Megachurch pastor claims mistaken identity in abuse cover-up case

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

Editors’ note: This article includes graphic details about alleged sexual assaults.

M. Wayne Blackburn, senior pastor at Victory Church in Lakeland, Florida, has been accused in a lawsuit of helping to cover up the sexual abuse of a 7-year-old boy by an Assemblies of God church volunteer approximately 40 years ago, which an attorney says is a case of “mistaken identity.” 

Christopher Woods Sr., the plaintiff in the 14-page complaint reviewed by The Christian Post and filed on March 5 in the Circuit Court for the 10th Judicial Circuit in Bartow, names his alleged abuser, registered sex offender Walter Steverson, the Assemblies of God Peninsular Florida District in Lakeland and Blackburn as defendants.

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Woods seeks damages exceeding $50,000, excluding interest, costs and attorney’s fees, according to his attorney, Boz Tchividjian, an abuse advocate and grandson of the late Rev. Billy Graham.

Woods is suing Steverson specifically for battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress; the Assemblies of God Peninsular Florida District for vicarious liability and respondeat superior; and Blackburn for intentional infliction of emotional distress.

“Defendant Blackburn abused plaintiff, when he instructed plaintiff to keep defendant Steverson’s abuse secret, told plaintiff that his mother would not believe him if he told her about defendant Steverson’s abuse, and continued to allow defendant Steverson to be alone with plaintiff,” Tchividjian argues in the complaint.

“Defendant Blackburn’s conduct, knowingly and intentionally caused severe emotional distress and physical injury to plaintiff.”

In a statement responding to the lawsuit on behalf of the Assemblies of God Peninsular Florida District and Blackburn, Trinity Jordan of the global law firm Dentons said Woods must have mistaken Blackburn for someone else.

“We are aware of the lawsuit filed against Pastor Blackburn and the Peninsula Florida District Council regarding events that allegedly occurred over 40 years ago,” Jordan wrote. “While we deeply sympathize with anyone who has experienced abuse, we firmly believe this is a case of mistaken identity. The District is reviewing the Plaintiff’s claims with counsel and will respond to the lawsuit as appropriate.”

He further added: “With respect to the claims against Pastor Blackburn, he was not an employee of the church where the Plaintiff claims the incident took place, nor was he involved in the youth program at the church where the allegations are centered. These facts strongly indicate that Pastor Blackburn is not the person referenced in this lawsuit, and he emphatically denies that he is the individual referenced in the lawsuit.”

According to the complaint, in or just prior to 1983, when he was about 7, Woods and his family began attending First Assemblies of God Church in Lakeland, Florida, which later became Carpenter’s Home Church. The Rev. Karl Strader, who died in 2020, was the then-pastor of the church.

Steverson was a volunteer leader in a local chapter of Royal Rangers, described as a program for boys similar to the Boy Scouts of America that the Assemblies of God denomination operated. The complaint stated that Woods’ mother signed him up for the Royal Rangers program to “provide a positive, male role model for her young son” because his father worked long hours.

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

“In 1983, defendant Steverson began sexually abusing plaintiff. The initial instance of abuse occurred while defendant Steverson was driving plaintiff to a Royal Rangers meeting for the first time. Plaintiff was wearing his Royal Rangers uniform, including khaki shorts and a button-up collared shirt,” the complaint states.

“While driving, defendant Steverson reached over and touched plaintiff on the inner thigh. Defendant Steverson tried to make it seem like an accident, but then he did it again, this time putting his hand up plaintiff’s shorts, almost touching his genitalia.”

Despite being a young child at the time, the complaint says Woods knew what happened to him was wrong. Shortly after he arrived at the First Assemblies for the Royal Rangers meeting, the suit 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 told Strader what happened, however, “Pastor Strader told plaintiff that defendant Steverson was a good man who was spreading the gospel, and he told plaintiff that the abuse was likely an ‘accident,'” the complaint states.

Strader allegedly promised Woods that the “accident” would never happen again, and Blackburn overheard the promise, according to the court filing. Still, according to Woods, Blackburn allegedly took him back to Steverson and advised him to keep the “accident” a secret.

“Immediately after plaintiff reported the abuse to Pastor Strader, defendant Blackburn walked plaintiff back to join the Royal Rangers meeting. On the way back defendant Blackburn instructed plaintiff to keep the ‘accident’ a secret. Defendant Blackburn told plaintiff that his mother must have really liked defendant Steverson to allow him to give plaintiff rides [and] that she probably would not believe plaintiff if he told his mother what defendant Steverson had done,” the complaint says.

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

“Neither Pastor Strader nor defendant Blackburn reported defendant Steverson’s abuse to child protective services as mandated by Florida law, local law enforcement, or anyone else,” the complaint alleges.

Later that year, the Assemblies of God Peninsular Florida District would sponsor a Royal Rangers overnight camping trip for the leaders and boys at a property owned and operated by the district. And Woods was allegedly abused again.

“Although plaintiff did not want to attend because he knew that defendant Steverson would be there as his Royal Rangers leader, he was afraid to tell his mother what had happened because defendant Blackburn had told plaintiff that his mother would not believe him,” the complaint states. “On the camping trip, defendant Steverson got into plaintiff’s sleeping bag with plaintiff. Defendant Steverson then repeatedly caressed plaintiff’s thigh.”

The next day, Steverson was allowed to take Woods on a hike alone, where he allegedly abused him again.

“When they stopped to drink from a shared Thermos, defendant Steverson reached up plaintiff’s pants and began touching plaintiff’s genitals and told plaintiff that he wanted to ‘kiss it.’ Defendant Steverson then proceeded to put his mouth on plaintiff’s genitals. During this abuse, plaintiff froze and attempted to dissociate,” the complaint says.

Woods felt so “dirty and ashamed” after the abuse that he tried washing his feelings away in the shower at the camp, but it didn’t work. Steverson allegedly continued his abuse of the young Woods that year on church property and in his car.

“In 1983, after the camping trip, Defendant Steverson continued to use his position as a Royal Rangers volunteer leader to gain access to plaintiff and to continue to sexually abuse [him] eight to ten more times in defendant Steverson’s car and on the First Assembly’s church property,” the lawsuit says.

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

“Defendant Steverson sexually victimized plaintiff for the final time on the property of First Assemblies. Defendant Steverson took plaintiff to the Prayer Tower and began fondling plaintiff’s genitalia. Afterward, defendant Steverson got down on his knees in prayer. Defendant Steverson told plaintiff that defendant Steverson needed to ask God to forgive him for what he was about to do,” the complaint notes.

“Plaintiff was terrified. Defendant Steverson stood up, began to unzip his pants, and told plaintiff to ‘kiss his penis.’ At that moment, a door opened and people walked into the room, stopping Defendant Steverson from continuing his abuse,” the filing adds.

“On the way home from the sexual abuse in the Prayer Tower, Defendant Steverson attempted to sexually abuse plaintiff again, but plaintiff pushed his hand away. Defendant Steverson was never alone with plaintiff after that day.”