Sexual Predation and Pedophilia at “Love Church” in Virginia

Update: On January 11, 2018, Jordan David Baird was convicted by a jury of his peers on five of seven felony counts of taking indecent liberties with a minor while in a custodial or supervisory position as a youth and worship leader at The Life Church in Manassas, Virginia (now renamed “Love Church” and relocated to Gainesville, Virginia, by Josh Baird, the new senior pastor and brother of Jordan Baird). He was immediately incarcerated and is now a registered sex offender.

On February 21, 2018, he was convicted on an additional felony charge of electronically sexually soliciting a minor. This arose under a plea agreement with the prosecutor, after the jury had hit an impasse and the judge originally declared a mistrial on that charge.

Before sentencing Jordan Baird, the court allowed one of his victims and her mother to directly face him – and his assembled immediate and extended family – to give very powerful statements on how his pedophilia at the church, and the resulting shunning and coverup by his family and “Love Church”, impacted their lives.

With their permission, we have published those statements, in full, on Nathan’s Voice at Silent No More: Morgan’s Brave Statement Against Her Abuser and A Mom Confronts “Love Church” and Her Daughter’s Abuser.

After sentencing Jordan Baird to jail, five years probation, restitution, and a lifetime ban on going within 100 feet of any building housing a school or child care facility, the judge went out of his way to then rebuke The Life Church in very blunt terms for having “re-victimized” the child Jordan Baird had molested and her family.

Addressing Mr. Baird and his family members who run the church and were sitting in the courtroom, the judge noted that the abuse “happened in church”, which “should be a sanctuary where people are protected.” The judge said that the actions of “Love Church” in this case, however, were anything but protective and were “particularly disturbing”.

The judge went on to say that it was “clear in this case that [the victim] and the family were victimized again a second time by many of the people who aligned with you and the church”. As stated by the Judge, the victim and her family were “rejected by the church” and the “church circled the wagons around [Mr. Baird] and the church.”

While the judge was giving his lengthy rebuke of the church – and while the victim and her mother had given their earlier, powerful sentencing impact statements in open court – Mr. Baird’s father and “Love Church” original senior pastor David Baird displayed not the least amount of contrition. Instead, he stared straight ahead while sitting in the courtroom with his arms tightly crossed, a scowl on his face, and his foot rapidly tapping the courtroom floor in disdainful agitation.

Many other courtroom observers commented afterwards David Baird’s obstinate stance – as the orginial Senior Pastor of “Love Church” – and scornful demeanor in response to the judge’s very damning comments about him, his family and the church they control.

To this day, “Love Church” – and the Baird family which runs it – have not truthfully acknowledged what happened and how they tried to cover it up by shaming, shunning and shamming the victims and their families.

In fact, when the jury returned the original guilty verdict against Jordan Baird for child molestation, one member of the Baird clan – upon leaving the court room – looked over at the young victim and her family and stated loudly for all to hear, with a face twisted with hate and scorn, “Are you happy now? Are you happy now?”

No one can ever be happy about such a case. But at least a judge – following a lengthy trial – now has seen through “Love Church” and the rogue Baird family and called them out. Even Jordan David Baird’s defense attorney during that trial went out of his way to distance himself from the family’s and the church’s misconduct, which was abundantly clear to everyone in the courtroom based on the evidence presented at trial.

May others give heed and also not fall prey to the ongoing, self serving lies of the Baird family and “Love Church”.

Nathan’s Voice was honored to stand with and help support the victims and their families leading up to, and during, the four day trial and Jordan David Baird’s subsequent sentencing.

For a very accurate news account of his trial and conviction, see Jury Convicts Manassas Megachurch Youth Leader of Sex Crimes by Hannah Dellinger of the Fauquier Times.

Jordan Baird’s initial conviction, however, is not the end of the story of abuse, pedophilia and privilege at “Love Church”.

On August 7, 2018, Mr. Baird walked out of jail after serving less than seven months on his original conviction for sexually soliciting and molesting a child while he was the youth pastor at “Love Church”.

