Christian College Ministry Scandal: How Leaders Failed to Stop a Known Sex Offender

A decades-long pattern of abuse, secrecy, and institutional failure is at the center of NBC News’s investigation into Daniel Savala, a former Pentecostal missionary deeply embedded in Chi Alpha, a Christian college ministry affiliated with the Assemblies of God. Despite a prior conviction for child sex abuse, Savala was repeatedly welcomed by pastors who continued sending students — and, in some cases, their own children — to his Houston home, where many say they were spiritually manipulated and sexually abused. As survivors come forward and criminal charges mount, questions remain about why church leaders ignored repeated warnings and allowed the abuse to continue unchecked. This exposé is part of NBC’s ongoing “Pastors and Prey” series.