he served about 12 years ago.

“As soon as Elevation learned about these allegations, we reached out to local Texas authorities and immediately placed Tim on leave,” a spokesperson for Elevation Church told The Christian Post. “No charges have been filed.”

Red Oak Police Department Lt. Jason Esquibel told MinistryWatch the department is unable to release details about Somers’ alleged misconduct. “It is still an open investigation. They are still sifting through the case so we are not releasing any information.”

Somers was on staff at Elevation for more than eight years, where he worked with youth and with Elevation Rhythm, the church’s youth music ministry.

While no charges against Somers have been filed, the allegations surfaced during an investigation of Jerry Nickerson, who also served at Oaks Church. According to Premier Christian News, Nickerson was an intern at Oaks Church from 2009 to 2011 before joining the staff from 2011 to 2013. Nickerson voluntarily confessed that he had “inappropriate contact with a minor” while serving at Oaks Church.

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Premier Christian News reports that since Nickerson’s confession, more former students have come forward with allegations of misconduct. This includes reports of inappropriate messages and contact between youth leaders and young people. Nickerson was dismissed from his role as a student pastor at Frisco West campus of Hope Fellowship Church in Texas in January 2025.

“We are still attempting to narrow down the timeline of events, the actual location of the offense(s), who may have been involved as suspects, and who may have been involved as victims. Further, the investigation is being conducted to determine what and if anything occurred on church property or in the jurisdiction of Red Oak, Texas,” said Red Oaks Police Department Chief of Police Garland Wolf to The Christian Post.

Wolf added that in the investigation into Somers, “we are scheduling meetings with persons who have come forward and we are conducting interviews and taking statements from those who want to cooperate with our investigation. We hope to move forward soon.”

On Tim Somer’s Facebook page, Somer describes himself as married with two boys. “Obsessed with what God is doing through @elevationchurch @elevationyth,” he says.

Somer’s Facebook page links to the Elevation YTH YouTube channel, with videos and photographs of Somers speaking during meetings, hugging and engaging young people. Elevation YTH hosts weekly youth meetings on Wednesdays.

Elevation Church has more than 20 campuses and reports more than 17,373 weekly attendees in its 2025 annual report. The same report cites 2,643 attendees at Elevation YTHX — a four-day summer camp for high-school students. According to the report, 3,729 youth regularly meet in eGroups.

“These are serious allegations that can or will impact a person’s life for many years,” Wolf said to The Christian Post. “We are doing what we need to do to seek justice for the victims, prosecute the offenders, and exonerate the innocent as may be the case.”

“Tim understands how impactful these allegations are for his role in ministry and we have agreed he will no longer serve on staff,” a spokesperson for Elevation Church told The Christian Post.

MinistryWatch reached out to Elevation Church several times by phone but has not received a response.

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