The day before his release, however, the Grand Jury issued new indictments against him for indecent liberties with another child while in a supervisory or custodial position.

For more information on his new charges, involving a new victim, see “Love Church”: New Pedophilia Charges Against Youth Pastor Jordan Baird.

BACKGROUND

Jordan David Baird is being prosecuted for acts of sexual predation, solicitation and child molestation that the State says occurred at and through “Love Church” in Virginia while he was a youth and worship leader there.

Jordan David Baird, “Love Church”

Jordan Baird is the son of “Love Church” original senior pastor, David Baird, the brother of the new senior pastor, Josh Baird. Jordan Baird has been one of many family members given paid staff and ministry positions at the church.

Locally, “Love Church” is sometimes jokingly called “Baird Family Enterprises” because of the extravagant number of Baird family members – both immediate and extended – who have been placed on the payroll and given leadership roles there.

As of now, five victims claiming sexual predation by Jordan Baird are scheduled to testify against him at the upcoming three to four day trial set to begin on January 8, 2018, before a Circuit Court judge and jury in Manassas, Virginia.

However, “Love Church” has not been willing to openly acknowledge to its members the existence of these many victims, or the fact that other additional victims and their devastated families keep emerging.

Instead, the church and Jordan Baird’s family – from their positions of influence and leadership in the church – have steadfastly repeated his claims of innocence against the numerous pedophilia charges he’s facing.

In addition:

• They also have been generally dismissive regarding the significance of Jordan Baird’s charges;

• Misrepresented their failure to properly investigate and notify law enforcement authorities of his abuse as victims and their families came to them for help;

• Grossly mischaracterized the nature and scope of his pending offenses;

• Distorted the facts regarding the number and ages of his known victims; and

• Discounted the extensive evidence from multiple witnesses about Jordan Baird’s oft-repeated pattern of using his church position – as a Baird family member given positions of leadership over youth and worship – to identify, groom and abuse children and young women.

Initially, upon his arrest and during several pre-trial hearings, the church provided its own attorneys to represent and defend Jordan Baird against his pedophile charges. The presiding judge eventually ruled that this was an improper conflict of interest and removed the church’s attorneys from the case.

Although the Special Prosecutor assigned to the case has been doing an excellent job, Nathan’s Voice has been helping Jordan Baird’s victims and their families navigate the emotional trauma and often-confusing criminal justice process related to the ongoing court proceedings.

Because of the continuing lies, distortions and efforts to cover up what happened at “Love Church” and to distort the facts about the ongoing child sex abuse charges against Jordan Baird, we will use this page to occasionally post copies of actual court documents.

We’re doing this so the public and members of “Love Church” will be able to determine the truth about what’s happening in the case from the official court files, rather than fall for the often misleading and self-serving spin coming from “Love Church” and the Baird clan (which essentially runs the church). Ultimately, we hope that others are sufficiently warned and able to avoid becoming victims also.

If you are interested in the case, please periodically check back for the most up-to-date information.

In the meantime, if you have relevant information about sexual predation, solicitation or child molestation by Jordan Baird – or other possible instances of pedophilia and sex abuse at “Love Church” – we urge you to contact the Supervisor of the Special Victims Bureau with the Prince William County Police at 703-792-6508.

Those specially trained investigators have been incredibly sensitive and helpful to others who have come forward, and as of this writing both Mr. Baird and the “Love Church” continue to be the subject of open, ongoing investigations.

If desired, someone from Nathan’s Voice can go with you to provide caring support in talking to investigators, and otherwise assist you, so you don’t feel isolated or alone.

~ Nathan’s Voice

(This post has been updated to reflect the new name of the Life Church, which was changed by the Josh Baird – the new Senior Pastor and brother of Jordan Baird – to “Love Church” in an apparent attempt to mislead the public about its ongoing history of abuse, deception and intimidation.)

KEY DOCUMENTS

Jordan Baird – Official Criminal Indictments

These are the official charges against Jordan Baird.

