KC pastor placed on leave following grooming allegations

A Kansas City Assemblies of God pastor has been placed on leave and resigned from a local school board as police investigate allegations of sexual misconduct and grooming made against him, including one by a woman who says She was a child at the time.

Epic Church KC announced Thursday that its board of directors has independently placed senior pastor Bobby Hawk on administrative leave pending further review of allegations made against him in recent days. Bobby and Vanessa Hawk planted the church in 2009.

The church has campuses in Independence, Mo., and Pontiac, Mich., and also operates the EPIC Center KC.

“Our board of directors has worked diligently over the past 36 hours since allegations were made against our senior pastor Bobby Hawk,” the statement said, adding that church staff have been instructed not to interact on social networks or with news media. works through the situation.

“You can expect further communications from our Board of Directors as we work through this situation, but we ask for your patience and prayers as we attempt to honor God and His people in how we address these serious concerns.”

On Wednesday, Hawk also resigned as president of the Blue Spring School District board of education, a position he has held since 2022.

“It is with a deep sense of responsibility and commitment to transparency that we acknowledge the recent allegations regarding Board Chairman Dr. Bobby Hawk. Out of respect for the important work of the Blue Springs School District, Dr. Hawk has voluntarily submitted his resignation from the school board,” a statement from the school board said, according to KMBC. “The Council unanimously accepted his resignation.”

The Blue Springs Police Department confirmed Thursday that it is “reaching out to individuals who can provide more information and investigate potential crimes.”

The department confirmed it took a report from an alleged victim, according to Fox 4, which notes that at least two victims accused Hawk of sexual misconduct, including one who was 12 at the time.

A blog post published by 23-year-old Isabelle Davis caught the attention of the community. In it, she shared her past experiences with Hawk.

The Kansas City Star reports that the blog post describes an encounter that took place about a decade ago during a sleepover at his home. She accused Hawk of grabbing her hand and placing it under her thigh while they were watching a movie. Davis alleges that Hawk told him not to tell anyone about the experience.

The blog post also alleges that on two occasions, Hawk made her hold her hand as if they were dating.

Ali Terwilliger, a 22-year-old church volunteer in 2011, told Fox 4 she was inspired to speak out after seeing Davis come forward. She said that on one occasion Hawk touched her buttocks and explained that he wanted to have sex with her. Terwilliger said she complained to church leaders but ultimately left the church.

“It's certainly not an environment, at least it wasn't at the time, an environment where they were helping victims,” Terwilliger told the outlet. “It was more about trying to cover up what was going on with the pastor. »

Don Miller, who leads the Southern Missouri Assemblies of God ministry network, told Fox 4 that the organization has an established process for handling allegations such as those Hawk faces and that it follows that process in this matter.