Esteemed Sovereign Grace Pastor Russell Tusing Pleads Guilty to Criminal Cruelty of Daughter - Family Calls Him a Monster & Live in Fear for Their Lives
Monday, October 26, 2026 at 4:20PM On March 14, 2024, Russell Tusing, an esteemed pastor in Sovereign Grace Churches, was arrested for sexual battery and child molestation. On May 6, 2024, he was indicted for the sexual molestation of his 13 year old daughter. Awaiting his trial, he was put in Troup County Jail in LaGrange, GA without bond for 641 days.
On December 16, 2025, Tusing pled guilty to “criminal cruelty to children in the first degree” after his Defense Lawyer Vanessa Galvin and Assistant District Attorney (ADA) Monique Kirby came up with a “negotiated resolution.” The ADA felt the evidence for child molestation might not be adequate to convince 12 jurors beyond a reasonable doubt. More later.
ADA Kirby said in court, “The nol. pros. is because he is entering a plea of guilty to cruelty to children in the first degree which is a related charge and that is what he’s pleading to here today.”
“Nol. pros.” is a legal term meaning “we shall no longer prosecute.” In other words, the District Attorney’s Office would drop the charge of child molestation if he pled guilty to the charge of cruelty to children. That means he is guilty of “maliciously causing the child cruel or excessive physical or mental pain.”
First-degree cruelty to children in Georgia is a serious felony that carries a mandatory prison sentence of 5 to 20 years. Here’s the court’s record from page 6.
Ms. Kirby: Do you understand this carries a penalty of no less than 5, no more than 20 years in the state penitentiary?
Mr. Tusing: Yes.
Ms. Kirby: Understanding that, how do you plead? Guilty or not guilty?
Mr. Tusing: Guilty.
But this is confusing at first glance. Child molestation also carries a mandatory sentence of 5 to 20 years. So what’s the difference? Why would Tusing plead guilty to child cruelty if the sentence is the same if he pled guilty to child molestation? Here’s why!
In Georgia, there is no way to get around prison time for the sexual molestation of a child. There are no legal loop holes. For example, you cannot avoid prison time because you are a first time offender.
But there is a stay out of jail card for child cruelty if it is your first offense. That’s because it is in a different classification of crimes in Georgia. If you are a first time offender for child cruelty, you can be put on probation rather than in prison. So rather than three or more years in prison (he already served two in jail), Tusing was sentenced to 10 years on probation. He is a free man. That terrifies his wife and children! More later.
Here is the court record of ADA Kirby planning to ask the judge to impose “10 years’ probation.” She is addressing Tusing. Page numbers of court transcript are in parentheses.
“I’m going to ask the judge to impose a sentence of 10 years’ probation. Of course, you will get credit for the time that you have already served in custody. There is a special condition of probation that you have no contact of any sort, direct or indirect, through other people, through e-mail, through any method whosever, against any of your immediate family…. Sarah Tusing, and your children.” (8)
Tusing is willing to be completely cut off from his family for ten years in order to avoid time in prison. He doesn’t care about communicating with his family so he can confess his horrific sins and seek their forgiveness. Something, he has never done.
Instead, he will deceive people into believing he was always a good father and a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. He has already returned to preaching and is working on a commentary on Mark’s gospel. He is a con artist. Here is a screen shot of his Facebook page. More later.
That is an older photo of his children with whom is to have no contact because he is a danger. The caption under his photo tells us three things. First, he is the “Owner of Auto Works Interior” which is a startup car detailing business. Second, he claims to be a “Follower of Jesus Christ” but he is not. Third, he is the “Father of 4 incredible children” as though they love him dearly. No, they are incredible because they exposed his criminal acts which put them in fear of their lives being taken. More later.
The probation ends seven years from now in 2032. Tusing will be 53 years old. This plea deal also means he has not been found guilty of a crime by a judge or jury. There is no record of a conviction. Rather Judge Nina Markette Baker accepted his acknowledgment of guilt and proceeded to sentence him in keeping with the plea agreement.
