Four women who say they were sexually abused as children by Pentecostal pastor Joe Campbell attended a procedural hearing in Tulsa as he faces criminal charges related to alleged abuse in the 1970s and 1980s. Campbell, 68, was indicted after an NBC News investigation prompted a multicounty grand jury; he faces charges including First-Degree Rape and Lewd or Indecent Acts and was released on a $150,000 bond. A judge modified his release to allow him to return to his Missouri home with permission to attend church services. The accusers, who say earlier complaints to church and state authorities were ignored, plan to attend future hearings as a public reminder of the harms they allege.
“We’re Not Those Little Girls Anymore”: Accusers Confront Ex-Pastor Joe Campbell as Abuse Case Advances
‘We’re not those little girls anymore’: Women who accused pastor of abuse see him in court
TULSA, Okla. — Four women sat with their eyes fixed on a man a few rows ahead as they waited for his case to be called in a Tulsa County courtroom. They had not seen Joe Campbell, the Pentecostal pastor they say sexually abused them as children, in decades.
From left, Kerri Jackson, Cheryl Almond, Kim Williams and Lisa Ball outside the Tulsa County Courthouse on Jan. 12, 2026. (September Dawn Bottoms for NBC News)
The hearing was brief and largely procedural, focused on the terms of Campbell's release while he awaits trial. For the women who traveled to the courthouse, the appearance was a long-awaited moment of accountability. "We’re not those little girls anymore," Lisa Ball said.
Campbell built a thriving children's ministry at Eastland Assembly of God in Tulsa. (September Dawn Bottoms for NBC News)
Hearing and Charges
Nearly a month after his arrest, 68-year-old Campbell appeared before an Oklahoma district court judge on charges tied to alleged abuse in the 1970s and 1980s. Prosecutors have charged him with First-Degree Rape in connection with allegations by Kerri Jackson and with one count of Lewd or Indecent Acts regarding Lisa Ball. Campbell has not entered a plea; if convicted, he could face life in prison.
Pastor Joe Campbell consults with his lawyer at the Tulsa County Courthouse. (September Dawn Bottoms for NBC News)
Campbell was arrested last month at Camp Bell, a Christian youth camp he founded in the Missouri Ozarks, and spent Christmas in a Missouri jail while awaiting extradition to Oklahoma. He was transferred to Tulsa and released after posting a $150,000 bond. Initial release conditions required him to remain in Tulsa County and stay at least 1,000 feet from schools, parks, day-care facilities and community centers. On Monday, Judge Shannon Taylor granted a defense request to modify those terms so Campbell may return to his home in Blue Eye, Missouri, and may attend religious services there with permission from church leadership.
From left, Kim Williams, Cheryl Almond, Phaedra Creed, Kerri Jackson and Lisa Ball as children. (Photo Illustration by NBC News)
Background and Investigation
The criminal case followed an NBC News investigation last year that documented numerous allegations of sexual abuse against Campbell spanning decades. Jackson, Ball and three other women told NBC News that Campbell abused them as children in the 1970s and 1980s while he served as a young pastor in the Assemblies of God. Nine additional people, including four men, said Campbell showed them pornography, made explicit remarks or touched them inappropriately as children during the same period.
Campbell's accusers, along with supporter DeWana Connell-Long, speak with reporters outside the courthouse. (September Dawn Bottoms for NBC News)
Several accusers said they reported Campbell’s conduct to church officials, law enforcement and child welfare authorities beginning in their teens, but those complaints repeatedly produced no lasting action, they said. Oklahoma prosecutors opened a criminal inquiry after the NBC News reporting in May and later presented evidence to a multicounty grand jury, which returned an indictment in December.
Denominational Response and Later Activities
Campbell was expelled from the Assemblies of God in 1989 after another woman, Phaedra Creed, reported repeated rape while living in his home. Despite that expulsion, Campbell continued to work with children: he established a nondenominational church and later founded Camp Bell. About a decade ago he became a regular speaker on the PTL Television Network; PTL removed his sermons and said he was placed on administrative leave and later stepped down after NBC News’ inquiries.
Assemblies of God leaders said in a statement after Campbell’s arrest that they are grateful to the women who "bravely shared their stories" and that they "continue to pray that justice will be served." PTL said it respects due process and the presumption of innocence.
Accusers' Reaction and Next Steps
For many of the women, seeing Campbell in court was both painful and validating. "This is something that we really have been praying for for 40 years," said Cheryl Almond, who alleges Campbell abused her as a teenager in the late 1970s. Kerri Jackson, who says the abuse began when she was about 9, recalled an earlier 1988 meeting in which Campbell angrily called her a liar; she said her anxiety spiked in the days before Monday's hearing.
The women said they plan to attend future hearings to make clear they remain present and visible. "Your past," Jackson told Campbell, "can come back to haunt you."
Note: Campbell and his attorney did not respond to requests for comment outside the courthouse. This article is based on court appearances, interviews with accusers and reporting by NBC News.
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