The lead pastor of one of Greater Cincinnati’s largest churches told its members Sunday he’s cooperating with an investigation into his behavior with a man who visited his church office more than a decade ago.
Brian Tome, who has been lead pastor at Crossroads Church since its founding 30 years ago, is accused of whipping the man and rubbing his crotch with a riding crop during an encounter in 2015.
An email to church members last week announced Tome’s suspension from his pastoral duties but gave few details about the accusation, describing it as “inappropriate physical humor.” Church officials provided more information at Sunday services in a pre-recorded video, which included a brief statement from Tome.
“This is just heart wrenching,” Tome said. “I’m thankful the independent investigation is happening. I’m cooperating. I welcome it.”
The turmoil at Crossroads comes at a time of rapid growth in influence and visibility for the church across the region. It has been at the forefront of a decades-long movement of the Christian faithful away from traditional Catholic and mainline protestant churches to non-denominational evangelical churches.
Since its first public services in a middle school auditorium in 1996, Crossroads has become Greater Cincinnati’s largest evangelical church, attracting about 30,000 members and expanding to nine locations in Ohio and Kentucky.
Tome has been at the center of that growth from the beginning. He was hired as Crossroad’s first senior pastor in the mid-1990s and has remained a leader of the church ever since.
Tome did not discuss details of the accusation in his statement Sunday, but he said he supports the decision by Crossroad’s board to investigate the claims.
“The most important thing is we get to truth, we honor Jesus and the church,” he said. “I’m heartened by the steps that are being taken.”
Accusations involve riding crop, improper behavior
Crossroads’ co-founder Brian Wells said those steps begin with hiring an independent investigator to interview the parties involved and gather as much information as possible about the allegation.
A church spokeswoman said police are not involved.
Wells said the church officials first learned of the accusation in 2024 when a male church member he did not identify told someone on staff about an encounter in Tome’s office in 2015.
According to the church member, Wells said, he noticed a riding crop in Tome’s office that had been given to the pastor years earlier as a gift. The man said he asked Tome what it was.
In response, the man alleged, Tome picked up the riding crop and said, “Oh, yeah? You like that?” before using it to whip and rub the man’s crotch.
When the staff member shared the man’s allegation with Tome, Wells said, the pastor “immediately and very appropriately” recused himself from any investigation and directed the staff member to contact the board.
Wells said the board investigated the matter and then met with the accuser and Tome to discuss the findings. In a separate meeting, he said the board “officially admonished Brian to be mindful of the weight of his words, his actions and the need to be above reproach.”
“We then considered the issue resolved,” Wells said.
‘An organized search for the truth’
But last week, he said, the same church member who made the accusation contacted the board again to express frustration with “what he felt is a lack of objectivity in the process.”
Wells said no additional information was brought forward, but the board determined an independent investigation was necessary. He did not say who would conduct that investigation.
“I would note that an investigation does not indicate guilt,” Wells said. “It’s simply an organized search for the truth … Our prayer is that it can be done quickly, but our commitment is that it will be done right.”
He also said he understands that some church members may be frustrated by the lack of information or wary of trusting people in authority to investigate the matter. “I’m sorry for that,” he said. “I would just ask us all to extend grace all around for everyone while we go through this process.”
Neither Wells nor Tome could be reached on Monday to respond to questions about the allegations or the investigation.
The accusation against Tome is the second this year involving claims of inappropriate behavior by a Crossroads staff member.
In January, Crossroads fired an employee after police told church officials the person had been accused of secretly filming women working out at Crunch Fitness in Oakley.
“This behavior grossly violates biblical standards and expectations required of any individual on staff,” Tome said at the time.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Crossroads’ pastor suspended, under investigation after accusation
Reporting by Dan Horn and Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
