Indicted Wichita Falls pastor no stranger to controversies
A Wichita Falls pastor indicted on six counts of indecency with a child has been involved in controversies in the past.
Ronnie Allen Killingsworth, 78, has been pastor of Rephidim Church on Allendale Road since he founded it in late 1971.
He had previously preached at churches in Oklahoma, Texas and Missouri, including a brief stint as pastor at Faith Baptist Church in Iowa Park.
In addition to church work, he served on the Iowa Park Police Department in the 70s, being named chief in 1975, only to have the appointment rescinded within a week. He was suspended from the force on allegations of making a false arrest but was later reinstated. Afterwards, he operated a private investigation firm for a short time.
Dispute over tax-exempt status for property
In late 1983, Killingsworth’s church became party to a dispute over a $700,000 home in Country Club Estates in Wichita Falls. The homeowners had incorporated an entity called Grace Mission, Inc., which was affiliated with Rephidim Church. Grace Mission wanted tax-exempt status for the property, which the owners said would be converted into a parsonage. The Wichita Appraisal District denied the exemption. Killingsworth was listed as pastor/teacher of Grace Mission.
Teaming with Jeffries on protest of library books
In 1998, Killingsworth joined Robert Jeffries, then-pastor of First Baptist Church, in protesting two books at the Wichita Falls Public Library that the pastors believed promoted homosexuality. Killingsworth filed paperwork to have them removed and Jeffries simply kept them from the shelves. At the time, Killingsworth told the Times Record News, “I believe the Bible says a homosexual and lesbian lifestyle is wrong and God pronounced the death penalty on them.”
Curiosity over cluster of buildings near Thornberry
In 1999, on the eve of the millennium, Rephidim Church began building a cluster of buildings in a rural area near the Thornberry community, sparking speculation it was some kind of compound or encampment. Killingsworth told the Times Record News at the time that the public curiosity was an “unstory.”
Killingsworth surrendered to Rangers in Clay County
Killingsworth surrendered to the Texas Rangers in Clay County on Friday, even though the sealed indictments against him were on allegations from Wichita County. He was freed on $150,000 bond.
The indictments include four counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact in connection with a girl on May 29, 2011, one count in connection with a second victim on Sept. 25, 2001 and one count in connection with a third victim on Oct. 16, 2000.
Because he was charged in sealed indictments, no court documents such as probable cause or arrest affidavits were available to provide details on the allegations, as they often are in similar cases.
Suspects in crimes are presumed innocent until proven innocent. Information for this story came from the files of the Times Record News.
More: UPDATED: Wichita Falls pastor accused of sexually abusing children
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Indicted Wichita Falls pastor no stranger to controversies