The evidence against Tusing for molestation of his daughter is as follows per the court record according to ADA Kirby. The bold italic lettering is mine
“She reported to her mother in 2024 that her father had in years prior, back in 2022, had touched her inappropriately on her upper thigh on several occasions that made her uncomfortable.…. That he would be drinking and that he would sometimes, you know, kind of slide her over next to him [on the couch] and start rubbing on her leg and sort of rub her in her upper thigh area. And on one particular day she felt like it was a little close to an area where he shouldn’t be touching her at all. She felt very, very uncomfortable about it. She didn’t say anything for two years.” (9-10)
ADA Kirby could have prosecuted the case but decided to work a plea deal with Tusing’s lawyer because the evidence was “kind of on the fence.” Here is what she told Judge Baker.
“There was not -- because of the facts that I have just relayed to the Court and a lack of any other criminal history regarding children, I felt like this was a good resolution because a jury could dispute whether or not this was a battery or child molestation. This was kind of on the fence.” (11)
I don’t think the ADA had the evidence necessary to prove child molestation. On the other hand, I think there was enough evidence to successfully prosecute him for sexual battery. In my opinion, the ADA should not have dropped the charge of sexual battery. Here is the statute. The underlining is mine.
For the purposes of this Code section, the term “intimate parts” means the primary genital area, anus, groin, inner thighs, or buttocks of a male or female and the breasts of a female.
A person commits the offense of sexual battery when he or she intentionally makes physical contact with the intimate parts of the body of another person without the consent of that person.
A person convicted of the offense of sexual battery against any child under the age of 16 years shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than five years.
Here is the court record regarding Tusing pleading guilty to the lesser charge of child cruelty along with the request to be sentenced as a first offender. (12)
The Court: So, Mr. Tusing, you are here to enter a plea of guilty because -- is this a best interest plea or First Offender plea?
Ms. Gavlan: Judge, it’s going to be -- we are going to request that he be sentenced under First Offender, Judge.
The Court: First Offender. Okay.
Then Judge Baker addresses Tusing.
The Court: Do you understand that the biggest benefit of First Offender is if you complete everything, this…should not appear on your record as an felony. (12-13)
Next, the judge accepts the plea to child cruelty in the first degree based upon the “factual basis” (i.e., evidence).
The Court: All right. So Mr. Tusing, at this point I’m accepting your plea. I do find there’s a factual basis presented by the State. I do think that you understand what you’re doing. (15)
Tusing was arrested on March 14, 2024 on sexual battery and child molestation charges and put in jail without bond. The story received widespread coverage. I wrote five articles about him, his failed church, and the Sovereign Grace Churches denomination that recklessly promoted him and highly esteemed him.
Russell Tusing, Lead Pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in LaGrange, GA, Arrested for Sexual Battery & Child Molestation
Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 5:32PM
Russell Tusing Is Another in Long Line of Sexually Perverse Leaders in Sovereign Grace Churches. Sarah Tusing Gets Protective Order & Files for Divorce.
Saturday, April 6, 2024 at 11:47PM
Convicted Child Molester Vince Sievert Allowed to Serve as Deacon by Russell Tusing, Mark Prater, & Keith Collins. Predictably His Abuse of Children Continued.
Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 6:21PM
The Sexual Abuse of Children by Leaders in Sovereign Grace Churches Continues
Thursday, May 16, 2024 at 5:57PM
Sovereign Grace Pastor Russell Tusing Indicted for Sexual Molestation of Daughter
Saturday, June 1, 2024 at 5:14PM
I sent these articles to the police, news stations, schools, journalists, bloggers, and churches in Troup County, GA and environs. As a result, Tusing’s lawyer filed a “Brief In Support of Motion For Change of Venue” on August 7, 2024. He cites my work as the main reason they could not get a fair hearing with unbiased jurors from Troup County. “He cannot receive a fair trial in Troup County because it is an inherently prejudicial setting.” He cited my article titled Sovereign Grace Pastor Russell Tusing Indicted for Sexual Molestation of Daughter (June 1, 2024) as evidence.
“Russell Tusing is a wretched “lover of self” (2 Tim. 3:2) and “lover of pleasure” (2 Tim. 3:4) who does not fear God. He didn’t care about his daughter. He only cared about arousing and satisfying his sexual desires. He would have continued to groom and molest her if she had not taken action to stop him. If the case goes to trial, Tusing will be called to the stand and swear an oath to tell the truth, and nothing but the truth, so help him God. Then he will claim innocence and accuse his daughter of lying or misinterpreting his actions. I’ve seen it before in other cases. Sexual predators have no shame and they are prolific liars.”
