Welcome. On this website, you can learn a bit more about Powell Valley Church, located in Gresham, Oregon.

About the Church

Powell Valley Church is an evangelical church located in Gresham, Oregon.

It is affiliated with the Pacific Northwest conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church (source). The denomination has a process in place to credential pastors. 

Who is the Senior Pastor of the church?

As-of August 2023, James Worley is serving as the senior pastor of the church.

Worley began serving as the Senior Pastor of the church in 2012 (source), though has had other roles with the church in the 2016-2021 period, and is now again serving as Senior Pastor (source). Presumably, he was forced to step aside from the Senior Pastor role in order to deal with legal troubles which resulted in a conviction and being sent to prison. Incredibly, after being released from prison (with a vacated conviction, though not exonerated), the church reinstated him in the Senior Pastor role.

Background: Police Officer (source) and other jobs

Prior to becoming a Pastor, Worley was a police officer with the Tillamook, Oregon Police Department from 2005-2006. His badge was revoked in 2007 (when he was 33) for ongoing misconduct, according to City of Tillamook records. He was “untruthful or deceptive on more than one occasion," according to 2007 police review board meeting minutes. The document states Worley engaged in "unethical writing of citations," inappropriately responded to a restraining order, destroyed marijuana in the field, used the Internet excessively while on duty, created "sexually explicit advertisements," and made unwanted sexual advances to a woman in a 911 dispatch center, among other things.

After losing his certification as a police officer, Worley entered the seminary the following year. He reports to be a 2012 graduate of Multnomah Biblical Seminary in Portland.

In addition to being employed by the church, Worley operates a business performing estate planning called American Family Estate Preservation. He is active in the Gresham, Oregon business community.

Criminal Conviction

Worley was convicted in 2018 of 37 sex crimes with underage children (a step-daughter, and a son).

• Indictment (courtesy of KATU)
• Oregonian (article on the conviction)
• Worley v Brewer (lawsuit Worley filed against state investigators; Contains context and background)
• Lincoln City News Guard (article on allegations, prior to the conviction)
• KATU TV (article on allegations, prior to the conviction)

As reported, the allegations involved a step-daughter and a son, who were minors. There was one earlier (2016) trial in Tillamook County, which resulted in a hung jury. Immediately following that mis-trial, a second trial in Deschutes County was held (the alleged conduct occurred in both counties), which resulted in a conviction; He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Conviction Overturned & Alford Plea (source)

The 2018 conviction for sex crimes in Deschutes County was made after 10 jurors (of 12) voted to conclude he was guilty. The conviction was subsequently overturned, because the US Supreme Court ruled that criminal juries must be unanimous (local news | NY Times). When interviewed by the NY Times, the District Attorney who led the prosecution noted that he believed convictions by split juries were unfair (their history is rooted in racism), but also reiterated that he believes Mr. Worley is guilty.

After the conviction for sex crimes was overturned due to the non-unanimous verdict, Worley pled guilty (through what is called an Alford Plea) to one count of misdemeanor harassment. An Alford plea is a type of plea agreement where a criminal defendant pleads guilty to an offense but at the same maintains his or her innocence. By using this type of plea, the defendant acknowledges that there is enough evidence to potentially convict and that the plea will help minimize any criminal penalties.

Risk to Children

An investigator with the State Department of Human Services was deeply concerned about the risk that Worley may pose to children, given the allegations that were being investigated (source).

In 2020, after the US Supreme Court ruled that non-unanimous juries may not result in a criminal conviction, Worley’s conviction was overturned, and he was released. Incredibly, Powell Valley Church reinstated him as a pastor. As-of August 7, 2023, the Powell Valley Church website does not include any information regarding their policies to protect children. For example, it does not indicate whether staff or volunteer are permitted to be around minors alone, or whether the church has any policies at all regarding the safety of children. To the contrary, in sermons from the pulpit (example), a common theme from Worley is the (unfounded) idea that he was exonerated, and a claim that he has been the victim of a false allegation.

Even if there is doubt about whether someone is guilty or innocent of a heinous crime, the very serious allegations should, at a minimum, result in some public policies and transparency which are designed to protect children. The church website does not discuss this issue at all. The church is adjacent to a large public high school (Sam Barlow High School).

Podcasts & Media

Worley continues to leverage his role as a church pastor to foster a social media platform.

• The GRIT podcast (video) (audio) - This podcast appears to be a key focus for Worley today. In each episode, he interviews an individual (incredibly, often individuals from the business or church community in Gresham). The show frequently touches on topics that many would describe as toxic masculinity, and Christian nationalism.
• Sermons (video) - Worley regularly discusses his own conviction through a very rosy lens. For example, in a series of sermons titled “The Storm”, Worley inaccurately implies that the legal system has exonerated him of a crime, concluding he was innocent (it did not). He frames the situation with him as the victim. He does not directly address the substance of the allegations or the evidence which were presented at trial (which resulted in 10 of 12 jurors concluding that he was guilty)

Politics

Mr. Worley is conservative. He regularly hosts conservative guests from the Gresham Chamber of Commerce (example 1 | example 2), conservative politicians (example), and was featured in Hoodview News, a local right-wing publication.