New Life Chapel in West Chester Township fired Pastor Lonnie Snell effective Oct. 23, saying an internal investigation found he engaged in sexual misconduct with a subordinate. The announcement came just days after Snell stood in the pulpit and preached to the congregation, and it has upended plans for a major expansion at the growing church.
According to cincinnati.com, Snell preached at New Life as recently as Oct. 18, less than a week before the church removed him. The church’s statement characterized the conduct as involving a person “of consensual age and development,” but officials declined to provide additional details about the investigation or the specific allegation against him. A Friday check of Butler County court records showed no charges filed against Snell, per the same report.
The Centre Daily Times reported that church officials conducted an investigation they say found Snell engaged in sexual misconduct with a subordinate, language that echoes the church’s own characterization of the findings. Beyond that description, church leadership has not disclosed who the subordinate was or what specifically prompted the inquiry.
Timeline Moved Quickly From Investigation to Dismissal
New Life Chapel board member David Norris told the congregation that a formal investigation into the allegations opened Oct. 21, and Snell was dismissed just two days later, according to The Roys Report. Norris delivered the news of the firing to the roughly 3,000-person congregation during Sunday morning services on Oct. 25, the outlet reported.
During that same announcement, Norris said the unnamed staff member identified as a victim of Snell’s misconduct was also fired, The Roys Report reported. In the wake of the dismissal, the church canceled a multi-night revival service that had been widely anticipated, according to the same outlet.
Independent Church Structure Lacks Traditional Elder Oversight
The Roys Report described New Life Chapel as an independent church with no elders, governed instead by a three-member board whose members are pastors at their own separate congregations. That structure means the investigation and firing decision rested with a small group rather than a broader body of church elders.
New Life began offering services in 2010 and had grown to more than 900 people by 2017, per cincinnati.com. The church’s website includes a page dedicated to a “Phase 2” expansion of its West Chester campus, and The Roys Report reported the church was scheduled that same week to submit plans for a larger building featuring a 1,500-seat auditorium — plans now clouded by the leadership shakeup.
As reported by WKRC, the church said it is working to maintain the highest integrity in its pastoral staff and leadership and is continuing to determine the necessary next steps from the investigation. The station reported that church leaders asked members not to speculate or conduct their own investigations, and instead to pray for the church, its leadership and its pastors, adding that they believe God is not done with the church and are looking forward to what comes next.
