HOUSTON (TX)
The Roys Report [Chicago IL]
January 13, 2025
By Josh Shepherd
The former pastor of a now-shuttered Calvary Chapel congregation in south-central Texas has been sentenced to two years in prison for possessing child sex abuse material.
On Tuesday, Judge Phil Grant of the 9th District Court of Texas sentenced Bruce Hollen, 63, to two years in state prison, according to court records. Hollen, who will be credited 24 days for time served, began serving his sentence the same day.
For several years, Hollen had been lead pastor of Calvary Chapel of The Woodlands in the north suburbs of Houston. As The Roys Report (TRR) previously reported, he had been arrested last May as part of a statewide sting operation focused on internet crimes against children.
Court records summarized in the report describe the images that Hollen possessed as “of girls between the ages of 9 and 12 years old, naked from the waist down . . . In some of the images, the girls were engaged in sexual activity.”
Last November, Hollen pleaded guilty to charges of possession with intent to promote child pornography, a second-degree felony. Judge Grant convicted him of the charges on Tuesday.
TRR reached out via previous email contacts to Calvary Chapel of The Woodlands for comment but did not receive a response. The church’s listed phone number has been disconnected.
According to multiple sources, the church closed as of last year.
A former member of Hollen’s church, who spoke to TRR on condition of anonymity, confirmed the closure.
The woman, who lives in nearby Spring, said that following news reports published last May of the pastor’s alleged crimes, the church held no further services and was disbanded.
Calvary Chapel of The Woodlands had been founded in 2002, according to public records, with Hollen listed as the sole organizational officer.
On Friday morning, the church was still listed on the website of the Calvary Chapel Global Network (CGN). Hours later, after TRR sought comment from CGN, the listing had disappeared.
“Each Calvary Chapel church operates independently, so we do not have records related to your questions,” stated CGN Director of Operations Michelle Wright to TRR. “We are not formally affiliated with an association of churches, nor do we function as a governing body.”
The church’s listing on Yelp – including the address of a local school whose auditorium was formerly rented for Sunday services – notes that “this location has closed.”