John McKinzie, the lead pastor of the multi-campus Hope Fellowship in North Texas, who announced the firing of one of the megachurch’s student pastors for “inappropriate contact with a minor” earlier this year, has resigned after confessing to his own “sexual sin and moral failure.”
In an email sent to members and shared with The Christian Post, the church’s elders said McKinzie confessed his sins during a meeting with church leadership on Sunday. While they did not provide any details regarding McKinzie’s “sexual sin and moral failure,” the church’s leaders explained that the confession was strong enough to permanently disqualify the married father of four from leadership at the church.
“John McKinzie resigned from his role as our Lead Pastor. … The Board has accepted his resignation,” the elders said in their email to members.
They further noted that prior to McKinzie’s confession on Sunday, no one on staff was aware of his moral failure.
“As a church, our hearts are broken and we are devastated. Many of us have been deeply blessed by John’s ministry, teaching, and friendship. We grieve not only the sin itself but also the pain and disappointment this brings to our church family and community,” the elders wrote.
Church elders did not state how long McKinzie was involved in his sexual sin and moral failure prior to his confession, but in a Q&A shared along with the statement, they said his behavior was “consensual” in response to a question about the meaning of “moral failure.”
“We recognize that this phrase may feel vague. Out of respect for the privacy of those involved, we will not share specific details. We can say that John admitted to sexual sin and to a pattern of consensual behavior that made him unfit to continue in his role as pastor,” the elders said.
They further noted that his family is “deeply grieved” and urged members to pray for them while respecting their privacy.
McKinzie’s resignation comes after serving in full-time pastoral ministry for more than 30 years.
In January this year, the former lead pastor announced the firing of Jerry Nickerson who served as the student pastor of Hope Fellowship’s Frisco West Campus. The firing came after Nickerson voluntarily confessed to engaging in “inappropriate contact with a minor” 10 years ago.
“Jerry Nickerson voluntarily disclosed inappropriate contact with a minor from when he was an adult volunteer youth leader at a previous church 10 years ago,” McKinzie told members.
“This incident occurred before his time at Hope Fellowship, and we had no prior knowledge of this situation or any allegations against him. It became known to us … after Jerry voluntarily disclosed this information to Hope Fellowship. We are not aware of any other incidents.”
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