Crook County Attorney DaNece Day in Wyoming has charged two members of the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church, or OALC, with sexual abuse offenses in the past two years. Her office alleges that a man accused of sexually abusing young girls hundreds of times during Sunday services at a rural church near Moorcroft, Wyoming was not reported to police by the preacher who knew of the abuse. Instead, prosecutors said, the preacher told the accused man to seek therapy.
The OALC is a Scandinavian-rooted denomination with 34 congregations in the United States and Canada, representing tens of thousands of members. The faith teaches that sins can be forgiven through rituals involving fellow church members, and current and former congregants say this doctrine has created an environment where abuse allegations are often resolved outside the criminal justice system.
ProPublica and the Minnesota Star Tribune have reported on multiple cases in Wyoming, Minnesota, and Washington state where church leaders were aware of alleged sexual abuse but did not report it to authorities. In one case in Minnesota, preachers allegedly knew for years that a member named Clint Massie had sexually abused young girls before urging victims into forgiveness sessions with their abuser rather than contacting police.
What the Left Is Saying
Child protection advocates and some Democratic legislators have pointed to these cases as evidence of gaps in mandatory reporting laws. They argue that religious institutions must be held to the same standards as schools and daycare centers when it comes to reporting suspected abuse.
DaNece Day, the Crook County attorney prosecuting OALC members in Wyoming, described what she called an institutionalization of abuse within some congregations. She has advocated for stronger legal mechanisms to ensure allegations reach law enforcement regardless of where they arise.
Survivor advocates say the church's forgiveness doctrine places the burden of sin on victims who refuse to remain silent rather than on perpetrators. They argue this creates a systemic barrier to accountability and call for mandatory reporting requirements that cannot be circumvented by religious beliefs.
What the Right Is Saying
Some conservative voices have raised concerns about government overreach into religious institutions, arguing that criminal investigations should proceed through due process without targeting faith communities broadly. They note that individual perpetrators should face justice while protecting the rights of congregations that report abuse or cooperate with authorities.
Representatives of the OALC stated they do not perceive a general pattern of abuse within the church and described sexual abuse as serious misconduct that should be reported to authorities when discovered. Swedish church elders, who hold influence but not authority over American congregations, said in a statement that cases appearing in reporting were isolated incidents and acknowledged it was possible some matters have been handled improperly or without sufficient knowledge.
Defenders of religious organizations argue that most churches maintain robust child protection policies and that singling out denominations for scrutiny based on the actions of a minority of members raises constitutional concerns about free exercise of religion.
What the Numbers Show
The OALC operates 34 congregations across the United States and Canada, with membership in the tens of thousands according to church representatives cited by ProPublica. Crook County prosecutors have charged two OALC members in Wyoming within the past two years. In Washington state, a member who was allowed to remain in the congregation after allegations surfaced rather than being reported to police was later convicted of raping the 9-year-old son of another church member and sentenced to life in prison. The Swedish church elders noted they did not observe any pattern among their membership across multiple jurisdictions.
The Bottom Line
Prosecutors say the geographic spread of OALC congregations, often hundreds of miles apart but connected by multigenerational family networks, creates challenges for law enforcement investigating allegations that were never reported when they occurred. Swedish church elders are scheduled to visit American and Canadian congregations this summer amid growing legal scrutiny of leaders who fail to report suspected abuse. Church representatives said guidelines regarding reporting requirements are being reviewed with American pastors to ensure compliance with applicable laws.