Months after agreeing to pay former member and intern Tyler Bates $2 million to settle a lawsuit in which he alleges he was sexually abused as a teenager by a staff member while he slept, Grace Church, one of the largest churches in Houston, founded by Steve Riggle, has paid-up after months of delay.
“Grace Church and its insurers paid all agreed amounts to Mr. Bates via his attorneys — a standard arrangement required by the settlement,” Lawrence Swicegood, a spokesperson for Grace Church, told The Christian Post.
Bates confirmed with CP on Feb. 24 that the matter highlighted in legal documents was settled. He now hopes the Christian community will use his story to better understand why churches need more accountability.
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“I would love to see a reform in the Church in the way that we handle these situations. I would love to see us approach this better with more education on how this affects families and victims,” Bates said.
“It makes me really sad because the Bible that I read and the Christ that I believe in, that we profess as our Lord and Savior, and most of the churches do, … if you read the story of Christ, … Christ submitted Himself to the legal system, although he was the perfect son of God,” he added. “Yet we have pastors who confess Him, but they act like they are above the legal system. And they act like their authority from God places them above any sort of accountability to actions or crimes.”
The former Grace Church member first sued the church, which is currently led by Senior Pastor Garrett Booth, as John Doe in 2017, a complaint reviewed by CP shows. He went public with his identity last month in an interview with Rita Springer on her “Worship Is My Weapon” podcast.
In his 2017 lawsuit, filed against Grace Church and now former staff member Joel Davis, Bates alleged that Davis touched his penis while he slept during an overnight trip with the church’s youth dance group in July 2009 when he was 17. The dance group was formed in the church’s NOIZE Academy, which Davis directed.
In July 2010, shortly after he turned 18, Bates said Davis touched him again while he slept during another trip with the dance group, which is shown in videos on YouTube performing at high-profile events like a National Basketball Association game.
Bates alleged that even though Davis informed church leaders of his abusive acts shortly after they occurred, they failed to disclose this to him or his parents.
In his interview with Springer, Bates said he learned about the 2010 incident from Davis in February 2011 after an ex-girlfriend, whose father was an executive pastor at Grace Church, ordered her to break up with him. Bates said the order from his ex-girlfriend’s father left him confused.
“I’m like, ‘Why?’ and she’s like, ‘I’m not allowed to tell you, but it’s so bad. If you knew, if you knew Tyler, it’s so bad,'” Bates said she told him.
At that time, Bates, who was a student at the Christ for the Nations Institute in Texas, didn’t know that his ex-girlfriend’s father was aware of the abuse and had disclosed it to her.
Bates told Springer that after his then-girlfriend broke up with him, he called Davis, whom he had considered a “big brother” and “best friend.” When he shared what happened, Bates said Davis revealed to him that he had abused him while he slept in 2010.
Bates further noted that Davis told him that he had previously confessed to Booth that he had touched him sexually. However, he said church leaders decided it was best not to tell him or his parents about the abuse because they didn’t want their faith in the church to be shaken.
Both Booth and Riggle deny Bates was advised not to tell his parents.
“Garrett Booth did not advise Tyler to not say anything to his parents. Garrett did advise Tyler to convey what he felt necessary to his parents,” Swicegood said.
“A person’s faith is based on their acceptance or rejection of the Word of God. It should never be based on a church or some institution,” Riggle explained in an emailed response to questions from CP. “I never met with Tyler till after he had already met with and had told his parents. Mr. Davis was specifically told Tyler Bates would be informed and that his parents would also be informed.”
Bates alleged that Grace Church perpetuated a false narrative that he was a homosexual and that the abuse was allegedly part of a consensual relationship with Davis. But Swicegood told CP, “This claim is unfounded and untrue.”
Riggle told CP that a Grace Church staffer had publicly questioned Bates’ sexuality during the ordeal, but that person was subsequently asked to resign.
“Tyler was a victim of abuse and, according to Mr. Davis and Tyler, the incidents took place without Tyler’s knowledge or consent while he was asleep. I recall one staff person had questioned Tyler’s sexuality to others. That staff person was reprimanded, and he personally apologized to Tyler. He ultimately was requested to resign from staff, which he did,” Riggle said.
Riggle noted in his comments to CP that while Bates claims the church withheld the abuse from him and his parents, it was Bates who objected to informing his parents until he was ready to share it with them. Even after the abuse became known, Riggle said Bates and Davis maintained their friendship.
“Grace Church made repeated offers of support and counseling to Tyler and his family. As requested, the church tried to balance these actions with Tyler’s continued desire for privacy. Upon Tyler’s learning of the abuse, I was informed that Tyler did not want his parents to know, or for that matter, anyone else. When I objected to that, I was told that we could only tell his parents with his permission,” Riggle said.
