Collin County church fires youth pastor over inappropriate contact
NORTH TEXAS — Members of Hope Fellowship Church received an email this week from lead pastor John McKinzie, detailing the firing of a student pastor at the Frisco West location.
According to the message, Jerry Nickerson confessed to having "inappropriate contact with a minor" a decade ago.
Nickerson told church leadership it happened while volunteering in a youth leader role at another church. In the email, McKinzie wrote that Nickerson came forward with the information on Monday after being confronted about "past incidents" over the weekend.
The church said it has terminated Nickerson's employment.
According to McKinzie, Hope Fellowship has not spoken with the person and has no relationship with them, but church leaders "applaud their courage and support them coming forward 10 years later."
McKinzie said the church has stringent background checks, and nothing appeared on Nickerson's report before he was hired.
The message also said the church is devastated by the news, adding, "We believe that this behavior is disqualifying to those in pastoral and leadership positions, and Hope Fellowship is committed to supporting and advocating for victims of abuse."
CBS News Texas has reached out to Hope Fellowship and Jerry Nickerson for further details.
