Ministry Trainee Sues Atlanta Dream Center, Says She was Trafficked and Assaulted

Alleged victim claims she was recruited but then mistreated by the ministry.

A woman, identified as Jane Doe, has filed a lawsuit accusing the Atlanta Dream Center, also known as Frontline Response International, along with the Assemblies of God, of a “sophisticated human trafficking and forced labor operation disguised as a religious ministry.”

Atlanta Dream Center Church / Google Photos

The lawsuit filed in federal court in April claims the ministry recruited young people under the auspices of missionary training, who were then forced to engage in “unpaid labor” at events and gatherings across the country.

The “devout Pentecostal teenagers and young adults” were recruited with promises of housing, food, and training for the ministry. Instead, the court documents claim, the students “were subjected to abhorrent living conditions, including being crammed into overcrowded rooms and forced to sleep on cold floors or in vans in dangerous, crime-ridden areas of Atlanta and other major cities. They were often forced to perform chores at the church or other designated locations for 12 to 14 hours a day, typically six days a week, with minimal time scheduled for their promised ministerial education.”

The plaintiff raises claims under the Trafficking and Victims Reauthorization Act and for negligence and breach of fiduciary duty.

Frontline Response, located in Atlanta, says it works on the front lines “every day rescuing men and women out of homelessness and sex trafficking, while preventing children and vulnerable individuals from falling victim.”

It claims to have helped over 3,000 men, women, and children since its founding in 2006.

The Atlanta Dream Center church is affiliated with the Assemblies of God denomination.

According to the lawsuit, Doe was recruited to attend the Atlanta School of Ministry in 2014-15. She said, contrary to representations, she was forced to share a tiny one-bedroom apartment with three other students in an apartment complex known for violence and high crime.

She added that the apartment conditions were dirty and that the provided food was often expired and insect-ridden.

Her first job was to work in the kitchen to provide meals for other students where she often worked 8- to 10-hour days, six days a week. She claims she was not provided with adequate training on food preparation and was forced to prepare rotten, contaminated food. The alleged result was gastrointestinal issues and malnourishment by plaintiff and her fellow students.

Access to MinistryWatch content is free. However, we hope you will support our work with your prayers and financial gifts. To make a donation, click here.

She also claims she was forced to work under “extreme conditions” in food service at corporate and sporting events.

While being forced to work at events for the defendants, the plaintiff claims she was not protected adequately and was sexually assaulted by an “event guest.” When she reported the assault, she claims the Atlanta Dream Center failed to handle her report seriously, told her to try to avoid her assailant, and did not report it to the authorities.

Additionally, she claims that Pastor Daniel Palmer, the CEO of the Atlanta Dream Center, groomed her and “rubb[ed] his hands on Plaintiff’s bare legs and thighs without her consent.”

When she rejected his advances, the plaintiff claims Palmer threatened her, saying she “would not make it to her 21st birthday” if she ever left his control.

After enduring these alleged conditions, the plaintiff claims her health was deteriorating, but she was denied access to medical care and didn’t have the funds to seek it herself.

The plaintiff is seeking damages for the physical harm, pain and suffering, and mental anguish she claims to have endured. She is also seeking punitive damages against the defendants.

None of the defendants have yet filed an answer in the case. Neither the Georgia Assemblies of God nor Frontline Response replied to multiple requests for comment by MinistryWatch.

In the MinistryWatch database, Frontline Response earns 1 star for financial efficiency, a D transparency grade, and a donor confidence score of 55 out of 100, meaning donors should exercise caution.

TO OUR READERS: The mission of MinistryWatch is to help Christian donors become more faithful stewards of the resources God has entrusted to them. Do you know of a story that will help us fulfill our mission, or do you want to give us feedback about this or any other story? If so, please email us: [email protected]