Bethel Church places Pastor Ben Armstrong on leave after former student alleges clergy sexual abuse

Leaders at Bethel Church announced Sunday that Ben Armstrong, the Prophetic Ministry director at the church and former BSSM Revival Group pastor, has been placed on administrative leave following the release of a YouTube video in which a former student publicly alleges clergy sexual abuse dating back to 2009.

In a statement titled “Second Update” and posted on Feb. 15, Bethel leaders said they became aware late Feb. 13 of “a video containing serious allegations of clergy sexual abuse pertaining to Ben Armstrong and events that took place in 2009.”

“Earlier that day at 1:30 pm PT, we released a statement on our website based on the information that we were aware of at that time, and our understanding of Ben’s lived repentance since that time,” the church wrote. “However, in light of these new and previously unknown allegations, we have placed Ben Armstrong on administrative leave. He will not be ministering while an independent third-party investigation takes place.”

The church described the decision as “not a verdict, but a necessary measure,” adding that it is engaging outside counsel and independent experts “to help ensure thorough, impartial, and trauma-informed processes.” Leaders also said they are reaching out to those who brought the allegations forward and reaffirmed a commitment to “spiritual, physical, and emotional safety across our organization.”

The updated statement followed an earlier Feb. 13 post in which Bethel said it had been made aware of “an accusation from 2008-2009 involving Ben Armstrong and a former BSSM student,” referring to the church’s Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry.

According to the first statement, the alleged incident occurred prior to what Bethel described as a “known moral failure in 2009, for which Ben publicly repented, was removed from ministry, and walked through a multi-year healing and restoration process.” Leaders said that process “bore the fruit of repentance, which is still evident today,” and noted they had received no additional reports of inappropriate behavior in the 16 years since.

The church added it was revisiting its previous handling of the matter “with a more informed understanding of appropriate interactions and relationships between leaders and congregants, and the power dynamics and resulting responsibilities that may factor into these interactions.”

The new action by Bethel came after the release of a video titled “Bethel Survivor Sarah Shares Her Experience of Clergy SA by Ben Armstrong,” posted to YouTube by the Wake Up and Win podcast.

In the nearly two-hour interview, a woman identified as Sarah says she was a 23-year-old intern and member of Bethel’s ministry school when Armstrong, then a pastor and mentor, groomed her under the guise of spiritual fatherhood before crossing sexual boundaries on multiple occasions.

“This is the first time I have spoken about any of this in 16 years,” Sarah says in the video. “I lost everything.”

Sarah describes moving to Redding to attend Bethel’s ministry school after a transformative experience in a youth group. She said she eventually interned under Armstrong and lived in his family home, where she was spiritually “adopted” in a ceremony that symbolized her integration into the Armstrong family.

Over time, she alleges, Armstrong normalized physical affection and framed their closeness as a father-daughter relationship. She recounted an incident in which he hugged her from behind in a kitchen, which she later described as a red flag. She said she reported the interaction to a mentor, who advised her to move out.

She alleges that during a subsequent trip to a Scottish cultural event, Armstrong crossed sexual boundaries in a shared bedroom. In another instance, she said he invited her to his home while his wife was out of town, provided alcohol and again initiated sexual contact.

“He said, ‘You know who we are … this was just a spiritual attack,’” Sarah recounted in the interview, describing what she said was his effort to dissuade her from telling church leadership.

Armstrong has previously characterized the 2009 incident as an affair. In past public remarks, he said he “had an affair” and was “getting my emotional needs met and then it turned physical with a woman I worked with” outside his marriage before repenting and entering a restoration process.

In the new interview, Sarah disputed his version of events, saying she never viewed the relationship as consensual or romantic and that she felt groomed and pressured within a culture that emphasized spiritual authority and obedience.

“What happened to you was a crime,” one of the podcast hosts says in the video. Sarah responds that for years, she took on much of the blame and struggled with guilt for not leaving sooner.

“It has been extremely confusing to deconstruct what happened and figure it out,” she said, adding that it wasn’t until this past summer that she was able to understand the situation for what it truly was. 

In the video, Sarah also questions how Bethel leadership handled the matter in 2009. She says she eventually disclosed the relationship to church leaders and met with a group of senior male pastors. She described feeling isolated and unsupported in the aftermath, though she remained in the church community for a time.

Bethel’s Feb. 13 statement acknowledged that leadership is revisiting its earlier process “to add strength to how we pastor going forward” and is reviewing pastoral care to ensure responses to victims reflect “compassion, integrity, and support.”

The church did not provide details about the scope or timeline of the independent investigation, nor did it indicate whether Armstrong remains employed pending its outcome. Bethel leaders said he “will not be ministering” during the inquiry.

Bethel Church, led by Senior Leader Bill Johnson, has grown into an internationally known Charismatic congregation with global influence through worship music, conferences and its ministry school.

The church recently came under criticism for platforming Shawn Bolz, a self-proclaimed prophetic minister later exposed for fraudulent prophetic practices and sexually inappropriate behavior. Following an investigation into Bolz released by Christian apologist Mike Winger, Bethel released a statement acknowledging failures in how it handled allegations involving Bolz, admitting the church did not act with sufficient clarity, urgency or transparency.

“We take responsibility for the fact that we did not properly and fully bring discipline, closure, or clear and timely communication regarding the gravity of our concerns with Shawn Bolz,” the statement said. 

“The truth is, we have hurt and scared people because we did not tell the truth enough, early enough, long enough, or loud enough, and this is a just criticism. Our hearts are grieved, and embarrassed.”

In its latest statement, Bethel said it is “committed to thoroughness and integrity as this new way forward continues.”

“This step forward is not a verdict,” the church wrote, “but a necessary measure intended to reflect the care and sobriety with which we approach matters of this nature and our desire to operate in transparency and truth.”