In a Dutch Reformed church tradition that places a premium on rigorous doctrine, church governance and tightly disciplined lives, Edouard chose to pastor one of the most rigorous… Before it hired Edouard, the church required him to fill out a detailed questionnaire that asked about his preaching style, whether he prepares by reading the text in the original languages of Greek and Hebrew, and how many hours are needed to prepare a good sermon.

Patrick Edouard, the former Pella pastor accused of raping three women from his church, was a dynamic preacher in a church and community where theology matters, the sermon is the crescendo of the worship service and the senior pastor is revered.

Had Edouard only engaged in affairs with women in the church, it would have been a devastating transgression against the women, their families and the congregation, said Clarence Hettinga, an elder and president of the council at Covenant Reformed Church in Pella.

“That’s a lifetime of hurt,” Hettinga said.

But Edouard has been accused of far more in Marion County District Court.

He has been charged with forcing three different women from Covenant Reformed into sex acts in 2006, 2007 and 2008. He is also charged with three counts of sexual exploitation, for two of the alleged rapes and for a sexual relationship with a fourth woman in his congregation that lasted from May 2008 to June 2010. The exploitation charges are made under a state law that prohibits counselors, therapists, teachers and clergy from having sex with their patients and clients.

Preaching is central to the church and so, therefore, is the preacher, Hettinga said.

“It’s why the pulpit is right in the middle,” Hettinga said. “The Reformed and the Dutch traditions do hold him up to a fairly high position.”

Edouard’s sermons were broadcast on the radio, Hettinga said. The pastor was, until mid-December, thought to be well-liked and respected.

“That’s why it’s such a shock,” said Hettinga, who lives west of Pella. “He was an excellent, powerful preacher.”

Edouard, 41, is originally from Haiti but went to high school in New York City and graduated from Baruch College in 1995. He then studied at Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Ind. He taught a class on catechism to adults at a Presbyterian church in Valparaiso, Ind., and led worship in churches throughout the Midwest.

Read More: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20110327/NEWS01/103270323/Ex-pastor-s-alleged-behavior-shock-Pella-church?odyssey=mod%7Cmostview

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