FBI Says It's Looking into Indiana Pastor's Relationship with Teen

By Dennis Sullivan and Lisa Black
Chicago Tribune
August 4, 2012

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-pastor-fired-update-20120805,0,5517740.story

Jack Schaap, former pastor of First Baptist Church in Hammond, was dismissed after admitting to an affair with a teenage girl, a church spokesman said. (August 5, 2012)

The FBI confirmed Friday that it is investigating whether the former pastor of an Indiana megachurch broke any laws during a relationship with a now-17-year-old girl that led to his ouster from First Baptist Church in Hammond.

Former Pastor Jack Schaap, 54, admitted to adultery and "improper behavior" with the teenager, leading a board of deacons to fire him Monday, church spokesman Eddie Wilson has said.

Church officials contacted the Lake County, Ind., sheriff's office Tuesday and have been cooperating with investigators from the county and federal agency since, Wilson said.

"There is an allegation we're trying to prove or disprove that the pastor crossed state lines and engaged in an improper sexual relationship with an underage female," said Robert Ramsey, spokesman for the FBI's office in Merrillville, Ind.

Ramsey said that, under federal law, being underage is defined as someone under 18. The age of consent differs from one state to another.

The teen recently turned 17, around the time that she and the pastor allegedly met at different locations, including over the state border at a Cook County forest preserve, Wilson said.

Patty Van Til, spokeswoman for the sheriff's office, said she doesn't know the victim's age and declined to discuss the age of consent in Indiana, saying several relevant laws might apply.

Schaap, who has not returned calls and was reportedly seeking reconciliation with his wife, was interviewed by the FBI on Wednesday, Wilson said. No charges had been filed as of Friday.

Church officials began questioning Schaap after hearing rumors, Wilson said. When confronted, "Schaap confessed to us," said Terry Duff, head of the board of deacons. The board obtained additional evidence Monday, he said.

"Once we had evidence, we had to dismiss him," Duff said, declining to describe the evidence.

The fundamentalist church, which broadcasts its services, attracts about 15,000 people to its regular services, officials said.

Schaap became pastor in 2001, taking over after the death of his father-in-law, the Rev. Jack Hyles.

While First Baptist is an independent church, religious leaders elsewhere expected questions from their congregations this weekend.

"You are disappointed when you hear about a notable leader who is caught in a sinful action, and your heart goes out to people in that family," said Pastor Rick Hillard of Eastlake Baptist Church in Crown Point.

Hillard, who said he does not know Schaap, said he is urging people to pray, knowing that "when something like that happens, it brings a negative feeling toward people of faith, especially pastors. It seems like we look for reasons not to believe."

Lisa Black is a staff reporter. Dennis Sullivan is a freelance reporter.

Contact: lblack@tribune.com