The motion was denied.
Tusing Assaults Woman in Florida Bar During Sovereign Grace Pastors’ Conference
Soon after his arrest, another victim of Tusing contacted the LaGrange Police Department to report she had been sexually assaulted by him. Sarah Tusing shared this testimony with the judge in her victim impact statement at the “Guilty Plea Proceedings.” This sexual assault occurred three months before he was arrested for the sexual battery of his daughter. It is part of the court record.
“After Russell’s arrest, evidence of other crimes he committed came to light. The woman came forward who shared that Russell had sexually assaulted her in Florida at a bar. He had fled the scene when she called the police, but they identified him by the church credit card he left at the bar. She saw the news report that he was arrested for children molestation and called the LPD [LaGrange Police Department] to share her story and was willing to testify in this case. I don’t know who she is, but I wanted to mention her because she is a victim of Russell too and deserves justice just as much as we do. What was done to her is wrong.” (31)
Sarah continues.
“Russell was in Florida at that time because he was supposed to be at a pastor’s retreat, this same retreat he decided to go to after our son came home from college suicidal. He went to Florida, and I took our son to get treatment for his mental health. Now knowing that he assaulted a woman during that time is even more traumatic to learn. He has no empathy. He is only concerned with himself and satisfying his own selfish, sick desires. That’s the kind of man he is.” (31-32)
I’m confident Tusing assaulted other women besides his daughter and this woman in Florida. I hope they come forward.
The pastor’s retreat was the 2023 Pastors Conference for the Sovereign Grace Churches denomination held in Orlando, FL on November 14-16. The theme was “The Church of Christ and the Triumph of Truth.” Here is a partial description.
2023 Pastors Conference: The Church of Christ and the Triumph of Truth - Sovereign Grace Churches
With a desire to serve you, we have designed our five main sessions to equip you to continue to hold fast to the word of life so that you can protect and strengthen your church in a way that it remains as a beacon of light in a crooked and twisted generation.
C.J. Mahaney preached two of the five main sessions. He spoke about all his “sufferings” and told the pastors, “Here is what clay jars called to pastoral ministry can expect: affliction, bewilderment, persecution, and they will be struck down.”
But C.J. and Sovereign Grace Churches (SGC) were not being struck down by persecutors; they were being opposed by God for their pride, deceit, hypocrisy, and cover-up of sexual abuse. They were the crooked and twisted generation, not a beacon of light nor a triumph of truth.
Tusing was one of their top pastors and he was “hold[ing] fast to the word of life” in a bar assaulting a woman. Such is the hypocrisy of Sovereign Grace Churches.
Russell Tusing Is a Thief
Tusing was also a crook! He would use the church credit card for personal pleasure and expenditures. That is called private inurement.
“At the federal level, the IRS has a zero-tolerance rule for private inurement. If caught, the consequences typically involve revocation of tax-exempt status. The non-profit [church] loses its 501(c)(3) standing.”
According to Sarah,
“Russell committed fraud with church funds numerous times. The fraud arrest and indictment and everything else that came to light led to the church having to close and disperse.” (32)
He was a thief like Judas who “had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it” (John 12:6). This resulted in Tusing’s arrest and indictment. It appears the church lost its non-profit status so donations were no longer tax deductible. Evidently, the District Attorney’s Office decided not to prosecute him for fraud, most likely because he was already indicted for sexual molestation.
My work was part of the “everything else” that forced the church to close and disperse. That’s because I exposed all kinds of corruption including multiple incidences of incest, adultery, sexual abuse, physical abuse, various kinds of cover-ups, and fraud.
For example, Vince Sievert, a convicted child molester was made a deacon with the approval of Mark Prater (executive director for SGC), Keith Collins (southeastern regional leader for SGC), the regional elders for SGC, and the local church leaders. Read all about it.
Convicted Child Molester Vince Sievert Allowed to Serve as Deacon by Russell Tusing, Mark Prater, & Keith Collins. Predictably His Abuse of Children Continued.
Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 6:21PM
And to be honest, Sarah Tusing knew about all these things including the long term fraud by Russell but did not speak up until her daughter was sexually abused by him. She went along with his con job that he was a godly husband, father, and pastor for over a decade.
At the court hearing, Sarah, her two sons, and her oldest daughter made victim impact statements appealing to the judge “to protect our family from this monster” by laying down special conditions for his probation.
