Church Excommunicates Ligonier Executive and Wife After They Reported Daughter's Suspected Sexual Abuse

Ligonier Ministries Executive Stephen Nichols Excommunicated After Reporting Daughter's Suspected Abuse

Dr. Stephen J. Nichols, president of Reformation Bible College and chief academic officer at Ligonier Ministries, says he and his wife Heidi were excommunicated by Saint Andrew's Chapel in Sanford, Florida, after they reported the suspected sexual abuse of their daughter.

In January 2024, the Nichols family learned that their daughter Grace's counselor had submitted a report to the Florida Department of Children and Families alleging suspected sexual abuse by Stephen Adams, who served as associate pastor of youth and family ministry at Saint Andrew's Chapel.

On January 10, 2025, Nichols formally reported the abuse suspicion to church leadership. Rather than addressing the allegation, the church turned on the accusers.

By July 22, 2025, just two days after Nichols notified the pastor that the family would be departing, Saint Andrew's Chapel indicted the Nichols family on charges including slander, unresolved anger, collusion to deceive, failure to follow session directives, and breach of membership vows.

We reported suspicion of sexual abuse of our daughter, we ended up indicted, and we ended up excommunicated. We are deeply saddened by all that has taken place and grieved for everyone involved.

Dr. Stephen Nichols stated in a public letter.

On January 27, 2025, the couple was found guilty of contumacy, defined as "willful and persistent refusal to submit to the lawful authority of the church." On March 10, 2026, Saint Andrew's Chapel formally excommunicated the Nichols family.

Saint Andrew's denied the excommunication was connected to abuse reporting, claiming it resulted from "prolonged conduct that disturbed the peace, unity, and purity of the Church." The church stated that no specific incident details were ever provided and that the Nichols family "explicitly refused to file a formal report."

Stephen Nichols Forced Out of Ligonier and Reformation Bible College After Church Abuse Report

Stephen Adams, the accused associate pastor, denied the allegations entirely, stating: "The Nichols have never once come forward willingly to make accusations...Every word of it is false." Adams has since resigned from Saint Andrew's Chapel and filed a police report against the Nichols family for defamation.

In December 2025, Saint Andrew's Chapel voted to leave the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) denomination. The Nichols family resigned their membership and joined New Hope PCA in Eustis, Florida, where they remain members in good standing.

Meanwhile, Ligonier President and CEO Chris Larson announced that Nichols would conclude his tenure at both Ligonier Ministries and Reformation Bible College on May 31, 2026. Both organizations, while legally separate, were founded by the late R.C. Sproul and share the same Reformed theological tradition.

Elder David Zima of Saint Andrew's Chapel was also excommunicated in March 2026. Northside PCA sent a letter to Saint Andrew's declaring that "any and all pronouncements alleged against Zima by you are null and void, and are of no spiritual or ecclesiastical effect."

The Crusader's Opinion

When a family reports the suspected sexual abuse of their own daughter and the church responds by putting the parents on trial, something is profoundly broken. This is not church discipline. This is institutional self preservation masquerading as spiritual authority. The shepherds have become wolves. A church that punishes the parents of an abuse victim while shielding the accused does not serve Christ. It serves itself. Every denomination, every congregation, every elder board in Christendom should be watching this case closely. Because if this is how the Reformed world handles abuse allegations, then we have lost the moral authority to preach repentance to anyone.

Take Action

• Speak Up: Contact the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) at pcanet.org and urge them to investigate how Saint Andrew's Chapel handled abuse allegations before leaving the denomination.
• Support Abuse Survivors: Donate to www.TheShepherdsShield.org to help protect victims of abuse within Christian institutions.
• Learn and Share: Share this story with your church leadership and ask what your congregation's policy is for handling abuse reports. Demand transparency and accountability.
• Pray: Pray for the Nichols family, for Grace, and for every victim of abuse who has been silenced or punished by the institutions that should have protected them.
• Report Abuse: If you or someone you know has experienced abuse in a church setting, contact GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment) at netgrace.org or call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1 800 422 4453.