Survivors have sued The Vineyard Church in Duluth, Minnesota, along with its parent organization Vineyard USA in 9 separate civil lawsuits. The former pastor has been convicted of sexual assault. Gatlin has been sentenced to 13 years in prison and will be required to register as a sex offender upon release. The lawsuit also names his parents, Michael and Brenda Gatlin, who both held senior leadership roles at Vineyard Church and Vineyard USA.
The 36-year-old disgraced pastor, who previously served as a young adult and online community pastor, pleaded guilty in November 2024 to one count of criminal sexual conduct with a minor. He entered an Alford plea for four additional charges. This means he acknowledged sufficient evidence existed for a conviction while maintaining his innocence.
His father Michael Gatlin previously served as the senior pastor, and his mother held a leadership position at both the local church and national organization. They resigned from their roles without cooperating with the investigation into their son’s abuse. The civil suits allege that church leadership either knew or should have known about Gatlin’s abusive behavior, and failed to act.
According to allegations, Gatlin groomed his victims, with “flirtations”. He is also accused of sending explicit text messages and taking them to his bedroom at his parent’s home. At this location, he is alleged to have touched the victims or had them touch him. More disturbing accusations say that Gatlin forced minors into sex with threats and bound his victim’s hands.
Another survivor reported that Gatlin laughed at one of the victims when she asked him to stop the abuse. The Vineyard Church expressed sorrow over the events and stated that they had anticipated the civil lawsuits., in a statement. The church said “No one ever wants to be sued in civil court. Yet, we welcome this case and pray that it can bring healing and justice for the victims.”
“As a church, we want to follow the way of Jesus and take responsibility for the harm we are judged to have caused,” they said. The statement confirmed the church’s intention to take responsibility where necessary, despite financial limitations caused by insurance constraints and existing debt. Earlier this year, we reported on another pastor who was arrested after allegedly beating his wife.
An Ohio pastor has been arrested for assaulting his daughter and his wife. His family has claimed has a mental health condition. Previously, Josh Lough has blamed husbands when their wives are cranky and combative. He served as the senior pastor of Grace Bible Church, a non-denominational church in Canal Winchester. On Dec. 8 he allegedly assaulted his wife of 20 years and one of his daughters in an incident at his home.
When the authorities asked him to step out of his home and explain what was going on, Josh Lough revealed to police that he argued with his wife. He insisted that she struggles with her mental health. Deputy Martin wrote out a description of the event in an affidavit of probable cause. “Joshua stated that his wife has a mental issue and that’s why they were arguing,” he said.
“[The Officer] asked Joshua if anything physical happened tonight during the incident. Joshua said that he didn’t hit anyone, they just grabbed each other,” according to Deputy Martin. The Loughs have two daughters and a son, according to the church’s website. One of the daughters, who is identified as TL, told police that she was the one who called for help.