The plea deal meant Tusing would be released from jail. Everyone was stunned by the gravity of it all. Here are some excerpts. A redacted copy can be read here.
Oldest Son – Victim Impact Statement
I am his son (16)…. his first born son (18)
Whenever he gets released from prison, we will be forced to default to a stringent safety plan to protect our family from this monster. Growing up, and I’m sure now, especially when he is inebriated, he is highly dangerous, unpredictable, and violent. There is no telling what he will do when released. (16-17)
I and my immediate family are absolutely terrified at what he is and will be capable of doing when he is free in the public. (17)
We pray unceasingly for protection and are forced to prepare to potentially see his face in public once again. I’m certain he will be angry. When he’s angry, I’ve seen him destroy parts of our house and lash out uncontrollably. I’ve seen him throw my mother around and lose his temper, every time leaving us petrified and powerless. (17)
This crime toward [his oldest sister] emotionally tore me to shreds and caused many physical problems with me out of fear like tremors and trouble breathing. Every time I think back to that night when I learned what he did, I see a 20-year-old’s life that was forever altered. (18)
I can only pray our family and our safety plan and protections set in place will protect us from this monster of an individual. (19)
Second Son – Victim Impact Statement
I am the son of the defendant. As the lone member of the family consistently away from home [at college], I am always exceedingly worried about the safety of my family back home, especially since this deal is likely to result in Russell being out in the world sooner. I am very stressed for the safety of all of them. (19)
He has always been violent. I have seen him abuse my mother as well as me and my brother physically. Also knowing certain things he’s said to my mother in the past, I am certain he would try to do something to her, my brother and/or sisters. (19-20)
Continuing to the present, I still fear what he will do when released. Before he was arrested, he attempted to OD [overdose] at his parents’ house evidenced by his time in the ICU [intensive care unit] at the hospital immediately after his initial arrest. (20)
From the physical, emotional, mental, and religious abuse I experienced from him for years, it’s also the way he could lie for so long, manipulate others, cheat on my mother, and assault [his oldest sister], all the while being a pastor, a supposed man of God. This man is a narcissistic, sociopathic, pathological liar. He will try to do something to my family…. It scares me, and I am 21. (20-21)
Oldest Daughter – Victim Impact Statement
I’m the daughter of Russell. His crime [against her] has affected me both emotionally and physically. The thought of him getting out makes me so scared I start to shake to the point where it makes me want to throw up. (21)
I have a lot of bad dreams about him. They are mainly about what he will possibly do if he gets out, like come and hurt me or my siblings or even my mom. I’m really scared for me and my sister, especially for [her sister] because she is so young…. I’m scared if he gets out, he’s going to come and find her and hurt her, and she’s too young to protect herself. (22)
Because of what he has done, I don’t have a dad. I don’t even call him dad anymore because no dad should do the things he did and deserve to be called a dad. (22)
I also don’t get to see his side of the family anymore because of what he did. I was really close to my grandpa, Larry [Gay] And once everything happened, they took his side and now I don’t see them anymore. I have had – also had bad dreams about my grandma [Renee Gay] coming to the house when I’m alone, and I don’t want to be alone if he gets out. (22-23)
The fact I don’t have a dad is hard, but I also have to be protected from him. I sleep with my door open because I’m scared he’s going to come through my windows, and I’ve slept with my door open since I can remember. I can’t sleep with it shut. (23)
I get so anxious I start pulling my hair out, and I get bald spots on my head from pulling my hair out so much…. My anxiety gets so bad that I get so stressed out and get really bad stomach pains and start throwing up. I also have seasons of depression. (23)
We go to a really great church now. But I really hated the couch we had at our house because of what happened on it [i.e., the sexual battery] so I never wanted to sit on it. I would just see it every day and be reminded of him. So the church was so kind to get us a new couch, and it makes me feel so much better to not have to see that old couch anymore. It was a very big reminder for what he did to me. (23)
I never want to see him again. I just want me and my family to be safe. I want us to move on and start to heal. I’m very glad he is not in my life anymore. It’s made my life ten times better to not have to worry about him every day. I just don’t want to see him, and I want to feel safe. Thank you. (24)
Sarah Tusing – Victim Impact Statement
