#oEmbed (JSON) oEmbed (XML) JSON IFRAME: https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-KZGW5TTH MinistryWatch * Donate * Podcast * Monthly Lists * News + Investigations + Ministry News + Philanthropy + Culture + Colleges & Universities + For Ministry Leaders * Shining Lights * Donor Alerts * Opinion ____________________ Type to search IFRAME: about:blank MinistryWatch MinistryWatch * Donate * Podcast * Monthly Lists * News + Investigations + Ministry News + Philanthropy + Culture + Colleges & Universities + For Ministry Leaders * Shining Lights * Donor Alerts * Opinion * MinistryWatch 1000 Database * About MinistryWatch * For Ministry Leaders * Investigations * Assessment * Abuse * Fraud Church Colleges & Universities St. Andrew’s Fires Back After Nichols’ Statement on Excommunication Church closely associated with Ligonier Ministries and Reformation Bible College explains its rationale. Avatar photo Kim Roberts March 24, 2026 St. Andrew’s Chapel, the church started by Dr. R.C. Sproul in Sanford, Florida, has fired back in response to statements made by Dr. Stephen Nichols about his “excommunication” from the church. Background, St. Andrews Chapel / Left insert: Burk Parsons / Right insert: Stephen Nichols Nichols was publicly booted from St. Andrew’s earlier this month, and the church informed its members in a congregation-wide letter —despite the fact that Nichols is no longer a member of St. Andrew’s. Nichols will also conclude his leadership at Ligonier Ministries and Reformation Bible College, both of which are closely associated with St. Andrew’s. Nichols took to social media on March 19 to share his side of the story. He said that he and his wife learned in January 2024 that his daughter Grace’s counselor had reported suspected sexual abuse of Grace by then-associate pastor of youth and family ministry at St. Andrews, Stephen Adams. Nichols said he reported this to the church on January 10, 2025. Adams denies the allegations. When Nichols realized that his family and the leadership of St. Andrew’s were “at an impasse with church and that had different perspectives on how to handle this situation,” he sought to leave and find another church. When he informed church leadership of his family’s plans in July 2025, the church responded by indicting them, accusing them of “slander, unresolved anger, collusion to deceive, failure to follow session directives, and breach of membership vows.” Nichols and his wife resigned their membership at St. Andrew’s when it voted to leave the PCA in December 2025 and are currently members of New Hope PCA in Eustis, Florida. Nichols wrote, “We reported suspicion of sexual abuse of our daughter, we ended up indicted, and we ended up excommunicated. We are deeply saddened by all that has taken place and grieved for everyone involved. Our prayer and hope is that the central issue will not be lost. At the heart of this issue is the suspected sexual abuse of our daughter.” The day after Nichols posted on social media, St. Andrew’s responded with a statement of their own. In a letter to congregants, it said “statements published on social media” deserved a response, and the letter was intended to supply it. The St. Andrew’s letter states that “members of a former family of the church” — it does not name the Nichols family — began to show hostility toward Adams in 2024 and that Adams reported the matter to church leadership. The church said they worked to resolve the matter, but the family did not explain that the concerns involved sexual allegations. It was not until a meeting in early 2025 that the church claims it learned of “an unspecified sexual allegation” against Adams. They then reported the matter to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Department and urged the family to do the same. The church also put Adams on six weeks of leave while it sought counsel from outside experts. As they saw it, the family “ultimately refused to provide supporting evidence and law enforcement confirmed there were no grounds for investigation,” so Adams resumed his duties. “In this case, the Session has no credible charges before it and no grounds for further action against Pastor Adams. We do not take this conclusion lightly, and we grieve the pain this situation has caused,” the church wrote. St. Andrew’s also confirmed that Adams was not “dismissed nor asked to leave” the church. “He voluntarily resigned, despite the expressed wishes of his fellow elders, following what he described as two years of significant personal and spiritual hardship for himself and his family. We are sincerely grateful for his years of dedicated service among us. We invite you to continue praying for him and his family.” This coincides with the statement posted on social media by Adams. A body camera recording obtained by MinistryWatch shows Nichols and his wife