A former youth pastor at four Texas churches is facing a slew of new criminal charges as his long-delayed trial is now set to begin Dec. 1.
The new indictment returned by a grand jury three months ago charges Luke Cunningham of Lubbock, Texas, with 16 counts of sexual assault of a child under a first-degree felony enhancement known as “sexual assault of a child — bigamy.”
Cunningham’s case has drawn national attention since Baptist News Global first reported in June 2024 that he had been arrested by U.S. marshals on initial child sexual assault charges and was under federal investigation by the FBI for possible international and interstate sex trafficking.
BNG’s original reporting revealed that federal investigators were examining allegations of abuse that occurred during out-of-state and overseas mission trips while Cunningham was employed by Turning Point Community Church, a Lubbock megachurch.
The state of that federal probe remains unclear, as no publicly available records exist with Cunningham listed as a criminal defendant.
In a follow-up story published July 5, 2024, BNG reported prosecutors characterized Cunningham as a “violent offender” who slapped and choked his victims and used church trips as opportunities to isolate and groom minors. At that time, he faced three felony counts and remained in custody on a $500,000 bond.
Prosecutors have grounded these new charges and enhancements with Cunningham’s alleged promises to marry his victims once they turned 18.
According to court records obtained from the Lubbock County District Clerk, Cunningham’s Aug. 26 reindictment supersedes previous charges and adds significant enhancements under Texas Penal Code 22.011(f). This statute escalates sexual assault charges to first-degree felonies when the offender is accused of assaulting a person “whom the actor was prohibited from marrying or living with under the appearance of marriage,” as defined by Texas bigamy laws.
Prosecutors have grounded these new charges and enhancements with Cunningham’s alleged promises to marry his victims once they turned 18.
All 16 counts stem from assaults allegedly committed between September 2018 and April 2019. The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported these new charges do not involve additional accusers but rather multiple incidents with the same victims previously identified in the case.
Cunningham is accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting two teenage girls while serving as a youth pastor at Turning Point Community Church.
During an earlier bond reduction hearing in July 2024, prosecutors alleged Cunningham told his victims that revealing the abuse would condemn those they told to “eternal damnation.” One victim reported Cunningham choked her to near unconsciousness and coerced her into sexual acts on church trips to New Mexico and Guatemala.
Cunningham, now 43, previously served at Lakeside Baptist Church in Granbury, Turning Point Community Church in Lubbock, North Fort Worth Baptist Church, and the now-defunct Agape Baptist Church in Fort Worth.
Lakeside Baptist terminated his employment in May 2024 after reports of misconduct and publicly urged the Southern Baptist Convention to create a database of known abusers to prevent “church-hopping” by serial offenders.
At that time, BNG had previously confirmed Cunningham was the subject of an earlier Lubbock County District Attorney’s Office investigation in 2021–2022 that ultimately was dropped without charges. Prosecutors later acknowledged that investigation during his 2024 bond hearing.
Cunningham remains at the Lubbock County Detention Center under a nearly $500,000 bond. His jury trial is scheduled to begin Dec. 1 before Judge Douglas H. Freitag.
If convicted on all counts, Cunningham faces the prospect of multiple first-degree felony sentences, each punishable by five to 99 years or life in prison. Federal charges could still follow depending on the outcome and current status of the FBI’s parallel investigation into allegations of cross-border sexual exploitation.
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