Indiana pastor with ties to Indiana's lieutenant governor steps down after series of sex scandals
Nathan Peternel, the lead pastor for a Protestant organization called Life Church that’s connected to Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith (R), announced he is stepping down after a series of sexual-related scandals.
Last October, Peternel’s son Jonathon was arrested on seven felony counts related to child sex crimes. Jonathon Peternel pleaded guilty to one count of child exploitation and three counts of possession of child sex abuse material (CSAM). He was sentenced to four years in prison on Feb. 13.
After the arrest, authorities found over 50 explicit videos and images of Nathan and his wife on their sons’ devices. Life Church in Indianapolis is affiliated with the Protestant fellowship Assemblies of God, which condemns pornography. Nathan Peternel addressed the Church in a meeting, saying his son hacked his files.
“Within the covenant of our marriage, my wife and I created private, intimate photos and videos. Although those files were password-protected, they were hacked,” Peternel said. “And they were hacked from a device without our consent, without our knowledge, and that was done by our son, who was high at the time.”
https://heartlandsignal.com/2026/02/27/indiana-pastor-with-ties-to-indianas-lieutenant-governor-steps-down-after-series-of-sex-scandals/