This is the 54th installment in this series and a follow up to the previous articles on former United Pentecostal Church pastor, John Shivers. (Part One, Part Two) Shivers was an ordained minister and presbyter, as well as pastor of Centro Vida Church.
(There have been no criminal convictions or arrests in this situation and to my knowledge, the alleged perpetrator has not admitted guilt. However, there has been an ongoing investigation by police. There has been a problem with the statute of limitations so far in order for criminal charges to be made.)
You may have noticed on the church’s Facebook page, that starting in June 2022, their church service posts changed from listing John Shivers and Elizabeth Shivers as pastors, to listing their son, Jonathan, as the pastor. They appear to be currently in Costa Rica according to the July 24 service. John Shivers is now touted as the founding pastor and bishop, with Liz as the first lady. They were previously spoken of as the senior pastors.
The actions of the Western District of the United Pentecostal Church have been troublesome and disappointing since 2019, when a several hundred page complaint against John Shivers was filed by several women. I previously shared how earlier in 2022 they elected Ron Bohde as a presbyter- a man who TWICE mishandled sexual abuse cases. (See this article) That sends a message to sexual abuse survivors that they do not care. Are they blind or tone deaf? Both cases received news coverage.
Prior to this, in mid July 2021, the United Pentecostal Church afforded Liz Haney Shivers a general license. She had never attempted to seek licensing the decades prior to the investigation into her husband’s actions. How could this happen while her husband was still acting as the pastor of Centro Vida Church, after his license was revoked, and she went along with it? Since he lost his license, the UPCI Directories have listed his son Jonathan as the pastor, even though it was quite apparent that he was not acting as such. It has all been such a farce and church members have long been kept in the dark as to the complaints against John, the District action and his license.
It appears that one of the greatest temptations facing the ministry is sex. How does sexual purity relate to God’s requirements? Sexual immorality is clearly excluded by the requirements of ‘blameless, good report, good behaviour, just, holy, and husband of one wife.’ Again, a sexual sin is an obvious disqualification in light of all the Scriptures. – David Bernard, January-March 1988 Forward (an exclusive magazine for UPCI licensed ministers)
Besides the above, ministers of the Western District have been speaking at the Centro Vida church. This includes one of their presbyters, Jesse Pinheiro, who preached at Centro Vida Church on October 31, 2021. (Starts around 1:31 mark) Incidentally, this service was honoring John and Liz as the pastors. It is more troublesome seeing a Western District official like him doing this, as he would have been aware of the complaint against Shivers and the decision of the committee. Since 2015, Pinheiro has been the pastor of the legally affiliated Revival Tabernacle in Santa Maria, California.
On April 3, 2022, yet another presbyter, Rodney Nielsen, spoke at the church. (Starts around 1:25 mark) Nielsen is the pastor of East Valley Pentecostal Church in San Jose, California and is a best friend of Shivers. (In the UPCI Directories he has been listed as Nelson.) Rodney Nielsen went on to call John Shivers “an incredible pastor” and that the church was “so fortunate” to have him and called it “a great church.”
The District Superintendent, Gaylen Cantrell, has been aware of ministers preaching at Centro Vida, but has chosen to not intervene. A number of other UPCI ministers have spoken there since Shivers’ license was revoked, including some well-known names in the organization like Mark Drost and Bruce Howell.
When the Western District investigated the February 1, 2019 complaint against John Shivers, they unanimously found him guilty. Shivers appealed their decision, but the national Ministers Appeal Council of the UPCI upheld it. The charges against him included multiple sexual assaults, sexual harassment and attempted rape.
Instead of permanently revoking his license, which is what should have happened, they placed him on probation. He was to resign as pastor, and not attend for nine months, Centro Vida and all their branch works. He was to attend another church and not preach anywhere. He was to forfeit his UPCI license for 18 months and submit to bi-weekly professional counseling. After nine months it would have been possible to return to the District Board and be permitted back at Centro Vida as pastor. After 18 months it would have been possible to be fully restored as a licensed minister.
Nathaniel Haney was appointed to be the interim pastor. How very convenient that another family member was brought in. Nathaniel later appointed Jonathan as pastor, at least as far as the UPCI Directories were concerned. Nathaniel is the pastor of Christian Life Center in Stockton, California and was in that role when appointed the interim pastor.
Shivers fought the directives of the Western District and made changes to the church bylaws three different times. He has deliberately manipulated the UPC rules in order to remain in leadership all this time. The church is still listed as United Pentecostal in the 2022 Directory. I have stated before that this case is why the UPCI adopted the position paper on Abuse and Sexual Misconduct in 2019. It is my understanding that the organization has been in the process of making additional changes to their Manual so that a situation like this cannot happen in the future.
John Shivers may feel he is above the rules and the law as he is married to one of former General Superintendent Kenneth Haney’s four daughters. He may keep all of this under raps and hidden from members of Centro Vida in Stockton, as well as some other UPCI members and ministers. You can be well spoken and thought of in some circles, have a legacy name, polished church services, money, nice things and people who will believe the lies or will defend you no matter what the truth is. Yet there often comes a day of reckoning when the curtain is pulled back and the man behind it is exposed for exactly what he is.
The police investigation of John Shivers started in the summer of 2020 and is still open. If you have been a victim, or know of someone who has, please contact Detective Richard W. Keiser at 209-937-8165 or Richard.Keiser@stocktonca.gov.
August 24, 2022 edit: Today the Stockton Record released an article about John Shivers. You must have a digital subscription to read it. See https://www.recordnet.com/story/news/2022/08/24/pastor-john-shivers-accused-sexual-assault-preaching-stockton-centro-vida-pentecostal-church/5695797001/
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You will find a complete list of articles in this series by clicking here.
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