Bob Coy

Last updated
Bob Coy
Born
Robert J. Coy

(1955-11-27) November 27, 1955 (age 69)
Royal Oak, Michigan
OccupationFounder Pastor of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale
Term1985–2014
SuccessorDoug Sauder
SpouseDiane Coy (m. 1984, div. 2016)

Robert J. "Bob" Coy [1] (born November 27, 1955) is the founder and former senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. [2]

Contents

On April 3, 2014, he resigned as the Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale after admitting to committing adultery and having an addiction to pornography. In 2017, Coy was accused of sexually abusing a four-year-old girl. [3] [4] [5] Subsequently, his media ministry, which included radio, television, and digital media, was terminated. [6]

Biography

Coy was born in Royal Oak, Michigan on November 27, 1955.

At the age of 21, he obtained a job at Capitol Records in Detroit. Coy stated, "I was living the life of sex, drugs, and rock n' roll". [7] [8] After multiple traffic tickets, some for driving under the influence, he lost his license at the age of 24. [8] Shortly afterwards, Coy was reported for offering drugs to a band member. [8] [9] Coy then moved to Las Vegas and obtained a job at a property management company. [8] [9] He later became an entertainment director at a casino with an "All-Girl Revue," which Coy said "is another way of saying I ran a strip club." [8] [9] [10] Until 1981, Coy continued to live a lifestyle that he characterized as including sex and drugs.

In December 1981, Coy went to stay with his brother, Jim, who gave him a Bible to read. [8] [9] [11] Soon afterward, Bob resigned from his job at the casino and started working as an associate pastor at a Calvary Chapel in Las Vegas. [8] [9] In 1985, Coy and his wife Diane moved to South Florida, where they founded Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale. [8] [9]

Resignation and scandals

In April 2014, Coy resigned as the senior pastor and president of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale after he admitted to adultery and said he had an addiction to pornography. Coy spent a year in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in Calvary Chapel to undergo a restoration process, while the church board appointed Doug Sauder to take Coy's position as Senior Pastor. [12] Coy later divorced, then went to work as a consultant at The Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton, Florida.

In November 2017, Coy was accused of molesting a child from the age of four through her teenage years. Charges were never filed. As a result of the accusations, Coy was fired from his job at The Funky Biscuit. [13] [14] [15] [16]

Charity work

In 1997, 4Kids of South Florida was founded under Coy's direction to care for orphans and children in the foster-care system in South Florida, addressing the need for increased services to keep children from entering foster care. [17]

From the 4Kids website, Coy appears to no longer have current direct involvement with the charity. [18] [19] [20]

Publications

References

  1. ↑ Davis, James D. "The Rev. Bob Coy". Sun Sentinel Newspaper. Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on February 22, 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  2. ↑ "America's Fastest-Growing and Largest Outreach 100 Churches, 2013". Outreach Magazine. 16 September 2014.
  3. ↑ Cohen, Howard; Harris, Alex (November 14, 2017). "Founder of Florida's biggest megachurch accused of molesting a 4-year-old girl". Miami Herald .
  4. ↑ "Calvary Chapel of Fort Lauderdale: Pastor Bob Coy committed adultery, viewed porn". sun-sentinel.com. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014.
  5. ↑ David Usborne, "Florida's not-so-coy pastor is just the latest in a plague of fallen preachers", The Independent, 13 April 2014
  6. ↑ "Statement Regarding Bob Coy". Calvary Blog. Apr 6, 2014. Archived from the original on April 10, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  7. ↑ Bob Coy, Ed Stetzer (2013). Pastor Bob Coy gives his testimony (@pbobcoy @EdStetzer) – Highlight of The Exchange (Web Video). Vimeo. Event occurs at Event occurs at time 1:16. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Burke, Kristen (4 February 2008). "Something More". Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Demko, Paul (December 31, 1998). "Channeling Jesus". New Times Broward-Palm Beach . Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  10. ↑ Bob Coy, Ed Stetzer (2013). Pastor Bob Coy gives his testimony (@pbobcoy @EdStetzer) – Highlight of The Exchange (Web Video). Vimeo. Event occurs at Event occurs at time 1:50. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  11. ↑ Bob Coy, Ed Stetzer (2013). Pastor Bob Coy gives his testimony ( @EdStetzer) – Highlight of The Exchange (Web Video). Vimeo. Event occurs at Event occurs at time 2:25. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  12. ↑ Nolin, Robert (April 29, 2014). "Megachurch pastor committed adultery, viewed porn". Sun Sentinel . Archived from the original on May 3, 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  13. ↑ Elfrink, Tim (November 14, 2017). "Founder of Florida's Biggest Megachurch Accused of Molesting a 4-Year-Old". Miami New Times . Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  14. ↑ Elfrink, Tim (2017-11-14). "Founder of Florida's Biggest Megachurch Accused of Molesting a 4-Year-Old". Miami New Times. Retrieved 2018-09-14.
  15. ↑ "The Funky Biscuit » Funky Biscuit Press Release". www.funkybiscuit.com. Retrieved 2018-09-14.
  16. ↑ Ghosh, Shreesha (2017-11-16). "Florida's Megachurch Founder Bob Coy Faces Accusations Of Molesting 4-Year-Old". International Business Times. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  17. ↑ "Ending the Wait for Foster Care Kids". Focus on the Family. Archived from the original on 2015-06-19. Retrieved 2015-06-18.
  18. ↑ "Detail by Entity Name".
  19. ↑ "4KIDS Executive Team".
  20. ↑ "4KIDS Board of Directors".
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