Reporting the Truth.
Restoring the Church.
By Liz Lykins
Assemblies of God pastor Joshua David Kemper of Coarsegold, California, was arrested on Oct. 27, 2025, for allegedly sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl. (Photo: MCSO)
An Assemblies of God pastor in a remote central California town was arrested last week for allegedly sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.
Joshua Kemper, the lead pastor at Foothill Church in Coarsegold, California, faces 14 felony charges for his alleged sexual abuse against the minor. Madera County police said that Kemper had a “relationship” with the victim from March through July of this year, according to their statement posted on Facebook last Thursday.
Police arrested Kemper at his home on Oct. 27 and hit the 47-year-old pastor with a slew of charges, according to jail records. They include:
- Sending harmful material to a minor with the intent to seduce,
- Contacting a minor with the intent to seduce,
- Attending an arranged meeting with a minor for lewd behavior,
- Possessing matter that depicts a minor engaged in sexual conduct,
- Sexual penetration with a foreign object, unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor,
- Oral copulation with an intoxicated victim,
- Four counts of oral copulation with a victim under 16,
- And three counts of lewd acts with a minor.
Kemper used his position as a pastor to take advantage of the minor and commit the alleged offenses, according to court records.
Police said these assaults occurred at the church, the victim’s house, and inside Kemper’s vehicle.
Your tax-deductible gift supports our mission of reporting the truth and restoring the church. Donate $50 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you can elect to receive “Redeeming Eden: How Women in the Bible Advance the Story of Salvation” by Ingrid Faro, click here.
Foothill Church in Coarsegold, California. (Photo via social media)
Police first started investigating Kemper after church officials reported Kemper’s inappropriate conduct to authorities. Police discovered that the pastor had engaged in inappropriate communication and sexual conduct with the victim through digital evidence, which included explicit messages, photos, and videos.
Kemper engaged in “extensive digital grooming behaviors,” which is backed up by the use of a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone number and social media accounts to hide his communication with the victim, police said.Joshua Kemper in his church office. (Photo: Foothill Church/archived site)
Madera County police praised “the courage of the victim and her family for coming forward and cooperating with law enforcement,” in their statement.
Authorities added that there may be more victims and urged anyone with additional information to contact the Madera County Sheriff’s Office investigations unit.
Kemper is in jail on a $500,000 bond, according to court records. He is set to next appear in court for a preliminary examination on Nov. 10.
The Roys Report (TRR) reached out to Foothill Church for comment but did not hear back prior to publication. It is unclear if Kemper is still the lead pastor.
He started working at Foothill Church in 2019, according to his archived profile on the church’s website. He has been a licensed Assemblies of God minister for more than a decade.
Kemper has been married for more than 20 years, the profile added.In August 2020, Pastor Joshua Kemper, at left, co-leads youth worship at Foothill Church in Coarsegold, California. (Photo: Facebook)
The Assemblies has dealt with numerous sexual assault scandals in recent years, as described in “Pastors and Prey,” a multi-part NBC-TV investigation that has been airing this year. Part three, which aired last Thursday, shared how the denomination has allegedly shielded perpetrators.
For instance, in September, a prominent Assemblies pastor in Florida was charged with allegedly failing to report child sexual abuse for years.
Liz Lykins is a correspondent covering religion news for The Roys Report, WORLD Magazine, and other publications.
SHARE THIS:
Leave a Reply