On Sunday the Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, TX announced that Aaron Ivey was fired from his church leadership position due to "inappropriate and explicit ongoing text messages with an adult male."
Ivey was not only the worship and creativity pastor at the Baptist church, he is also married to Jamie Ivey who is well known for her podcast The Happy Hour. The pair have four children including three that are adopted.
"Several elders were made aware of this situation on the evening of Sunday, February 4th and after reviewing the explicit nature of these messages, it was clear that termination of Aaron’s eldership and employment was necessary in accordance with the clear biblical standards outlined in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and 1 Timothy 5:19-20," the church wrote in a statement on February 11.
According to the statement, the elders found out this wasn't an isolated incident. Ivey had been texting multiple males, including to an underage male.
"We have uncovered multiple similar instances with different individuals dating back to 2011 that show a very clear pattern of predatory manipulation, sexual exploitation, and abuse of influence. The first known instance, which took place with a teenage male victim and continued over time, involved inappropriate and explicit communications, indecent exposure, and the use of alcohol and illegal substances."
While the statement explains it brought this information to the appropriate authorities, the church is only now taking action.
"As elders, we are heartbroken for the victims and their families. Knowing the Lord’s sheep are worth our protection and our love, we are committed to loving this body and rooting out evil. We know this may affect your trust because we know it certainly has rattled ours."
The couple published the book Complement in 2021 about marriage. Ivey also was a guest on the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission panel in 2019 titled 'Faithful Husband, Strong Father: Embracing God’s Design for Manhood in Marriage.'