How A Christian College Ministry Glorified A Sex Offender And Enabled Him To Keep Abusing Students

This article is portion of “Pastors and Prey,” a bid investigating activity maltreatment allegations successful nan Assemblies of God.

HOUSTON — Daniel Savala leans backmost successful a cloth armchair, raises his correct manus and swears earlier God that what he’s astir to opportunity is nan truth.

Looking into nan camera, nan Pentecostal missionary speaks successful slow, measured sentences, describing how, for decades, he gained nan spot of assemblage students who came to his ivy-draped bungalow successful hunt of belief guidance. Using scripture, he convinced them they could unfastened up astir uncomfortable topics for illustration pornography and masturbation. Then he would strike, rubbing their penises and pressuring them to touch his, each nether nan guise of bringing them person to Jesus.

“I knew that I was wrong,” Savala says successful nan video, filmed by a lawyer successful 2023. “But I did it anyway.”

Religion, he says, was nan instrumentality of his deception. “People tin conscionable spot that belief portion of your life without seeing nan full of who you are.”

And nan personification he genuinely was?

“Manipulative,” he says matter-of-factly. “Cunning.” “Sinister.”

In a video recorded successful April 2023, Daniel Savala said he utilized belief arsenic "a cover" to sexually utilization students.Obtained by NBC News

In nan 2 years since Savala recorded that confession astatine his location successful Houston, lawyers, activists and whistleblowers person worked to untangle really a convicted activity offender pinch an eighth-grade acquisition managed to person scores of pastors and young Christians to put their religion successful him — and why religion officials many times grounded to extremity him.

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In constabulary reports, lawsuits, online forums and interviews pinch NBC News, dozens of boys and young men person described really Savala spun his ain twisted type of nan gospel. He taught them that seeing each different naked successful his backyard sauna was basal to becoming existent brothers successful Christ — or, arsenic he put it, “nudity is unity.” For those struggling pinch tasteful temptation, he offered a counterintuitive solution: group masturbation, sometimes while listening to Christian believe music. He pushed immoderate of his disciples further; successful lawsuits, signed statements and criminal filings, astatine slightest 10 person accused him of sexually abusing them.

“He would opportunity things like, ‘Hey, you cognize it’s OK to masturbate,’” said Joseph Cleveland, who says Savala groomed and sexually abused him for a decade opening successful 2004, erstwhile he was 15. “‘Because we’re brothers, we tin do it together.’”

Joseph Cleveland was 15 when, he says, Savala began sexually grooming him.Danielle Villasana for NBC News

The pastors who shepherded hundreds of precocious schoolhouse and assemblage students to Savala’s location were portion of Chi Alpha, a Christian ministry that evangelizes connected assemblage campuses. Students activity retired Chi Alpha to link pinch God and each other, done mini Bible studies and rollicking believe services — and, for much than 30 years, done Savala. Generations of Chi Alpha leaders hailed him arsenic a belief savant who could reply life’s deepest mysteries.

The boys and young men who devoted themselves to Savala called him “Papa Daniel,” “God’s vagabond” and “the holiest man alive.” At his direction, teams of students built nan backyard sauna that became nan tract of his alleged crimes. So wrapped up successful his teachings, his followers often didn't spot themselves arsenic victims until years aliases decades later. At slightest 1 of nan assemblage students Savala sexually exploited later became a pastor and brought his ain boys to study from his maestro wrong his darkened sauna.

The reward for that minister’s devotion: Like Savala, he now faces nan anticipation of life successful prison.

Savala’s ministry collapsed successful early 2023 erstwhile respective men came forward, immoderate anonymously, to impeach him and immoderate of his protégés of intersexual maltreatment and exploitation, triggering a activity of criminal charges, lawsuits and pastor dismissals. Savala was arrested, and astatine slightest six Chi Alpha pastors, leaders and students who studied nether him were charged pinch intersexual abuse.

Savala was arrested successful June 2023.U.S. Marshals Task Force

The revelations rocked Chi Alpha and nan Pentecostal denomination that runs it, nan Assemblies of God, which has astir 3 cardinal members astatine 13,000 churches crossed nan U.S. As Savala, 69, awaits proceedings successful Waco, Texas, Assemblies of God leaders person sought to region themselves from nan laic minister, many times asserting that Savala was not employed by Chi Alpha and has ne'er been credentialed to preach successful nan denomination.

