Church Seeks to Forget Scandal That Divided It

A Westminster congregation torn by scandal after a pastor confided that he’d had an 18-year affair with his brother’s wife has abandoned the church name in an effort to get a fresh start.

“We wanted to get away from the old name,” said Senior Pastor Jim Kruse, whose brother stunned the congregation at Crossroads Community Church last spring when he revealed his indiscretion.

“There was just too much bad publicity connected to it,” said Jim Kruse, who shared preaching duties with his brother until the two began to feud -- a fight that spilled into the courthouse.

The healing has been slow, however.

The Crossroads name has been retired in favor of Strong Tower Worship Center, and new programs have been added to keep membership from eroding. A program for alcohol and drug abuse has been added, and a Boy Scout troop will be sponsored.

But tensions have not disappeared. Daniel Kruse has launched a start-up ministry in Fountain Valley, taking some members of the congregation with him. And another court fight looms.

At its peak, the old Crossroads church had more than 300 members. Some began to drift away when the church’s then top pastor, Daniel Kruse, 50, admitted having an 18-year affair with the wife of his brother and then co-pastor, Jim Kruse, 43.

The admission split the congregation and eventually led to a court order barring Daniel Kruse from interfering in church matters, destroying financial records or removing assets from the church until the case goes to trial early this summer.

Daniel Kruse resigned from the church April 22 but changed his mind, returned, and created a new board, naming his wife and sons as members.

The split was acrimonious. Church assets were frozen. Locks were changed.

Disagreements over collection plate offerings broke out. Families that had come to share Sunday together drifted apart.

Daniel Kruse and his son, Dallas, the church’s former musical director, left and started holding church services at their home in Costa Mesa and then at a Fountain Valley community center. Daniel Kruse could not be contacted for comment.

Jim Kruse said he and his elder brother severed relations and haven’t spoken to each other in months.

He said that he has forgiven his wife and that the couple are still together.

“When it’s your brother and your best friend and your wife ... well, it hit me from just about every direction,” Jim Kruse said.

“When this thing first broke, there was no way I was going to take my wife back. But God just put a love back in my heart.”

Strong Tower already has more than 150 members and is healing, said Richard Sturm, the church’s new chief financial officer.

“This church took quite a big hit, and the job we’re trying to do now is to rebuild the trust that was breached,” Sturm said.

On Sunday, Jim Kruse sat with congregants as guest pastor Bill Norton delivered a sermon titled “What Looks Like Defeat Is Victory in the Making.”

Following services, members agreed that the church is stronger and better for the ordeal.

“Through all the troubles, many people have left, but more have come home,” said Robert Vaughan, an Anaheim resident who has remained a faithful congregant.

“Stuff happens in every church,” said Glenda Dittamore of Stanton. “We’re blessed for having gone through this because we’re learning and growing stronger.”

Church leaders at Strong Tower hope to settle the legal dispute between the brothers and avoid the expense and mess of a protracted court fight.

Each brother seeks control over the Westminster church and its assets. In the meantime, a judge has barred Daniel Kruse from his old church.

Jim Kruse has demanded the return of thousands of dollars he alleges was taken from church accounts to pay for some of his brother’s personal expenses.

Court documents filed on behalf of Jim Kruse and the church board accuse Daniel Kruse of managing the church as a “family business.”

No trial date has been set.