“My recollection is that Tyler and Joel continued their relationship as friends for several years, including being in each other’s weddings. I was actually surprised to find out that he had waited until after he was married to inform his parents,” the megachurch founder said.
“Ultimately, Mr. Davis was terminated from staff, and families in the youth ministry were informed, and the staff pastor who failed to properly report the incident resigned from Grace Church. Tyler filed a lawsuit in 2016, and that lawsuit was settled last fall.”
Bates told CP he remained friends with Davis after his confession in 2011 because he felt it was the Christian thing to do. Bates said he was not aware until 2014 that Davis had abused him in 2009 when he was 17. Since learning of the full extent of the abuse, Bates said he has not been in contact with Davis.
Davis, who is now married with children and is the owner of Greatlight Creative, was sued by Bates for assault and battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Bates also sued Grace Church for negligence, negligent hiring, supervision and retention, negligent failure to warn, negligent misrepresentation and vicarious liability.
Swicegood insists that Grace Church prioritizes protecting children and noted that the lawsuit had been settled with mutual satisfaction.
“Grace Church puts the highest priority on protecting its children, students, and families. During a leadership transition in 2014, the church terminated the accused staff member, informed families of the ministry in which he had served and requested and received the resignation of a staff pastor. The church tried to balance these actions with the victim’s continued desire for privacy,” Swicegood said.
“The church made repeated offers of counseling and other support to the victim and his family between 2010 and 2016 when the victim decided to pursue civil action. Grace is grateful that the legal process has now concluded with a mutually agreeable resolution. We pray that this resolution will bring healing and peace to the victim,” Swicegood added.
In a declaration filed in the Superior Court of California in the County of San Diego on Nov. 1, 2024, and reviewed by CP, attorneys for Bates said he agreed to settle his complaint against Grace Community Church, Joel Davis and Does 1 through 100 on July 26, 2024. The settlement was fully executed on Aug. 28, 2024, and payment was expected within 45 days after that, but the money was not paid in a timely manner.
“From August 28, 2024, and continuing, my office made numerous attempts to contact defense counsel regarding the status of payment without success. Finally, on October 29, 2024, defense counsel responded to plaintiff’s counsel via email, stating that the handling attorney is on maternity leave and that they were working on preparing the checks,” wrote Bate’s attorney, Mindy S. Bish of Bish Law, APC.
Bish noted that Bates’ settlement agreement with the church allowed the other party to bring a motion to convert the settlement to a judgement if it was breached.
“Grace Community Church failed to tender the settlement amount to plaintiff by October 12, 2024, as was required by the settlement agreement. Plaintiff has no other remedy at law, so is seeking the entry of judgement as against Grace Community Church effective the date of the breach of the settlement agreement, October 13, 2024,” Bish wrote.
Bates’ attorney then filed an ex parte application to convert the settlement agreement and mutual release (settlement agreement) to a judgment against Grace Church, but Superior Court of San Diego County Judge Cynthia Freeland denied the application on Nov. 7, 2024, noting that the request must be made via a noticed motion.
An ex parte motion is a request to the court for an order without giving the other parties notice. A “noticed motion,” on the other hand, is a formal request to the court by a party in a legal case where the opposing party is given prior notice of the motion. The case is currently listed as a conditional stay or hold.
Davis did not respond to a request for comment from CP.
Milestone Church in Texas, where he was most recently contracted to work, told CP that he was briefly on staff with them. However, after they learned of the allegations against him in 2017, he was fired.
“In December 2016, Milestone Church hired Joel Davis to work on our video production team. During the hiring process, his background check was clear and nothing was flagged on his intake form. In March of 2017, we were made aware of a civil lawsuit filed in California in January of 2017 involving Joel Davis that included allegations of a sexual nature while he was on staff at Grace Church in Houston, TX. Upon learning about these claims, Milestone Church immediately placed him on leave and then quickly terminated his employment,” a spokesperson said in a statement to CP.
“From 2020 to 2024, Joel was used as a contractor for video production services until we did not renew his contract in July 2024. As a team, we are reflecting on past decisions through the lens of current information and we deeply regret his continued involvement,” the church added.
The church also noted that Davis’ wife, who was hired at the same time, continued to work with them until she resigned in summer 2024.
“As our church has grown, all of our processes have developed and strengthened since 2016, including our hiring process. Our team approaches every aspect of our ministry with seriousness, especially the selection process for Milestone team members,” the spokesperson noted.
“Milestone Church strongly condemns abuse of any kind and believes no person should ever be harmed in the care of a church, at any age, under any circumstance. We are unaware of any complaints or concerns that were raised about Joel during his time at Milestone.”
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