Megachurch pastor Andy Savage, of Highpoint Church in Memphis, Tennessee, has resigned in the wake of an investigation by Highpoint into sexual abuse allegations made against Savage in January.
The investigation said that in relation to their findings, the resignation “is appropriate.”
Savage had taken a leave of absence after a woman named Jules Woodson accused him of assaulting her while she was 17 and Savage was a youth pastor in Texas. Woodson said Savage drove her to a secluded road, asked her to perform a sex act on him and and touched her inappropriately. The incident was 20 years ago, and no charges were filed due to the passing of the statute of limitations.
A spokesperson for Highpoint Church said, “Highpoint leadership has come to recognize that it was defensive rather than empathetic in its initial reaction to Ms. Jules Woodson’s communication concerning the abuse she experienced, and humbly commits to develop a deeper understanding of an appropriate, more compassionate response to victims of abuse.”
A third party will assess Highpoint’s current policies and training in order to make adjustments to how it responds to abuse.
