After more than a decade serving as the senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Charlotte in North Carolina, sixth-generation Presbyterian minister Pendleton Barnes Peery has been ousted for breaking his marriage and ordination vows.
He was dismissed from his role this week after confessing to “behaving in shockingly sinful ways” in a secret life in which he engaged in “multiple instances of consensual physical infidelity” outside his marriage for the last five years.
In a statement to The Christian Post on Friday, officials at the General Presbyter of the Presbytery of Charlotte said Peery was charged with adultery and wrongful concealment after a yearlong investigation.
“Following allegations of offensive behavior that violates the trust and responsibilities of ordained ministry, the Presbytery appointed an investigative committee to conduct a thorough review. The investigation resulted in two charges of adultery and two charges of wrongful concealment of inappropriate conduct that undermines the peace, purity, and righteousness of the Church,” the statement said.
“Leadership and members of First Presbyterian Church were not aware of the investigation until its conclusion. No members of First Presbyterian Church or children were involved.”
Peery confessed in a letter to his congregants published by The Charlotte Observer that he “began a destructive pattern of anonymous but inappropriate activity online, ultimately leading to multiple instances of consensual physical infidelity” for reasons he is “still exploring” with his therapist and marriage counselor.
“What started as a curiosity turned into secret life hidden from the family who loved me and from you. Though I was not involved with anyone from our church, I was reported to the Presbytery of Charlotte.”
First Presbyterian describes its 2000-member congregation as “an inclusive, urban city church in the center of Uptown Charlotte,” which affirms members of the LGBT community.
As a result of the charges, Peery will be excluded from ordered ministry, censured and suspended for at least three years.
“With support and guidance from the Presbytery of Charlotte, First Presbyterian Church, its leaders, and congregation are navigating this time prayerfully, with care and transparency. The church will continue all regularly scheduled worship services and ministries,” First Presbyterian Church of Charlotte said in a statement. “We ask that you keep our community in your prayers as we cope with recent news.”
In his bio, which has been scrubbed from the church’s website, Peery describes himself as a “native Charlottean” and father of four and highlighted his deep roots in Christian leadership.
“In addition to being son of two ministers, I am the husband of a minister and the brother of a minister. As a teenager I went door to door by my father’s side in evangelism,” he said.
Before taking on the senior leadership of First Presbyterian Church of Charlotte, he served as associate pastor at Second Presbyterian Church of Richmond, Virginia, and as senior pastor and head of staff at First Presbyterian Church of Shreveport, Louisiana.
“I am so ashamed. I regret what I have done and who I have hurt. I know my failures will impact you as a community of faith, as well as the staff team with whom I was so fortunate to work,” he lamented in his letter to congregants in which he quoted Psalm 51.
“Today I am living the words of the Psalmist. I stand in humble need of God’s mercy and am just at the beginning of my journey of repentance and accountability.”
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