GARDENA, Calif. (AP) — A pastor at a Baptist church near Los Angeles is facing public calls for his removal after congregants circulated video they say shows him pushing a longtime female church elder down a flight of concrete steps.
Surveillance footage from late last year appears to show Pastor Lorenz A. Roseman of Beulahland Missionary Baptist Church in Gardena pushing senior church member Elise Kilgore McTaw, a senior citizen and longtime church elder, outside the church building, according to social media posts shared online.
Church members and community advocates held a demonstration Sunday outside the church, demanding accountability and the pastor’s resignation. One of the speakers declared the pulpit should represent moral authority.
“If you can allegedly assault a senior female elder of your own church and then walk back into that sanctuary and preach as if nothing happened, that is beyond hypocrisy — that is moral bankruptcy,” said Dr. Ta-Taneisha Thames, according to a press release shared by protesters.
The demonstration was organized after congregants shared the video widely on social platforms. Activist Najee Ali, who supported members’ calls for leadership change, said the alleged actions had shaken trust in church leadership.
“The congregation has been betrayed. Leadership requires integrity, truth, and accountability. Pastor Roseman must resign immediately,” Ali said in remarks reported by local advocates.
Members attending the protest also raised separate concerns about Roseman’s academic credentials, saying his résumé references a doctorate that some allege may not be earned. It was not immediately clear what degree Roseman holds, and the church has not released documentation clarifying the claims.
Some church members shared emotional reactions online. One post urging accountability called on Roseman to apologize publicly “for pushing a senior citizen down the stairs breaking her arm.”
There has been no public confirmation from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department about an arrest or about specific charges against Roseman. Searches of county booking records were not confirmed at the time of publication.
The church has not responded to repeated requests for comment on the allegations, and a representative was not available to address whether an internal review or disciplinary proceedings are underway.
The situation has deepened divisions within the congregation, with members calling for transparency from church leadership and accountability mechanisms to be put in place.
