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Bob Coy
File:Pastor Bob Coy of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale.jpg
Photo of Bob Coy (circa, 2013)
Born
Robert J. Coy

(1955-11-27) November 27, 1955 (age 69)
Royal Oak, Michigan
OccupationFounding 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]

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

Biography

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

At 21 years old, Coy got a job at Capitol Records in Detroit. "I was living the life of sex, drugs, and rock n roll, literally," he said.[7][8] Coy abused drugs and alcohol, and after multiple traffic tickets (some for driving under the influence), he lost his license.[8] Soon after, at 24 years old, a band manager reported Coy offered drugs to a band member.[8][9] Coy moved to Las Vegas and got a job in property management.[8][9] He later became an entertainment director at a casino with an "All-Girl Revue." This, according to Coy, "is another way of saying I ran a strip club."[8][9][10] Until 1981, Coy continued to live a life of sex and drugs. On the day after Christmas, his brother Jim (who had recently married and "got religion") let him crash in his living room after a wild party.

Jim gave Bob a pillow, blanket, and Bible. Bob threw the Bible at Jim and said "Will you shut up with your Jesus stuff?" The Bible still on the floor, Jim and his wife went to bed. Bob says he couldn't sleep because the Bible was "calling out to him." He opened it to the Gospel of John and began reading; when he got to verse 3:16, he began to weep uncontrollably.

Jim and his wife entered the room and Jim announced: "God just woke me up and told me I'm supposed to pray for you."[8][9][11] Soon afterward, Coy quit his job at the casino and began working as an associate pastor at Calvary Chapel Las Vegas.[8][9] In 1985, Coy and his wife Diane moved to South Florida, founding Calvary Chapel - Fort Lauderdale.[8][9]

Resignation and scandals

In April 2014, Bob Coy resigned as the Senior Pastor and President of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale after admitting committing adultery and being addicted to pornography. Coy spent a year in Chattanooga, Tennessee in that city's Calvary Chapel to undergo a "restoration process", while the church board appointed Doug Sauder to take Coy's position as Senior Pastor.[12] The Coys later divorced. He then went on to work as a consultant at The Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton, Florida. In November 2017 they terminated the relationship as a result of the child abuse allegations published in The Miami New Times.[13][14]

In November 2017, Coy was accused of molesting a child, beginning when she was four years old and continuing into her teenage years. Coy was fired from his consulting job at a South Florida nightclub, The Funky Biscuit.[15]

Charity work

Due to a great need for increased services to keep children from entering foster care, in 1997 under the direction of Coy, 4Kids of South Florida was founded to care for orphans and children in the foster-care system in South Florida.[16]

However, Bob Coy's direct involvement with 4Kids cannot be substantiated through Florida's Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) web site, nor other references.[17][18][19]

Publications

  • My God Story. Fort Lauderdale, FL: Calvary Chapel Church, Inc. 2001. p. 178. ISBN 0-9708600-1-3.
  • Devotionary. Fort Lauderdale, FL: Calvary Chapel Church, Inc. 2002. p. 265. ISBN 0-9708600-0-5.
  • Dreamality. West Monroe, LA: Howard Publishing Co, Inc. 2005. p. 243. ISBN 978-1-58229-447-6.
  • The Holy Spirit. Fort Lauderdale, FL: Calvary Chapel Church, Inc. 2008. p. 72. ISBN 1-932283-19-6.
  • Living in the Active Word volume 1. Fort Lauderdale, FL: Calvary Chapel Church, Inc. 2008. p. 365. ISBN 1-932283-28-5.
  • Redeeming Relationships. Fort Lauderdale, FL: Calvary Chapel Church, Inc. 2008. p. 211. ISBN 978-1-932283-14-3.
  • Living in the Active Word volume 2. Fort Lauderdale, FL: Calvary Chapel Church, Inc. 2009. p. 365. ISBN 978-1-932283-71-6.
  • One Surrendered Life. Fort Lauderdale, FL: Calvary Chapel Church, Inc. 2013. p. 235. ISBN 978-1-932283-18-1.

References

  1. ^ Davis, James D. "The Rev. Bob Coy". Sun Sentinel Newspaper. Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  2. ^ "America's Fastest-Growing and Largest Outreach 100 Churches, 2013". Outreach Magazine.
  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.
  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. ^ a b c d e f g h Burke, Kristen. "Something More". Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  9. ^ a b c d e f 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. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ "The Funky Biscuit » Funky Biscuit Press Release". www.funkybiscuit.com. Retrieved 2018-09-14.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ "Ending the Wait for Foster Care Kids". Focus on the Family. Archived from the original on 2015-06-19. Retrieved 2015-06-18.
  17. ^ "Detail by Entity Name".
  18. ^ "4KIDS Executive Team".
  19. ^ "4KIDS Board of Directors".
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