Virginia pastor steps down after being charged with soliciting sex with minor

A day after news broke that the lead pastor of Virginia Beach’s Rock Church had been charged with soliciting sex from an underage girl, the church announced he will step away from all ministerial duties until the case is resolved.

The statement was released Wednesday morning, five days after Pastor John Blanchard was arrested in a sting operation in Chesterfield County.

Police said the operation targeted 17 men who’d been communicating online with someone they believed was a teenage girl but was actually a police officer.

When the men went to meet the girl at a motel room for sex, they were greeted instead by several police officers, said Mike Louth, a major with the Chesterfield County Police Department.

Blanchard, 51, was arrested Friday and charged with felony solicitation of prostitution. The crime carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Blanchard was released on bond. A video from Rock Church shows the longtime pastor participated in a church service there two days later.

In its statement, Rock Church said it had been advised by legal counsel not to comment on the charges. Bishop Anne Gimenez and Blanchard’s wife, Robin, also a senior pastor of the church, will lead services while the case is pending.

“We are all committed to walking in integrity and truth at Rock Church International and will continue to take steps to do so,” the church’s statement said.

“As followers of Christ, we must remember that redemption, salvation, grace, mercy and healing are all gifts given to the children of God. Although everyone must address their own convictions and consequences, our assignment as believers is not to condemn, but to be agents of God’s love, healing, justice, and reconciliation.”

The statement also offered thanks for the outpouring of support the church has received since news of the arrest broke, and asked that the Blanchard family’s privacy be respected “while they walk through this difficult journey together.”

Rock Church is non-denominational and was founded in 1968 by Anne Gimenez and her late husband, John. Rock Church International has over 500 churches in multiple countries, according to its website.

John and Robin Blanchard have been senior pastors at the Virginia Beach church since 2013, and are the parents of two girls, the website said.

The couple attended a Virginia Beach school board meeting on Oct. 24, during which they spoke out against a proposed policy that would allow transgender students to use restrooms that align with their gender identity. The couple said they feared the policy would put girls at risk of being assaulted.

(Courtesy The Virginia-Pilot: Excludes headline)

•File: John and Robin Blanchard speak to the congregation at Rock Church prior to their pastoral installment service on Oct. 21, 2013, in Virginia Beach