They Did Nothing About It: Six Women Sue Assemblies of God Church That Allegedly Ignored a Childrens Pastor for 15 Years Before His Life Sentence

Stephanie Davis Says She Found a Hidden Camera in the Bathroom in 2004 and Reported It. Tony Waller Wasn't Arrested Until 2015 and Got Life in Prison in 2016 for Raping Two Girls

Six women have filed a lawsuit on 20 May 2026 in Craighead County Circuit Court, Arkansas, against Refuge Church (formerly Jonesboro First Assembly of God) and the regional and national Assemblies of God leadership. They allege the church ignored repeated warnings starting in 2000 about children's pastor Tony Waller before he was finally arrested and convicted in 2015 and 2016.

Waller pleaded guilty to raping two girls and was sentenced to life in prison. The lawsuit contends the abuse and the institutional cover up should never have lasted that long.

How a Children's Pastor Allegedly Operated for 15 Years Under Repeated Warnings

The complaint catalogues a damning timeline. 2000 onward: repeated reports allegedly ignored. Around 2004, plaintiff Stephanie Davis discovered a hidden camera pointed at a church bathroom after Waller allegedly made girls strip for "stretches." She reported it. She told NBC News: "They did nothing about it. Absolutely nothing."

Additional allegations include inappropriate touching, coercion to undress during activities, and a pattern of grooming that targeted girls in the church's children's ministry. The lawsuit names not only the local church but regional and national Assemblies of God leadership, arguing institutional liability.

The Assemblies of God Response

The General Council of the Assemblies of God stated it did not learn of the allegations until 2015, when Waller's wife reportedly discovered images on his computer. The Council said it then promptly reported him and revoked his credentials, citing the denomination's "zero tolerance policy."

The plaintiffs and their attorneys argue that the local church and regional Assemblies of God leadership had received warnings far earlier and failed to act. The case is one of the largest church abuse lawsuits in Arkansas history.

The Crusader's Opinion

Every Christian denomination that has allowed a children's pastor to operate with hidden cameras pointed at church bathrooms owes the survivors more than a press statement. The Assemblies of God's response, that the national leadership did not know until 2015, may be technically true. The lawsuit alleges that the local and regional leadership knew far earlier. Children were preyed upon while adults shrugged. Tony Waller is in prison for life and deserves to be. The institutional question is what the Assemblies of God, and every denomination, will do differently now. Mandatory cross diocese reporting. External audit of every children's ministry. Lay led safeguarding boards that report outside the chain of pastoral authority. Anything less is complicity by another name.

Take Action

• Donate: G.R.A.C.E. (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment)
• Pray: For Stephanie Davis and the five other plaintiffs
• Demand: Your church publish its written safeguarding policy with external accountability
• Read: Diane Langberg's Redeeming Power on abuse in Christian institutions
• Share: The "absolutely nothing" quote and refuse to let the Church look away