My name is Sarah Tusing…. Thank you for the opportunity for my children and I to share our victim impact statements today. This is incredibly sobering, humbling, and terrifying at the same time. It is really hard trying to put into words what it feels like to be a victim and how a crime has impacted you. It’s on a whole other level when your children are the victims. (24)
Let me be clear, we are asking for guaranteed long-term protections in place for all of us. I am asking there be no contact of any kind with [her four children] and that Russell has to maintain a distance of at least 200 yards from us. We are asking that this be in place minimally until [her youngest daughter] is 18. (24)
I have to work while having to fight to protect my children from their very own father, carrying the shame of having been married to an abusive, dangerous man who traumatized us and mocks God with his life. (25)
Husband, father, pastor…. He violated each of those roles in the worst way. The truth is Russell is an abuser, deceitful, angry, violent, a drunk, and an oppressive man. He used his position as a pastor to gain trust and to present himself as a safe, trustworthy person. (25-26)
I personally have suffered emotional, psychological, mental, spiritual, and physical abuse from him. On more than one occasion in our marriage he physically abused me, holding me down on a bed so hard he left bruises on my arms. And another incident, he came home with the boys from bowling drunk. When confronted, he became enraged and physically violent with me which led me to barricade myself and my children in the bedroom. (26)
When [her oldest daughter] disclosed to me that her father had sexually abused her, I was horrified. I was deeply disturbed. I was terrified. I was disgusted. I knew I had to get my children away from him and to report it to the police. I feared for our lives. I still fear for our lives. (27)
The surrealness of our lives is overwhelming. We now live in fear and terror of him being released. I have to think about safety plans at work, school, church, and home. I have to think about what we do if we run into him at a grocery or someplace else because he will live 10 minutes away from us at his parents’ home [Larry & Renee Gay]. We have to take safety measures to protect ourselves from him including having security cameras, lights, security system, and a dog. I have to give teachers pictures of him and his family so they don’t try to take [her eight year old daughter]. (27)
The impact of Russell’s abuse on my children has been the most traumatic part of all of this to me. You have heard a small piece of how they have been impacted by him. Three of them have been suicidal at some point…. [her second son] waking me up in the middle of the night sobbing. Anxiety, panic attacks, depression, fear of trusting others. Losing a set of grandparents [Larry & Renee Gay] because they are supporting my children’s abuser and calling us liars. (27-28)
Russell has shown he refuses to comply with court orders…. There are over 10 police reports I have filed for Russell violating the TPO [temporary protective order] including when I had to file reports because he was contacting [oldest son] and [second son] in August and September of 2023 from the jail even after Your Honor ordered him at the bond hearing on June 26, 2024, not to contact us, the family. Ultimately, a law enforcement officer went to the jail and told him to his face to stop or he was going to sign a warrant himself. That same officer warned me to expect Russell to continue to try to contact based off of what was said that day. (30)
My children and I have become well-acquainted with fear, grief, and trauma. Our lives have been devasted by Russell. We live in utter fear of him and of what he will do to us if and when he gets out. We fear he will retaliate against us for speaking the truth of who he is. He has lost everything and has nothing left to lose. (32)
The best way to keep us safe from Russell would be for him to go to prison, but my children and I know that what happens today is ultimately out of our hands. We will submit to what to what is decided, praying we are protected, and that we and other victims get justice. (34)
Larry and Renee Gay
Renee is Russell’s mother. Larry is Russell’s stepfather. He was also one of the four men on the Pastoral Advisory Committee for Sovereign Grace Church of LaGrange. Here is their biography before the church was closed and the building sold.
Larry & Renee Gay
Usher/Security Team director & Administrator
Larry directs and coordinates our Sunday usher and security teams. He has received a degree in Practical Theology and has ministered as an ordained elder. Plus, he rides a Harley Davidson! He is also an essential voice among SGC’s Pastoral Advisory Committee.
Renee is SGC’s administrator. She volunteers every week to facilitate ministry and communciate our mission endeavors among our church family.
Larry and Renee married in 1986 and have two children. Their son happens to be lead Pastor at SGC. There is another adopted son among the family. Their Schnauzer, Munch. Whom the family refers to as ‘Munch a Bunch”.
We are so grateful for them!