going to the sheriff’s department on March 11, 2025. They said their daughter had exhibited self-harm behaviors but was not prepared to publicly accuse the person she claimed had sexually abused her. The law enforcement officer explained that without an “admission” by the victim, the investigation would not proceed forward. Also in March 2025, the elders of St. Andrew’s Chapel initiated an investigation against the former members and began formal discipline in the summer of 2025 because “their prolonged conduct…disturbed the peace, unity, and purity of the Church.” The church reiterated that they excommunicated the “former members” for contumacy, or an unwillingness to engage with the disciplinary proceedings, not for raising concerns about Adams. Access to MinistryWatch content is free. However, we hope you will support our work with your prayers and financial gifts. To make a donation, click here. The Central Florida Presbytery, the regional body of the PCA of which St. Andrew’s was formerly a member, has scheduled a meeting for March 31. Its agenda says it will consider “recent public actions and communications affecting members of churches within our bounds.” St. Andrew’s Chapel left the PCA after its lead pastor, Burk Parsons, was suspended from office by the Central Florida Presbytery. A church judicial committee had found him guilty of three charges that included accusations of bullying, slander, and “lording over others.” David Zima, a former ruling elder and member of St. Andrew’s who resigned his membership from the church after it voted to leave the PCA, was also publicly “excommunicated” by the church for contumacy this month. Similar to the Nichols, he was already a member at another PCA church. He told MinistryWatch that St. Andrew’s decision to leave the PCA “materially changed their theology as a church, which was a breach of our membership covenant.” “They have no right to change their theology and force people to change with them. Religious belief and association is a voluntary act. Calvin said that members have to approve the men that oversee them. In our case, we neither held to the same theology nor did we approve of the elders. We joined other PCA churches, and we are members in good standing at both. The PCA and its leadership has acknowledged this,” he wrote. Zima is also considering his next legal steps against St. Andrew’s for publishing a letter about his “excommunication” to the entire church congregation. “This was unprecedented as for 25 years it has been the church custom to only make mention of such church discipline in the back of the bulletin,” Zima said in an email to MinistryWatch. “ has never mailed letters to all members of the church. This is another reason I believe that this is retributive. Neither the Nichols nor I have been members of for over months. They must really hate us to want to excommunicate people who are not even members of their church.” TO OUR READERS: The mission of MinistryWatch is to help Christian donors become more faithful stewards of the resources God has entrusted to them. Do you know of a story that will help us fulfill our mission, or do you want to give us feedback about this or any other story? If so, please email us at . Related posts: * St. Andrew’s Chapel Salaries Well Above Median Salary in the Region St. Andrew’s Chapel Salaries Well Above Median Salary in the Region * St. Andrew’s Chapel Faces Questions Over Financial Transparency St. Andrew’s Chapel Faces Questions Over Financial Transparency * St. Andrew’s Chapel Votes to Leave PCA St. Andrew’s Chapel Votes to Leave PCA * 50 Largest Media Ministries In The Country 50 Largest Media Ministries In The Country * Charlie Dates Counters John MacArthur’s Declaration That MLK ‘was Not a Christian’ Charlie Dates Counters John MacArthur’s Declaration That MLK ‘was Not a Christian’ Tags: * Dr. Stephen Nichols * Ligonier Ministries * R.C. Sproul * Reformation Bible College * St. Andrew’s Chapel Avatar photo Kim Roberts Kim Roberts is a freelance writer who holds a Juris Doctorate with honors from Baylor University and an undergraduate degree in government from Angelo State University. She has three young adult children who were home schooled and is happily married to her husband of 28 years. 1 Previous Article Southern Methodist University and UMC Settle Legal Dispute Next Article Former PCA Pastor Sentenced to 30 Years for Statutory Rape and Incest Wall Watchers PO Box 157 Matthews, NC 28106 Email: Toll free: (866) 364-9980 Sign up for the MinistryWatch Newsletter! * indicates required Email Address * ____________________ First Name ____________________ Last Name ____________________ ____________________ Subscribe Thank you! You're now subscribed to the MinistryWatch Newsletter. Ministry Watch ©2025 All rights reserved. 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