Texas church fires senior pastor after he's charged with possession of child porn

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Calvary Chapel of The Woodlands in Texas, which hosts services in the auditorium of McCullough Junior High School has announced the firing of their longtime pastor, Bruce Hollen, 63, following his arrest for possession with intent to promote child pornography.

The firing came on May 8, the same day authorities arrested the married father who has two daughters and a son, for allegedly promoting and distributing naked pictures of young girls ABC 13 reported.

“The board of Calvary Chapel of The Woodlands has discussed the allegations against Pastor Bruce Hollen and has unanimously decided effective immediately that as of 5/8/2024, Bruce Hollen is stripped of his role as lead pastor of Calvary Chapel of the Woodlands,” the church said in a statement on their website which has largely been disabled along with most of their social media pages.

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“The board hereby has determined that Bruce Hollen no longer has authority, authorization, or permission to conduct any business on behalf of Calvary Chapel of the Woodlands,” the church added. “He may not hold himself out as a leader in any capacity for the church, and he may not speak on behalf of the church in any capacity.”

Hollen’s arrest, according to authorities, came as a result of a sting operation focused on internet crimes against children.

The girls in the photos Hollen had in his possession were between the ages of 9 and 12 authorities said and they were naked from the waist down. Some of the young victims were engaged in sexual acts.

 Hollen is currently jailed on a $30,000 bond.

Calvary Chapel is an Evangelical church, that believes in using all God’s gifts to accomplish the Great Commission, according to their website.

“Our desire is to know Christ and be conformed to His image by the power of the Holy Spirit. We do that by preaching the Gospel and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead people into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ,” a cached paged from their website says.  “Believers of Jesus are equipped by the simple verse by verse teaching of the whole counsel of God's Word to bring people to maturity in Christ. We encourage people to use the gifts that God has given them to fulfill the great commission to make disciples and thus accomplish the mission of His church.”