The Word of Faith Fellowship is back in the news, and two assistant state prosecutors are out of a job. It's the latest fallout from allegations of abuse of church congregants, first reported by the Associated Press.
On Monday, North Carolina district attorney David Learner ordered the State Bureau of Investigation to look into the behavior of two members of his staff. Now, it appears assistant state prosecutors Frank Webster and Chris Back, who are both members of Word of Faith, are no longer in their jobs.
Webster, who is a church leader's son-in-law, provided legal advice during a mock trial to prepare four congregants charged with harassing a former member. Back was also allegedly involved.
Both men have also been accused of having derailed investigations in 2015 into child abuse at the church. Offering legal advice in an ongoing investigation to help a person avoid prosecution could leave them criminally liable.
In Learner's announcement Friday, he stated that he could not allow the integrity of his office to be called into question.
The Word of Faith church has 750 members in North Carolina and roughly 2,000 members in churches located in Ghana and Brazil.
Read more of AP's investigation of the Word of Faith Fellowship here.
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