Rhema Bible Church Severs All Ties With Co-Pastor Craig Hagin Amid ‘Double Life’ Disclosures and Felony Charges

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ROKEN ARROW, Okla. — In an unprecedented leadership crisis shaking the global Word of Faith movement, Rhema Bible Church has permanently severed all ties with its Chief Operating Officer and co-pastor, Craig W. Hagin, following disclosures of a hidden personal life and unresolved felony animal cruelty charges. The definitive ouster, initially announced on June 7, 2026, was starkly clarified on June 21, 2026, in a detailed public address to the congregation by the ministry’s foundational leaders, Senior Pastors Kenneth W. and Lynette Hagin. The senior leadership described the revelations concerning their son as a profound, intentional deception that left the family and church administration completely devastated, concluding a rapid downfall that began with a local police investigation this spring.

The structural fracture within the prominent Tulsa-area ministry marks one of the most significant crises in the 52-year history of the organization, which commands a vast network of Bible colleges, churches, and media outreach platforms. According to details shared with the congregation, the catalyst for the permanent firing occurred while the senior pastors were traveling on international ministry assignments. During their absence, documented evidence of serious, non-legal personal misconduct reached Craig Hagin’s sister, Denise Burns, and other executive staff members. Upon returning to the United States and receiving a comprehensive briefing on the findings, Kenneth W. and Lynette Hagin moved immediately to revoke their son’s administrative authority, terminate his employment, and pull his ministerial credentials.

The senior pastor candidly acknowledged that while rumors regarding Craig Hagin’s personal life had previously surfaced, the former co-pastor had explicitly denied the allegations when confronted directly by family members in past pastoral counseling sessions. Admitting that the executive board and immediate family had been successfully misled, the elder Hagin stated that newly verified documentation proved his son had actively hidden significant personal conduct. The revelation closely followed deep domestic strain within the family; in May 2026, Craig and Mia Hagin publicly announced they were ending their 20-year marriage, with Mia Hagin publishing a social media statement on their wedding anniversary that openly accused the minister of betrayal, though she did not provide explicit public details at the time.

The severe institutional response marks a complete pivot from the church’s initial defensive posturing earlier this spring. On March 20, 2026, the local community was upended when Tulsa Police and Tulsa Animal Services inspected the south Tulsa residence after the Hagins consented to entry. Responding to severe animal welfare complaints, authorities discovered 25 dogs and cats living in highly unsanitary conditions characterized by structural trash buildup, overwhelming odors, and the remains of a deceased domestic animal. Both individuals were arrested and booked into the Tulsa County Jail on two felony counts each of cruelty to animals. While Craig Hagin was promptly placed on an administrative sabbatical pending the resolution of the judicial case, internal dynamics worsened behind closed doors as independent reports of broader personal misconduct began reaching executive staff members.

The legal fallout has since split into separate tracks within the Oklahoma judicial system. In April 2026, the state dropped the felony animal cruelty charges against Mia Hagin, who separately entered a plea of no contest to two reduced misdemeanor counts of disturbing the peace. She was ordered to pay a $100 fine per count and mandated to complete an animal behavior class. Conversely, the criminal case against Craig Hagin remains fully active. His preliminary hearing for the two felony counts of cruelty to animals is officially scheduled for July 7, 2026, in Tulsa County District Court. Rhema officials emphasized that the ministry will allow the state’s criminal justice system to proceed entirely without ecclesiastical interference or defensive public commentary.

Compounding the public fallout, separate controversies have continued to swirl around the former co-pastor in evangelical watchdog circles. Independent media outlets have reported that Craig Hagin was named in leaked text messages sent by Oklahoma pastor and former U.S. Senate candidate Jackson Lahmeyer to another woman, in which Lahmeyer described traveling with a group that included Hagin during a visit to an adult entertainment venue. These burgeoning outside allegations remain unaddressed by Rhema leadership even as the overlap in timing has drawn significant attention across evangelical media circles.

In the wake of the public disclosures, Rhema’s administrative team has instituted strict protocols to safeguard the ministry. The church confirmed it has systematically removed Craig Hagin’s access to all organizational systems, financial ledger accounts, physical facilities, and ministry platforms. Church mandates emphasize that the former co-pastor is no longer authorized to serve, speak, counsel, or execute financial transactions on behalf of any Rhema affiliate. Senior governance officials have confirmed there is no plan, timeline, or conditional framework in place to permit his return to ministry, stating that the focus remains entirely on personal repentance and long-term spiritual recovery rather than professional restoration.

The sudden removal of an heir apparent has sent shockwaves through the broader charismatic Christian community, where the Hagin lineage has stood as an authoritative pillar of modern theological teaching since the mid-20th century. Church leadership has moved quickly to insulate the core congregation from theological disillusionment, reinforcing that the ministry’s infrastructure remains anchored to the foundational principles established by its patriarch, Kenneth E. Hagin Sr., rather than any individual human personality. While Kenneth and Lynette Hagin reiterated that they remain dedicated to their son’s personal spiritual restoration and the eventual recovery of his private life, they maintained that their supreme accountability must be to the preservation of the church’s financial stewardship and ministerial integrity. The ministry has appealed to its global alumni network of licensed ministers, missionaries, and operational partners to maintain a unified focus on global mandates as the organization navigates one of its most painful internal corrections.