Former youth pastor David Webb, convicted in 2009 for transporting a 15-year-old girl across state lines for sex, was released from prison after serving his five year sentence.
Webb was arrested and pleaded guilty in 2009 to transporting a minor girl across state lines for sex. He served a five-year federal prison sentence and was released Dec. 23, according to the Bureau of Prisons database. Last year, a Jefferson County jury awarded a $1 million judgment against Webb because of his sexual misconduct with a 15-year-old girl in the congregation.
Source: Ex-youth pastor David Webb released from prison after serving 5 years for sex with minor by Greg Garrison
Webb was the youth pastor at Word of Life Christian Center. The church suffered after the conviction and was eventual renamed to The Life Church Birmingham.
David Webb has served his time and is a free man, but no church should hire convicted pedophile and registered sex offender to work as a pastor. If he still believes, there are plenty of other ways to serve. Contrition helps too. There was precious little of that in this case. Webb maintained his innocence until he admitted his guilt by taking a plea deal. At least he is a registered sex offender.
I remember this case for two reasons. First, David Webb worked as a youth pastor in his father’s church. This implies that there were inadequate controls in place at the church since no background check or oversight were in place at a family church. The reality was that David Webb was a princeling operating as an owner and was untouchable in his little domain. And second, his wife is what I call “Christian Crazy”, meaning that she forgave her husband when he confessed and then forgave the victim too. There was way too much forgiveness and too little accountability. If there had been accountability, there would have been less abuse.
