NC UMC Pastor Suspended for Sexual Misconduct
Suspended with pay; will not return to former post
The senior pastor of a long standing Methodist church in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been suspended with pay after being accused of multiple instances of sexual misconduct.
Edenton United Methodist Church in Raleigh, NC / Photo via Wikimedia commons
Rev. Greg Moore has pastored Edenton Street United Methodist Church for the past three years. The 200-year-old church sees as many as 600 people in attendance for Sunday services.
The church informed parishioners of Moore’s suspension on April 14. A spokesperson for the church told ABC 11, “We are looking at our protocols to promote healing as well as to ensure this will never happen again. There are guidelines written for what a pastor does and what a pastor doesn’t. So, anytime those are violated, it’s a surprise.”
“On Monday, April 8, Bishop Connie Mitchell Shelton received a report of sexual misconduct,” the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church (NCCUMC) said in a statement. “Bishop Shelton immediately initiated a process to determine if there was a violation of sacred trust. On Tuesday, April 9, a formal complaint was received.”
In an official statement released to ABC 11, the church confirmed Moore’s suspension amid charges of sexual misconduct. “These charges do not involve children or youth,” it reads. “Rev. Moore will not return to his appointment at Edenton Street UMC when the suspension ends. Rev. Moore served at Edenton Street UMC from 2021 to 2024. Rev. Ned Hill has been appointed as the interim Senior Pastor. We are unable to say more about this personnel matter. All complaint processes center on accountability and healing for all.”
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The United Methodist Church Book of Resolutions denounces sexual misconduct in any ministry capacity, “whether it is clergy-to-lay, lay-to-clergy, clergy-to-clergy, lay-to-lay, staff-to-staff, staff-to-volunteer, volunteer-to-volunteer, or volunteer-to-staff. Anyone who works or volunteers under the authority or auspices of the Church must be held to the highest standards of behavior, free of sexual misconduct in any form.”
The North Carolina United Methodist Church will continue to pay Moore’s salary, housing and benefits for the duration of his suspension.
According to the United Methodist Church Book of Discipline, Moore could be suspended for a maximum amount of 120 days. After that time, Moore could potentially begin working at another church.
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