Jack Schaap — First Baptist Church of Hammond
Pastor of the flagship independent fundamental Baptist church in Hammond, Indiana. He pleaded guilty in federal court to transporting a 16-year-old across state lines for sex and was sentenced in 2013 to 12 years.
Independent Fundamental Baptist Pleaded guilty (federal)
- Person
- Jack Schaap
- Role
- Pastor
- Institution
- First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana
- Location
- Hammond, Indiana
- Status
- Pleaded guilty (federal)
- Sentence
- 12 years in federal prison (March 2013); released early, May 2022
Case in brief
Tier 1 · Court-proven
Jack Schaap was pastor of First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana — the flagship church of the independent fundamental Baptist movement — as son-in-law and successor of Jack Hyles. Schaap counseled a 16-year-old parishioner, groomed her (prosecutors documented 662 texts in one month, in which he told her the relationship was what Christ desired), and took her across state lines to Illinois and Michigan for sex. He was fired in August 2012 after staff found photos, and the church reported him to police and the FBI. He pleaded guilty to transporting a minor across state lines for sexual purposes and was sentenced in March 2013 to 12 years in federal prison. He was released early in May 2022.
The institution
First Baptist Church of Hammond. The institutional record here cuts the other way from most files in this archive: when staff found the evidence, the church fired Schaap and reported him to law enforcement. That sequence is recorded because it is what happened.
The record
Tier 1 · Court-proven
| Item | Record |
|---|---|
| Conduct | Sexual relationship with a 16-year-old counselee; transport across state lines (Illinois, Michigan) |
| Discovery | August 2012 — staff found photos; fired; church reported to police/FBI |
| Plea | Guilty — transporting a minor across state lines for sexual purposes (federal) |
| Sentence | 12 years (March 2013); prosecutors had recommended 10 |
| Release | Early release, May 2022 |
Status
Plea and sentence of record; released May 2022.
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
- Christian Post, “Jack Schaap sentenced to 12 years in prison for teen sex case”: christianpost.com
- Chicago Tribune / Daily Southtown (early release, May 2022; grooming findings): pagesuite.com
Filed October 18, 2026, from the published sources below. Minor victims are never named or identified in this file.