Megachurch pastor accused of covering up sexual abuse claims mistaken identity

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Friday, March 21, 2025

Editors’ notice: This text contains graphic particulars about alleged sexual assaults.

M. Wayne Blackburn, senior pastor at Victory Church in Lakeland, Florida, has been accused in a lawsuit of serving to to cowl up the sexual abuse of a 7-year-old boy by an Assemblies of God church volunteer roughly 40 years in the past, which an lawyer says is a case of “mistaken identification.” 

Christopher Woods Sr., the plaintiff within the 14-page grievance reviewed by The Christian Submit and filed on March 5 within the Circuit Court docket for the tenth Judicial Circuit in Bartow, names his alleged abuser, registered intercourse offender Walter Steverson, the Assemblies of God Peninsular Florida District in Lakeland and Blackburn as defendants.

Woods seeks damages exceeding $50,000, excluding curiosity, prices and lawyer’s charges, in line with his lawyer, Boz Tchividjian, an abuse advocate and grandson of the late Rev. Billy Graham.

Woods is suing Steverson particularly for battery and intentional infliction of emotional misery; the Assemblies of God Peninsular Florida District for vicarious legal responsibility and respondeat superior; and Blackburn for intentional infliction of emotional misery.

“Defendant Blackburn abused plaintiff, when he instructed plaintiff to maintain defendant Steverson’s abuse secret, instructed plaintiff that his mom wouldn’t consider him if he instructed her about defendant Steverson’s abuse, and continued to permit defendant Steverson to be alone with plaintiff,” Tchividjian argues within the grievance.

“Defendant Blackburn’s conduct, knowingly and deliberately brought on extreme emotional misery and bodily damage to plaintiff.”

In an announcement responding to the lawsuit on behalf of the Assemblies of God Peninsular Florida District and Blackburn, Trinity Jordan of the worldwide legislation agency Dentons mentioned Woods will need to have mistaken Blackburn for another person.

“We’re conscious of the lawsuit filed towards Pastor Blackburn and the Peninsula Florida District Council concerning occasions that allegedly occurred over 40 years in the past,” Jordan wrote. “Whereas we deeply sympathize with anybody who has skilled abuse, we firmly consider this can be a case of mistaken identification. The District is reviewing the Plaintiff’s claims with counsel and can reply to the lawsuit as applicable.”

He additional added: “With respect to the claims towards Pastor Blackburn, he was not an worker of the church the place the Plaintiff claims the incident befell, nor was he concerned within the youth program on the church the place the allegations are centered. These information strongly point out that Pastor Blackburn will not be the individual referenced on this lawsuit, and he emphatically denies that he’s the person referenced within the lawsuit.”

In response to the grievance, in or simply previous to 1983, when he was about 7, Woods and his household started attending First Assemblies of God Church in Lakeland, Florida, which later turned Carpenter’s Dwelling Church. The Rev. Karl Strader, who died in 2020, was the then-pastor of the church.

Steverson was a volunteer chief in an area chapter of Royal Rangers, described as a program for boys much like the Boy Scouts of America that the Assemblies of God denomination operated. The grievance acknowledged that Woods’ mom signed him up for the Royal Rangers program to “present a optimistic, male function mannequin for her younger son” as a result of his father labored lengthy hours.

The grievance says he suffered “horrific” abuse by the hands of Steverson and alleges cover-up of the abuse by the opposite defendants.

“In 1983, defendant Steverson started sexually abusing plaintiff. The preliminary occasion of abuse occurred whereas defendant Steverson was driving plaintiff to a Royal Rangers assembly for the primary time. Plaintiff was carrying his Royal Rangers uniform, together with khaki shorts and a button-up collared shirt,” the grievance states.

“Whereas driving, defendant Steverson reached over and touched plaintiff on the interior thigh. Defendant Steverson tried to make it seem to be an accident, however then he did it once more, this time placing his hand up plaintiff’s shorts, virtually touching his genitalia.”

Regardless of being a younger baby on the time, the grievance says Woods knew what occurred to him was fallacious. Shortly after he arrived on the First Assemblies for the Royal Rangers assembly, the swimsuit says he reported what Steverson allegedly did to him to Blackburn.

