Matt Chandler’s Father Hired at The Village Church Despite Known Sex Abuse

In summary, the church knew about the child sex abuse in 2007, but it was an “open secret” that was confessed within their Recovery Ministry. The church hired him allegedly disclosing the information to their Denton staff in 2009, and retained him with full knowledge of the abuse. They claim to have instituted specific “safety protocols” surrounding Chandler. There are no court records of the sex abuse or the “confession” to the California DA nor was his criminality flagged during a background check. It is unclear what the nature of the original counseling was if he was not indicted yet also underwent “intense counseling,” an apparent inconsistency in their explanation. How could one not be convicted or even indicted yet undergo court mandated counseling? There do appear to be some lacking details as to the original confession. As of 2019, Steve Chandler is still referred to as a brother in faith which indicates that he was at that time on good terms with TVC Denton despite no longer working there. He was also abiding under the “safety protocols” without issue after his employment with the church ended.

Now, what is not being alleged is that Steve Chandler committed abuse during his employment at TVC or in his years of membership since. However, Chris and Anna, the two former members, expressed concern that he had access to the entire facilities and the campus securities, including the cameras.

Chandler Family Abuse History

Matt Chandler has a history of being open about his childhood and the abusive household he grew up in. This excerpt from a 2006 Sermon entitled “What Faith Does” in which Chandler alluded to his father’s abuse.

I grew up in a and I said the same thing [when] my dad was actually in here in the last service. The last 100 years of Chandler men have been pretty wicked and everything from a guy getting hung because he robbed a train to everything from sexual abuse to physical abuse to emotional abuse, you can track it down over the last 100 years and it’s created in me issues.

Chandler was going to say that he grew up in an abusive home, pivoted to a reference to his father and a historical survey of family abuse. The fact that he does state “sexual abuse” is a further allusion to the behavior of his father. Chandler goes on to stress the damage it caused while touting the “Celebrate Recovery” ministry he participated in. This could have been the same ministry Steve Chandler confessed his sins within.

It is impossible to dismiss the fact that Chandler knew about his father’s abuse when he was hired on staff at TVC, and surely, the decision to hire his father and mother on church staff was at the behest of Matt Chandler while the church was still under the umbrella of Flower Mound. The question that no one seems to be asking is whether the victim of Steve Chandler’s sexual abuse was either Matt Chandler or his sister. Matt Chandler was born in 1974 which would be within the timeframe of the abuse and he has been superficially transparent regarding his upbringing even with both his mother and father in the same church.

There are already renewed calls for Chandler to step down, but few are asking whether he was the abuse victim, which would considerably alter the dynamics and behaviors of TVC in retaining Steve Chandler.

Mountain or Molehill?

The Behind the Bus Podcast appears to victimize the whistleblowers and exaggerate the experience they “suffered” at The Village Church Denton over a hiring decision that preceded their involvement in that church. They are not victims, nor are they brave for speaking out about Steve Chandler’s abuse. Too many outlets appear to relish in church abuse scandals in a fashion not unlike ambulance chasing lawyers. It is as if they need it to justify their hatred of the church.

If anything, this is a comparably minor scandalous sexual indiscretion involving The Village Church, who hired Matt Tonne, a former youth pastor who allegedly molested a teenaged girl, a claim dismissed by police due to lack of evidence, of which TVC settled out of court in 2022; Andy Landrum, who confessed to sexual sins and voyeurism of which TVC informed the authorities; and Anthony Moore, a pastor fired for homosexual voyeurism against an adult who was then hired at Cedarville University. Tonne was fired and suffered reputational harm when after the dust settled, nothing could be proven. The actions and safeguards of TVC could reasonably be called into question based on these three instances, particularly the latter two.

It was unwise for Chandler to allow his father to work as a custodian; however, there have been no public accusations of wrongdoing alleged. This was not a Brian Houston-Hillsong situation. Theoretically, a custodian, while given full access to the facilities, is not necessarily active in his capacity during peak operating hours, that is Sunday mornings. Other churches might outsource custodial services and have no clue who is cleaning their facilities.

There is a legitimate discussion to be had as to how a church should treat a repentant abuser, particularly when their conversion is after their abuse. Are they allowed to volunteer apart from children or even do servile tasks like cleaning or mowing the lawn? Obviously, formal placement on a church staff requires a heightened level of scrutiny, even for supporting roles and doubtless, his familial connections were a factor in both his initial hiring and his retention by the church.

Conclusion

There are plenty of reasons that Matt Chandler is an unqualified pastor, mainly his embrace of Critical Race Theory and his failed administration over Acts 29. Staffing the church with his parents is a mark against his leadership and placed his church in a compromising situation, which while it did not yield any wicked fruit does serve as a reminder that the church must care for its witness in who it chooses to hire.