Lucas Dillon Brandenburg, a youth pastor with Building 418, a ministry of St. Gabriel Episcopal Church in Titusville, Fl., was arrested in 2014 on charges of possession of child porn. The arrest came after law enforcement officials detected his computer sharing similar images.
Brandenberg later admitted to police that he had been viewing child pornography for at least 10 years.
Following his arrest, Brandenberg was terminated from his position with the church. He previously had said he was considering pursuing the priesthood.
In a speech to the 44th Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida, he explained why he had become a youth pastor.
“My life is forever changed by the youth ministries that I attended,” Brandenburg said. “I went for the camps, I went for games, I went to hang out with my friends, to meet girls obviously.
“Despite my wrong motives, I had an encounter with Jesus Christ, I heard his call. And like all who respond to that call, I left my pile of worthless things, and I followed him,” he continued. “There are more pitfalls set before young people today than I have time to describe. The fact is we live in a dark world, and a depraved culture.
“And for many teens, a youth ministry is the only port in the storm. The ministry that I run at St. Gabriels is just such a ministry.”
As of 2022, Brandenburg is a registered sex offender and shows as incarcerated on the Florida Sex Offender website.
Leave a Reply