Former Duluth youth pastor pleads guilty to sexual assault

Months after his arrest, a former youth pastor at Duluth Vineyard Church pleaded guilty to one of the charges against him. Jackson Gatlin, 36, was accused of sexually abusing five girls, ages 11 to 16, in October 2023. He allegedly had five more victims.

He pleaded guilty to one charge Wednesday and entered an Alford plea to the remaining charges. This is a conditional defense that allows the defendant to maintain his innocence while convicted and sentenced.

“While I am relieved that justice has been served, this is not a victory. Nobody wins here. What Jackson did to me can’t be undone. He can’t take it back. “His actions broke some parts of me further, but I’m healing,” said victim Hannah Howg.

Judge Dale O. Harris ordered Gatlin taken back into custody Wednesday and held without bail. He had previously been released on parole after posting $50,000 bail.

As part of the plea deal, Gatlin will likely serve at least 13 years in prison and register as a sex offender. This will become official after the sentencing. Gatlin will be sentenced on November 25-26, with victim statements on the first day.

“While we are all ready and prepared to go through this painful trial process, this outcome is the next best scenario,” victim Vanessa Josephson said. “Our main focus has always been to get Jackson to register as a sex offender for life at the end of all of this, and also spend time behind bars for what he did to us. Today we did that. This is the first victory in our long journey to get the justice we all deserve here.” “

The allegations against Gatlin date back to 2007 and allege that he forced teenage and prepubescent girls to have sexual intercourse with him. In addition to the criminal charges, the victims also filed civil lawsuits against Gatlin, his parents, the Duluth Vineyard Church and Vineyard USA. Gatlin’s father, Michael Gatlin, was a senior pastor at the church, and his mother, Brenda, was also in a position of power.

“Brenda and Michael Gatlin’s leadership fostered a culture of fear and intimidation that enabled the exploitation of vulnerable children. “The toxic environment and oppressive tactics of this church community tragically directly contributed to the sexual assault against these women,” said attorney Spencer Kuvin. “These girls felt silenced, excluded, and unable to get help because of this hostile environment. Michael and Brenda Gatlin often used spiritual language and a fear-based culture to justify their actions; They framed harsh treatment as a way to encourage growth or tell the truth in love and dismissed concerns as a lack of faith. “This brutal manipulation only served to further silence victims and deter them from seeking help.”

Michael and Brenda Gatlin no longer work at Duluth Vineyard Church. Below is a statement sent in response to Wednesday’s plea.

Today, Jackson Gatlin pleaded guilty to multiple counts of criminal sexual conduct. Jackson’s crimes occurred while he was a volunteer youth leader at Duluth Vineyard, and Jackson was later hired as a pastoral assistant at the church. Jackson’s parents, Michael and Brenda Gatlin, were our senior pastors. The statute of limitations prevents criminal charges from being filed against Michael and Brenda for failing to report suspected child abuse. Additionally, an independent study by Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE) also found examples of spiritual abuse. You can find more information about this serious and heartbreaking condition on our website: Click here.

Jackson was taken into custody today and is currently in jail. It is our understanding that, under the plea agreement, he is expected to be sentenced to 160 months in prison at his upcoming sentencing hearing. In court today, it was stated that all victims in this case have accepted the plea agreement and will have the opportunity to make victim impact statements at the sentencing hearing on November 25 and 26, 2024.

To all the victims, we hope and pray that Jackson’s guilty plea is a positive step in your healing process. We are humbled by your courage and grateful that you are able to support each other. We state once again that we are very sorry. Our hearts are truly broken by your pain. On behalf of Duluth Vineyard, we apologize for the harassment you have experienced. Your treatment was abusive, and we are sorry that Duluth Vineyard is the kind of place where this type of behavior can occur. We once again realize the lament and repentance we shared in our service on December 7, 2023.

We also want to tell all victims of abuse that we hear you and believe you. It’s never your fault. And you are not alone. We’re not just here for you, we also have links to other resources on our website. Because Jesus is always there for the vulnerable and wounded, the safety and care of survivors must always come first in our response to abuse.

As we previously shared, we also recently learned that some of Jackson’s victims are seeking justice in civil court. The defendants include Jackson, Michael and Brenda Gatlin, as well as Duluth Vineyard and Vineyard USA. No one wants to be sued in civil court. However, we welcome this lawsuit and pray that it will bring healing and justice to the victims. Additionally, a case like this can help determine the relative responsibilities of the various parties. Although we are limited in what we can do financially by the size of our resources, our insurance coverage, and our outstanding debts, as a church we want to follow Jesus and take responsibility for the damage we are judged to have caused. Civil litigation is a slow and imperfect process and can take a long time to reach a final decision. Let us all pray for sacrifices, for patience, and for God to use this cause to further his will here on earth as it is in heaven.

This remains a very painful situation, but this is where we often find Jesus. Our hope and prayer is that the Holy Spirit will give us the gift of unity and power to do God’s will. And when we all respond to this difficult situation as Jesus did, our response will bring both healing to the victims and glory to God.

With the love of Jesus,

Church Council