Another church hit by adultery controversy
Isaac Hunter, the popular lead pastor at Summit Church in Orlando and the son of presidential spiritual adviser Joel Hunter, has resigned after admitting to an affair with a former church staffer.
The church, one of the fastestgrowing in Central Florida, made the announcement on its blog Wednesday after mailing a letter to members stating that Isaac Hunter’s “moral failing has madeit impossible for him to continue in ministry.”
Isaac Hunter, 35, is a married father of three. He could not be reached for comment.
He founded Summit in 2002 with friends from his youth-ministry days in his father’s Longwood mega-church, Northland, A Church Distributed. Three hundred people attended Summit’s first service, and it quickly outgrewits first home. It nowhas five locations and nearly 5,000 worshippers.
Many in both the church and the communityreacted with sadness to the news.
“It’s heartbreaking,” said Scott George, a pastor and co-founder of Community Food & Outreach Center in Orlando where many Summit members volunteer. “He is a very gifted leader, a tremendous motivator. From the momentI heard about this, I’ve been in prayer for the entire church, the family, the community. The
ripple effect of something like this is devastating.”
Isaac’s father, the Rev. Joel Hunter, is a widely known evangelical pastor who became part of President Barack Obama’s inaugural Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. He did not respond to calls seeking comment.
In the letter to Summit members, newly appointed lead pastor John Parker said Isaac Hunter had offered his resignation Monday and that it had been accepted. Parker urged church members to avoid gossip “as much as humanly possible” and said the church “is bigger than any one of us.”
“On a personal note,” Parker added, “I am hurting — for my friend, for the pain he has caused others and himself, for our staff, for the church, and even for myself. In midst of the hurt, I am so grateful for this community. God has done so much good in this place, and my great hope is that He will continue to have Summit Church be a place where lost and hurting people find hope and love.”
Not everyone thought the resignation was neces- sary, though.
Angela Griner, the adult daughter of an evangelical minister and a member of Summit, said she hoped her generation could accept a talented leader who was nonetheless flawed. “We should stop denying our inability to be superhuman and simply be thankful for the gifts we can give one another in spite of our limitations,” she said.
Fellow church member Dustin Watkins, 27, agreed.
“Isaac was the one who brought me to Christ in 2007,” said Watkins, a selfdescribed agnostic when he first went to Summit with his then-girlfriend’s family. Hunter not only lunched with him more than a halfdozen times to discuss Watkins’ doubts, but also encouraged him to ask difficult questions.
Later, Hunter baptized him and performed the wedding ceremony for Watkins and his wife.
“He’s human. I’m human. We all fall short of the glory of God,” Watkins said. “Isaac has shown us so much grace that I would love to return the favor.”