The former pastor of an Indiana megachurch is under investigation for having sex with a member of the church when she was only 16, according to USA Today.
Jack Schaap, 54, was dismissed as the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Hammond after he admitted having a relationship with the teenage girl, who is now 17. He had been employed by the fundamentalist church for nearly 30 years.
"At this time, we deeply regret the need to announce that First Baptist Church has dismissed our pastor, Dr. Jack Schaap, due to a sin that has caused him to forfeit his right to be our pastor," the church said in a statement.
"First Baptist Church is in full cooperation with our local authorities in their investigation of this matter. Our church grieves over the need to take this action and the impact it will have on our people."
Lake County Sheriff's Department is investigating the incident to uncover whether Schaap took the girl across state lines to Illinois when she was 16. The age of consent in Indiana is 16, but in Illinois it is 17.
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