Futures Church Pastor Arrested for Sharing Child Sex Abuse Material On Social Media
A Futures Church youth pastor in Georgia has been arrested and charged with six counts of possession of child sex abuse material.
Futures Church, formerly known as Influencers Church, is a Pentecostal multisite megachurch founded nearly 100 years ago by evangelist Smith Wigglesworth. Like Hillsong church, they started out with one church in Australia but have since expanded abroad, with 11 campuses in country and another four more in the United States.
On Wednesday, Daniel Menelaou, 28, who led the youth at the Alpharetta campus and was also the lyricist on several Futres worship albums, was arrested by Roswell police, who and his personal computer devices.
Officers acted after receiving a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. According to the warrant, Menelaou shared several videos depicting “a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct” on the messenger app Kik.
The Australian Broadcasting corp notes:
According to an arrest affidavit signed by an officer, Mr Menelaou said in a police interview he was sent “child pornography videos and images” by users on Kik.
“Daniel Menelaou talked a lot about his pornography addiction, and he stated that he deleted his Kik account several times over the last couple of years, but then reinstalled it,” an arrest affidavit said.
His wife, naturally, is devastated.
Menelaou was swiftly fired from Futures church, with a statement reading:
The charges against Daniel Menelaou are abhorrent, appalling, and completely contrary to everything we stand for. We are horrified by what has been revealed and categorically condemn these actions in the strongest possible terms. Until his arrest, we had no prior knowledge of any allegations or indication of wrongdoing. The details outlined in the arrest warrant are deeply disturbing and stand in total opposition to our unwavering commitment to protecting children.
Our hearts go out first and foremost to any victims who have been harmed. We remain committed to standing with all survivors of abuse, particularly children, whose suffering should never be ignored or minimized. Futures Church has a zero-tolerance policy regarding any form of abuse. The moment we became aware of Daniel Menelaou’s arrest, we placed him on immediate administrative leave. However, the full extent of these charges was unknown to us until the last few hours and his position has now been terminated. Let us be unequivocally clear this behavior is reprehensible and has no place in our church.
In the midst of this devastating situation, we also recognize the immense burden placed on his wife, who has been placed in an incredibly painful position. We will continue to offer her support, care, and resources as she navigates this tragic reality. Our church has always been dedicated to the protection of the vulnerable. We are, and always have been, advocates for and supporters of any victims of exploitation. We stand firmly on the side of justice and are cooperating with law enforcement to ensure the truth is revealed and justice is served.
Futures Church is in no way responsible or affiliated with these actions of Daniel Menelaou. As a church, we take our responsibility seriously. We regularly review our policies and safeguards to ensure we continue upholding the highest standards of child protection. Our priority remains the well-being of our community, and we will continue to do everything in our power to support those affected.”
Likewsise, in a leter obtained by Hillsong Accountabiliy, Pastor Tony Cornbridge of Futures Church in Australia shared this letter:
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