Pastor John B. Lowe II was one of several to speak in 2019 at a candlelight vigil. InkFreeNew file photo.

By Dan Spalding
InkFreeNews

WARSAW – A high-profile pastor in Warsaw admitted to committing adultery at the end of service Sunday and was then immediately confronted by a woman who said the relationship began when she was 16.

Pastor John B. Lowe II, the founder of New Life Christian Church and World Outreach, told his congregation Sunday, May 22, that he had committed adultery. 

The church on Monday confirmed Lowe had resigned.

A statement from the church was being prepared Monday night.

Editor’s note: The church has issued a statement. You can read it here.

Efforts to reach Lowe and the woman for comment were unsuccessful.

Much of the Sunday service was recorded and put on the church website, but it did not include the final minutes in which he addressed the church. Comments left on the church website questioned the editing and some speculated about whether Lowe could or should face criminal charges for sexual assault.

Another version of the event, though, captured video from the pews, was posted on Facebook and shows the entire final minutes in which the woman takes the stage, alleges she was 16 when it began and accused the church of a coverup. By Monday afternoon, it had been shared 1,600 times on Facebook.

“I was just 16 when you took my virginity on the office floor,” the woman told Lowe who stood nearby.

“People knew and were too afraid to come forward and they have now,” she said.

“The church deserves to know the truth. This church has been built on lies, but no more. The lies need to stop,” she said.

The woman’s husband also spoke and tossed jewelry – a purity ring and necklace – onto the lectern before they walked out.

Lowe helped build the church in the 1980s. His wife, Debra, is the co-pastor.

He has been a voice in the community for years, speaking at events for conservative causes and at funerals for some of the more prominent people in the community. Earlier this year, he was featured in a story in InkFreeNews about efforts to aid refugees fleeing Ukraine after the Russian invasion.

Lowe didn’t offer any excuses when he addressed the church.

“I ask you to forgive me and that’s all I can do,” he told the crowd.

He said he had no good reason for keeping silent, and admitted it was in part to protect himself.

“Twenty years ago, I repented,” Lowe told the congregation. “Now … with this fresh hurt, I ask you to forgive me for this deep wound I have caused. I make no excuse for my sin. The betrayal of dear friendship, trust and love is beyond my ability to express.”

Lowe has been active in jail ministry in Kosciusko County and his church has been a strong supporter of the jail program known as JCAP.

A spokesman for the sheriff’s office said Lowe has not been involved in JCAP classes for about six months.

The spokesman for the jail also confirmed a complaint concerning Lowe had been filed with the sheriff’s office earlier this month and that it was forwarded to Indiana State Police because of Lowe’s close ties to the office.

A spokesperson for ISP would not confirm or comment on whether there is an investigation involving Lowe.

Sunday’s spectacle seemed to leave parishioners divided.

Some applauded Lowe and circled around him for a prayer afterward while others shouted out, “If you did it, you need to admit it.”

The video also shows the woman being consoled by numerous people afterward.