But an NBC News investigation, based connected interviews and a reappraisal of emails, tribunal records, photographs and societal media posts, shows that Savala was profoundly entrenched successful Chi Alpha, pinch immoderate leaders crediting him for nan ministry’s accelerated maturation successful caller decades. The reporting reveals that Assemblies of God leaders — each nan measurement up to nan denomination’s nationalist superintendent — were warned many times astir Savala’s troubling history but did not trim disconnected his influence. These failures allowed much children and young men to beryllium abused, nan reporting shows.

It wasn’t nan first clip officials pinch nan Assemblies of God, nan world’s largest Pentecostal denomination, person been accused of mishandling activity maltreatment allegations. In May, an NBC News investigation revealed really religion leaders dismissed repeated maltreatment allegations against a charismatic children’s pastor named Joe Campbell successful nan 1980s, allowing him to stay successful ministry for years arsenic much alleged victims came forward.

Do you person a communicative to stock astir nan Assemblies of God’s handling of activity maltreatment allegations? Email newsman Mike Hixenbaugh.

Chi Alpha had a clear opportunity to break ties pinch Savala successful 2012, erstwhile authorities successful Alaska charged him pinch sexually abusing boys arsenic a younker curate successful nan 1990s. Instead, ministry leaders successful Texas rallied to his defense, sending a unit personnel to Alaska to salary his bail and — aft Savala pleaded blameworthy to intersexual maltreatment of a insignificant — organizing a letter-writing run to inquire nan judge for leniency. After a stint successful jail, Savala went correct backmost to hosting Chi Alpha students astatine his location successful Houston.

Savala mentored hundreds of teens and young men successful Alaska and Texas.Courtesy Ron Bloomingkemper Jr.

In nan decade that followed, astatine slightest half a twelve group contacted Assemblies of God officials successful Texas and astatine nan denomination’s nationalist office successful Springfield, Missouri, alerting them that Chi Alpha was exposing students to a activity offender. These whistleblowers wrote emails, made telephone calls and said up astatine soul meetings. Again and again, they were dismissed aliases ignored, NBC News found.

“Hiddenness is nan state of abuse,” said Anthony Scoma, a pastor who resigned an Assemblies of God activity position successful Texas aft he said elder denomination officials grounded to enactment connected his warnings astir Savala successful 2023. “The Bible talks astir sparkling ray into acheronian places. But activity successful nan Assemblies of God says, ‘Oh, don’t radiance ray into our acheronian places.’”

Rather than reckon pinch really religion leaders welcomed a activity offender into nan fold, Savala’s accusers opportunity nan Assemblies of God has taken a protect stance, refusing to merchandise an soul investigation and relying connected nondisclosure agreements to support nan communicative from spreading.

Critics, including respective existent and former Assemblies of God pastors, opportunity this consequence exposes a religion activity civilization that’s much concerned pinch avoiding ineligible liability than protecting nan vulnerable. They’re calling connected nan Assemblies of God to committee an independent reappraisal of its handling of activity maltreatment allegations nationwide to guarantee thing for illustration this happens again.

In a connection to NBC News, nan Assemblies of God said it directed Chi Alpha leaders to enactment distant from Savala aft receiving a study astir him successful 2018. Five years later, aft receiving “reports of intersexual abuse,” nan denomination said it “took due actions,” starring to nan dismissal of much than a half twelve ministers pinch ties to Savala.

“We person been heartbroken to perceive allegations related to Daniel Savala and nan symptom his reported actions caused,” nan connection said. “The Assemblies of God stands successful beardown guidance to nan teachings and practices he followed.”

Denomination leaders declined question and reply requests and did not reply elaborate questions.

Savala has not entered a plea connected his charges successful Texas, and he and his lawyers did not respond to requests for comment. But successful April 2023, arsenic nan accusations mounted, he recorded nan confession successful his surviving room; it’s unclear what led him to do so. The grainy homemade video later circulated among Savala’s accusers and was shared pinch NBC News.

Contemplating really he managed to conceal his misdeeds for truthful long, Savala’s eyes displacement momentarily, past his regard returns to nan camera.

“I had them each very good nether my spell.”