Pastor Quits Church After Shocking Allegations Resurface

A California pastor has resigned from his post after long-buried allegations resurfaced, revealing he once took unsolicited photos of young women outside a Trader Joe’s. The scandal has reopened painful questions about church accountability at a time when faith leaders nationwide are under scrutiny.

Rick Olmstead, former senior pastor of Arise Vineyard Church in San Luis Obispo, stepped down in late December. Church officials confirmed the resignation only after local reporting forced them to address the controversy publicly.

The allegations date back to October 2020. It was the final stretch of the pandemic. Donald Trump was president then, too. People were standing in long lines outside stores. And according to a former church intern, the pastor was hiding behind his phone.

Taylor Berns told reporters she was working a shift at Trader Joe’s when she spotted Olmstead taking nonconsensual photos of the backsides of college-aged women. She said he lingered. Followed them. Watched them. And she immediately knew it wasn’t right.

“I froze,” Berns recalled. “I recognized him. I’d already had an uncomfortable moment with him at the church. And I thought, here he is, doing it again.”

Berns reported what she saw to the church board. She said she expected an immediate response. She said she didn’t get one.

“I thought they’d protect people,” she explained. “Instead, it felt like they protected the brand.”

Internal documents later confirmed the board handled the episode quietly. Olmstead was placed in counseling. He apologized to the store. And he was barred from being alone with teens or young women. Yet he remained in leadership while overseeing two youth-focused religious nonprofits: the global 4/14 Movement and Generation Now.

“That part hurts the most,” Berns said. “He was still in rooms with young people while the church kept this quiet.”

The church now admits the 2020 incident happened, calling it “poor judgment.” They also insist Olmstead completed a restoration program and that they believed the matter was settled.

But the story reemerged this winter when someone made an anonymous report to Vineyard USA’s Guidepost Solutions hotline. That triggered a new inquiry. And the church finally acted.

Rick and his wife Becky “determined with the Board” that he should step down immediately. Church leaders framed the resignation as a mutual choice aimed at protecting the congregation.

The timing has raised questions inside the community. The Trader Joe’s incident happened just months after a previous pastor, Thom O’Leary, resigned over inappropriate behavior toward women and alcohol misuse. Berns believes the church was desperate to avoid another scandal.

“They didn’t want to lose more members,” she said. “I get it. But covering for leaders is how harm spreads.”

The fallout comes as Vineyard USA confronts its own widening credibility crisis. Several churches in the network were recently named in civil lawsuits involving former pastor Jackson Gatlin, who accepted a plea deal in 2024 for criminal sexual conduct with a minor. Nine lawsuits followed, accusing church leaders of ignoring warning signs.

Arise Vineyard now says its reporting practices have changed since 2020. They blame “local autonomy” policies for why the Olmstead case was never shared with national leadership.

“At the time, there were no formal requirements,” the board explained in a new statement. “But looking back, we see the ramifications of not involving national leadership sooner.”

Church officials say they have since installed new reporting systems, citing a “commitment to transparency.”

Experts on religious accountability say cases like this reveal a persistent pattern.

“Congregations often rely on internal discipline instead of independent review,” said Dr. Melinda Harrow, a religion and ethics researcher. “That keeps problems hidden and allows leaders to reoffend. The public only hears about it when someone refuses to stay quiet.”

Berns says that is exactly why she came forward now.

“People deserve to know who is leading their church,” she said. “Silence is what allows this stuff to go on for decades.”

Her message comes at a moment when the country is once again debating power, secrecy, and leadership under President Trump’s second term. Berns hopes churches will learn from the past. She is not sure they will.

“I’m not trying to destroy anyone,” she said. “But truth matters. And if someone won’t tell it, then I will.”