George Bell — Anchor Baptist Church, Columbus
Founding pastor of an independent fundamental Baptist church in Columbus, Ohio. Arrested in November 2024, he pleaded guilty in 2025 to two counts of rape and was sentenced to 15 to 20 years.
Independent Fundamental Baptist Pleaded guilty (2025)
- Person
- George Bell
- Role
- Founding pastor
- Institution
- Anchor Baptist Church, Columbus, Ohio
- Location
- Columbus, Ohio
- Status
- Pleaded guilty (2025)
- Sentence
- 15 to 20 years; Tier III sex-offender registration on release
Case in brief
Tier 1 · Court-proven
George Bell was the founding pastor of Anchor Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio, a self-described independent fundamental Baptist, KJV-only congregation. He was arrested in November 2024 and charged with four counts of rape and two counts of gross sexual imposition of a child under 10, for assaults between 2021 and 2024; authorities said the charges did not involve a congregant. He pleaded guilty to two counts of rape — the other charges were dropped under the plea — and was sentenced to 15 to 20 years, with Tier III sex-offender registration on release.
The institution
Anchor Baptist Church. On the handling: Bell resigned abruptly in June 2024 without mentioning allegations. The church first thanked him for his service; a week later it said it had learned there was “more to” the resignation, and thereafter said it cooperated fully with law enforcement. The sequence is recorded as the church’s own statements made it.
The record
Tier 1 · Court-proven
| Item | Record |
|---|---|
| Resignation | June 2024, abrupt, no reason given publicly |
| Arrest / charges | November 2024 — four counts of rape, two counts of gross sexual imposition (child under 10), conduct 2021–2024 |
| Plea (2025) | Guilty — two counts of rape; remaining charges dropped under the plea |
| Sentence | 15 to 20 years; Tier III registration on release |
Status
Pleaded guilty and sentenced (2025).
Records requested & responses
This archive has not filed records requests in this case. The file rests on the published sources below and will be updated if court or institutional records are obtained, or if that changes.
Sources
- MinistryWatch, “Ohio pastor pleads guilty to rape” (plea, 15–20 year sentence, church statements): ministrywatch.com
Filed October 18, 2026, from the published sources below. Minor victims are never named or identified in this file.