On December 5, 2016, the Grand Jury returned seven indictments against him for criminal sexual predation and child molestation in his position as a youth and worship leader at “Love Church”. These seven charges carry a maximum possible sentence of up to five years each and thirty-five years total.

On October 2, 2017, the Grand Jury issued an additional charge against Jordan Baird for sexually soliciting a minor using electronic devices. This newest charge carries a maximum possible additional sentence of up to ten years.

These eight indictments each involve a child who, at the time, was at least seven years younger than Jordan Baird.

Jordan Baird – Predation Against Multiple Victims

This is an official court document laying out the sordid details, based on evidence from multiple women, regarding sexual predation by Jordan Baird as a youth and worship leader at “Love Church” in Virginia.

Please be aware, if you chose to download this, that it contains very explicit accounts.

Jordan Baird – List of State Evidence in Pedophilia Case

This is from the official court files, and lays out the State’s evidentiary documents regarding sexual predation and child molestation by Jordan Baird as a youth and worship leader at “Love Church” in Virginia.

Some of this evidence was obtained by the Special Prosecutor under a criminal search warrant issued against the church, after it tried to withhold evidence and not fully cooperate in the ensuing investigation. The State responded by seizing its computers and files during a raid on the church offices.

Life Church – Letter Admitting It Is Not Legally Incorporated

This is a letter from the court files, by the attorney for “Love Church” in Virginia, regarding the criminal pedophile case against its former youth and worship leader, Jordan Baird. The letter admits that when the alleged pedophilia was happening at the church, “Love Church” was not legally incorporated.

Although a church in Virginia is not required to legally incorporate, failing to do so under Virginia law means that members of the church are individually and personally liable for any penalties or damages arising from misconduct there.

To this date, “Love Church” has not informed its members that it’s own legal lapses mean they may be personally liable for any court judgements regarding Jordan Baird’s conduct and the church’s failure to adequately protect others from him.

ADDITIONAL KEY DOCUMENTS (added November 9, 2017)

Jordan Baird – Additional Victim Statement

Additional victims keep coming forward to bear witness against the abuse they suffered at “Love Church” and its ministries. Once marginalized, they have taken courage by seeing other victims finally stand up against attempts to silence them and hide the truth by the Baird family and “Love Church”.

This is an official court document laying out the sordid details by another victim regarding sexual predation by Jordan Baird, telling how he used his position as a youth and worship leader at “Love Church” in Virginia, to identify and pursue victims.

Please be aware, if you chose to download this, that it contains a very explicit account.

Jordan Baird – Initial Criminal Complaint for Child Molestation at “Love Church”

This is the official, initial criminal complaint issued against Jordan Baird for child molestation at “Love Church”. Eventually, he had eight pedophile indictments issued against him regarding his conduct as a youth and worship leader at the church.

According to this official criminal complaint, over a nine month period in 2015:

“Jordan Baird, who is a person over the age of 18, while in a custodial/supervisory role at the Life Church in Manassas, VA, [now “Love Church”] did touch a minor child with lascivious intent. The accused also proposed for said child to feel/fondle his sexual/genital parts. This occurred while at the Life Church located in Prince William County.”

Jordan Baird – Court Order Prohibiting Contact With Children

Given the seriousness of the pedophile charges and the evidence against Jordan Baird, the court issued an Order prohibiting him – while awaiting trial (currently scheduled for January 2018) – from having contact with anyone under 18 who is not in his family.

To protect children from possible additional sexual predation and molestation, please contact the police or the Special Prosecutor (see contact information above) if you see any instances where he is violating this Court Order.

Life Church – Tax Liens

Here are the four IRS liens against “Love Church” for employee payroll tax evasion over an eleven year period, obtained from official court records. With penalties, they exceed a million dollars.

According to law enforcement authorities, around the same time the IRS imposed these liens, The Life Church decided to continue paying Jordan Baird his full salary while he faced charges and awaited trial for pedophilia – rather than pay what it owed to the IRS.

Again, check back periodically as more information and documents are posted.