Illinois Pastor Arrested for Sexual Assault: When ‘Accountability’ Systems Fail Victims

Another week, another pastor facing sexual assault charges. Chet Snyder, who led The Journey church in Fairfield, Illinois, while also coaching girls’ volleyball at the local community college, has been charged with multiple counts of sexual assault involving two young men, including aggravated sexual abuse of a minor. But here’s what makes this story particularly revealing about evangelical culture: Snyder wasn’t some fringe figure operating in isolation. He was embedded in the very systems that evangelical churches tout as safeguards against abuse—church leadership and youth sports ministry (because apparently being around teenagers while preaching about sexual purity is the perfect cover). The real problem isn’t just individual predators like Snyder. It’s how evangelical “accountability” culture actually enables abuse by creating perfect cover stories. Think about it: A pastor who’s also a coach gets automatic trust and access to vulnerable young people. The community assumes that someone in “ministry” must be safe because, well, they’re doing God’s work. This is the same accountability culture that obsesses over teenagers’ “purity” while giving adult male leaders unchecked access to those same teens. The same system that teaches young people to submit to authority figures without question, making them perfect targets for manipulation. (Notice how these stories always involve “accountability partners” and mentorship relationships that turn predatory?) What’s particularly insidious is how evangelical churches frame these mentoring relationships as spiritual necessities. Young men need older male role models, they say. Trust your pastor, your coach, your youth leader—they’re looking out for your spiritual development. This creates an environment where questioning an authority figure’s behavior becomes tantamount to questioning God himself. The psychological manipulation runs deep: If you’re uncomfortable with your pastor’s inappropriate attention, that’s your sin nature talking. If a youth leader’s “mentoring” feels wrong, you need to examine your heart for rebellion against godly authority. The victim becomes responsible for their own abuse because they’re failing to trust God’s appointed leaders. Meanwhile, churches implement surface-level policies (like never being alone with a minor) while maintaining the underlying power structures that make abuse possible. They’ll install security cameras but still teach that questioning pastoral authority is a sin. They’ll do background checks but continue promoting the idea that spiritual leaders are inherently trustworthy because of their calling. Here’s the pattern: Church hires charismatic leader who talks a good game about biblical manhood and protecting youth. Leader gains access to vulnerable young people through official channels. Community celebrates how “involved” and “caring” the leader is. Someone gets hurt. Church expresses shock that such a “godly man” could do such things. Rinse and repeat. The real accountability would involve dismantling the authority structures that make this abuse possible in the first place. But that would require acknowledging that their entire system of spiritual authority is fundamentally flawed. Instead, they’ll implement a few more rules, pray for the victims (quietly), and continue teaching young people to submit to the very power structures that endanger them. Churches love to talk about being “set apart” from the world, but when it comes to protecting children from predators, they’re doing worse than secular institutions. At least secular organizations don’t tell abuse victims that questioning their abuser is tantamount to questioning God. Source: The Christian Post