Blackburn is accused of taking Woods to report the abuse to Pastor Strader. When he instructed Strader what occurred, nevertheless, “Pastor Strader instructed plaintiff that defendant Steverson was a very good man who was spreading the gospel, and he instructed plaintiff that the abuse was seemingly an ‘accident,'” the grievance states.

Strader allegedly promised Woods that the “accident” would by no means occur once more, and Blackburn overheard the promise, in line with the court docket submitting. Nonetheless, in line with Woods, Blackburn allegedly took him again to Steverson and suggested him to maintain the “accident” a secret.

“Instantly after plaintiff reported the abuse to Pastor Strader, defendant Blackburn walked plaintiff again to affix the Royal Rangers assembly. On the way in which again defendant Blackburn instructed plaintiff to maintain the ‘accident’ a secret. Defendant Blackburn instructed plaintiff that his mom will need to have actually preferred defendant Steverson to permit him to offer plaintiff rides [and] that she most likely wouldn’t consider plaintiff if he instructed his mom what defendant Steverson had performed,” the grievance says.

Steverson was allowed to drive Woods residence and he allegedly apologized to Woods and admitted that he had “sinned.”

“Neither Pastor Strader nor defendant Blackburn reported defendant Steverson’s abuse to baby protecting providers as mandated by Florida legislation, native legislation enforcement, or anybody else,” the grievance alleges.

Later that yr, the Assemblies of God Peninsular Florida District would sponsor a Royal Rangers in a single day tenting journey for the leaders and boys at a property owned and operated by the district. And Woods was allegedly abused once more.

“Though plaintiff didn’t wish to attend as a result of he knew that defendant Steverson can be there as his Royal Rangers chief, he was afraid to inform his mom what had occurred as a result of defendant Blackburn had instructed plaintiff that his mom wouldn’t consider him,” the grievance states. “On the tenting journey, defendant Steverson acquired into plaintiff’s sleeping bag with plaintiff. Defendant Steverson then repeatedly caressed plaintiff’s thigh.”

The subsequent day, Steverson was allowed to take Woods on a hike alone, the place he allegedly abused him once more.

“Once they stopped to drink from a shared Thermos, defendant Steverson reached up plaintiff’s pants and started touching plaintiff’s genitals and instructed plaintiff that he needed to ‘kiss it.’ Defendant Steverson then proceeded to place his mouth on plaintiff’s genitals. Throughout this abuse, plaintiff froze and tried to dissociate,” the grievance says.

Woods felt so “soiled and ashamed” after the abuse that he tried washing his emotions away within the bathe on the camp, but it surely did not work. Steverson allegedly continued his abuse of the younger Woods that yr on church property and in his automobile.

“In 1983, after the tenting journey, Defendant Steverson continued to make use of his place as a Royal Rangers volunteer chief to realize entry to plaintiff and to proceed to sexually abuse [him] eight to 10 extra instances in defendant Steverson’s automobile and on the First Meeting’s church property,” the lawsuit says.

It wasn’t till the late fall of 1983 when he was virtually caught abusing Woods, that Steverson allegedly stopped preying on him.

“Defendant Steverson sexually victimized plaintiff for the ultimate time on the property of First Assemblies. Defendant Steverson took plaintiff to the Prayer Tower and started fondling plaintiff’s genitalia. Afterward, defendant Steverson acquired down on his knees in prayer. Defendant Steverson instructed plaintiff that defendant Steverson wanted to ask God to forgive him for what he was about to do,” the grievance notes.

“Plaintiff was terrified. Defendant Steverson stood up, started to unzip his pants, and instructed plaintiff to ‘kiss his penis.’ At that second, a door opened and folks walked into the room, stopping Defendant Steverson from persevering with his abuse,” the submitting provides.

“On the way in which residence from the sexual abuse within the Prayer Tower, Defendant Steverson tried to sexually abuse plaintiff once more, however plaintiff pushed his hand away. Defendant Steverson was by no means alone with plaintiff after that day.”