Haslet congregation votes against reinstating pastor who hired sex-offending son
The Haslet pastor who hired his son, a child sex offender, to work on the Heritage Baptist campus was dispelled from the church on Sunday after the congregation voted not to reinstate him as senior pastor.
In February, parents at Heritage Christian Academy found out former senior pastor Eric Crawford employed his son Caleb Crawford at the private school despite his lifetime status as a sex offender.
Caleb Crawford was incarcerated in 2016 after indecently touching his cousin, a 12-year-old girl at the time. His father, the former senior pastor of Heritage Baptist Church, hired Caleb Crawford as a janitorial contractor and church music volunteer despite knowledge of the offense. Eric Crawford fired him and stepped back once the information became public.
In March, the pastor resigned from his position at the church. On June 28, he returned to the campus to give a sermon in the morning. Church members voted on whether to reinstate him Sunday evening.
Of the 180 votes, 56% were in favor of bringing the senior pastor back. According to church bylaws, Eric Crawford needed support from 75% of the voting members to be reinstated.
Jennifer Wedel, the parent of a graduated Heritage Christian Academy student, was one of two women organizing protests against the pastor’s return.
When she enrolled her daughter for high school in 2018, she was assured repeatedly that the children at Heritage Christian Academy would be safe.
“Little did we know, the threat was coming from inside,” Wedel said.
On Sunday, Wedel led a protest outside the church, urging members to protect their children over Eric Crawford. She said she got a lot of support from passersby, some support from churchgoers and lots of scornful looks.
“I feel like the members are victims too,” Wedel said. “I feel like they’ve been lied to for so long, and there is brainwashing, and that happens in these types of churches. … I don’t hold any ill feelings at all toward any members, even if they voted yes. I don’t understand it, but I do understand being brainwashed in religious-type environments.”