Survivor Claims Spiritual Abuse at Coral Ridge Presbyterian, Part 1

Guest Bios

Show Transcript

What do you do when you’re wrongly fired by a megachurch—and denied any severance unless you sign an NDA? Then, years later, you realize what you experienced at that church was spiritual abuse?

That's what Lori Harding says happened to her at the the famous Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. And in this edition of The Roys Report, Harding tells her complete story.

Coral Ridge is the church formerly pastored by Dr. D. James Kennedy. But after Kennedy died in 2007, Tullian Tchvidjian—Billy Graham’s grandson—became the pastor at Coral Ridge. And it was as a part of Tchvidjian’s inner circle that Harding said she was pressured to accept the unacceptable—and to overlook financial irregularities.

When Harding didn’t, she was fired. And because she refused to sign an NDA, she got no severance.

But about a year later, news broke that Tchvidjian had been involved in sexual misconduct with several congregants. The church fired Tchvidjian. And the new pastor, Rob Pacienza, who had been involved in Harding’s firing, came to her privately and apologized. 

Harding then went to another church, where she says she endured spiritual abuse again. But this time, she complained to the denomination. And she went back to Coral Ridge and Pastor Rob Pacienza, and asked for them to right the wrongs done against her.

In this first of a two-part podcast, you’ll hear Lori’s eye-opening account of what happened to her at both Coral Ridge and Grace Community Church in Boca Raton, Florida. And you’ll be challenged to consider issues of spiritual abuse, NDAs, and celebrity leadership.

This Weeks Guests

Lori Harding

Lori Harding is an MDiv graduate of Knox Theological Seminary, an ordained pastor, and former Associate Pastor and Executive Director at Grace Community Church in Boca Raton, FL. Working in ministry for the past fourteen years has given Lori ample opportunity to see firsthand the devastating effects of patriarchy, narcissism, and abuse within the church. She currently advocates for abuse victims and works to expose the realities of church abuse. Lori resides in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with her husband and enjoys spending time with her family.

Show Transcript

SPEAKERS

JULIE ROYS, ROB PACIENZA, LORI HARDING

JULIE ROYS  00:03

What do you do when you’re wrongly fired by a mega church and then denied any severance unless you sign an NDA? Welcome to The Roys Report, a podcast dedicated to reporting the truth and restoring the church. I’m Julie Roys. And my guest today, Lori Harding. says this happened to her not once but twice. And the first time she alleges it happened was in 2014, when she was on staff at the famous Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. This is a church formerly pastored by Dr. D. James Kennedy. But after Kennedy died in 2007, Tullian Tchividjian, Billy Graham’s grandson, became the pastor at Coral Ridge, and Harding worked under Tchividjian as an executive assistant and then as the director of women’s ministries, and she says it in 2014, she began noticing financial irregularities and began asking questions. This led to tension with Tchividjian and then suddenly, Harding was fired and to get any severance Coral Ridge required that Harding sign an NDA or non disclosure agreement. Harding refused and she got nothing from Coral Ridge.** But in 2015 news broke that Tchividjian had been involved in sexual misconduct with several congregants, the church fired Tchividjian and the new pastor fired Tchividjian and the new pastor Rob Pacienza, who had been involved in Harding’s firing, came to her privately and apologize. And this is where it gets interesting. Rob Pacienza is still the senior pastor of Coral Ridge and the CEO of D. James Kennedy Ministries. And he now says that that apology in 2015 was not an admittance that he or the church did anything wrong. And this is relevant because in 2021, Harding came back to Coral Ridge seeking a public apology and compensation