ADA Kirby’s Statement to Judge Baker After Hearing Impact Statements
This case was brought to us as a child molestation case for him placing his hand on what was represented to be the child’s vaginal area, and it turned out to be that he had touched her upper thigh. So, you know, it’s – we can’t always address all the hardship and horror that families encounter with the criminal defendant. There are bad situations that never come to light. I’m hearing things today that I heard for the first time from the podium. But what is coming through is that they’re very scared of him and there’s a long history of them having to live in fear, his alcohol problem, his control, his touching his daughter in a manner that made her feel more than uncomfortable. And then of course we hear that he was at a bar, you know, several months after this came to light and was sitting next to a girl at a bar and put his hand on her – up her leg as well. (35-36)
So, you know, I just want to remind the Court that, you know, if he violates these terms and conditions, you know, that are imposed by the Court not to have any contact, the State’s going to ask that he be severe [sentenced] – that he be resentenced to a very strong amount of time, especially considering what I’m hearing today, a lot for the first time, about the effect that he has had on his family. (36)
Special Conditions of Probation Set by Judge Baker
So, Mr. Tusing, you can come back up to the podium. (37)
All right. Mr. Tusing, having accepted your plea, I will sentence you on the single count of 25-R-517 to 10 years, all to be served on probation. I will issue a fine of $1,000 plus the add-ons. (37)
You are going to be under certain general and special conditions…. Number 12 is especially important. It is absolutely no contact with [two daughters], Sarah, and [two sons]. (37)
You cannot come with 200 yards of them. You cannot contact them, and contact means any way, shape, or form that somebody could consider that in terms of you trying to communicate with them. It also means through any third parties. That’s what indirect means. (38)
Number 13 is you shall not harass, threaten, intimidate, physically or verbally abuse, or harm the following persons: the ones mentioned above previously. (38)
Number 32 is avoiding alcohol and drug use. By avoiding, it means you cannot have alcohol. (39)
Additionally, and this goes without saying, but there is to be no possession, custody, or control of any firearms…. If you are going to be living with your parents when you get out, that means if your parents have a gun in their home and it could be considered under your control, you could get in trouble for that. (39-40)
Mr. Tusing, it is very clear that one of the most important parts of this is that you have absolutely no contact, direct or indirect, with the family members that were named. Do you understand that? (40)
Mr. Tusing: I do. (40)
Again, you’re going to be on probation for the full term of this. That is 10 years. You have waived your right to a behavioral incentive date [i.e., getting off early for good behavior]. So for 10 years you have to follow the absolute letter of this sentence which includes all of the conditions of probation and specifically the absolute no contact with any of the named people in this case. (42)
Now, if you do all that successfully, then at the end of 10 years First Offender can kick in and this is not a felony on your record. (42)
[NOTE: You can read a redacted copy of the general and special conditions laid down by the judge for probation here.]
Russell Tusing the Consummate Hypocrite
Here is an excerpt from a previous article I wrote. Tusing was preaching on what it means to follow Jesus. This was three weeks before he was arrested for sexual battery and child molestation of his 13 year old daughter.
Moreover, this sermon series began three months after he sexual assaulted a woman in a bar and fled the scene leaving behind his church credit card.
Russell Tusing Is Another in Long Line of Sexually Perverse Leaders in Sovereign Grace Churches. Sarah Tusing Gets Protective Order & Files for Divorce.
Saturday, April 6, 2024 at 11:47PM
Finally, here are some quotes from Tusing’s sermon series on “What Does Following Jesus Mean?” just before he was arrested. Good Bible teachers are not necessarily good people. They can be downright evil. That is a hard lesson to learn. They hide behind the appearance of godliness in their public ministry.
Jesus harshest woes of judgement are reserved for Pharisees like Russell Tusing (cf. Matt. 23).
Russell Tusing the Ultimate Con Artist
Tusing got out of jail in December 2025. He began attending Grace Covenant Worship Center in January 2026. It is 20 minutes from where he lives. It is has its roots in the Faith Movement and was led by a husband and wife who were both seniors pastors. The husband died on April 24 at age 75. His wife leads the church now.
Grace Covenant Worship Center – Hogansville, GA
About our Pastors
Alex & Jill Montgomery are the Senior Pastors of Grace Covenant Worship Center in Hogansville, GA. Their ministry of grace and acceptance is a perfect example of the heart of the Father, to reach those looking for an approachable God. The vision of “Restoring Hope...Experiencing Christ’s Life!” is at the center of their mission statement.
The church does not have a doctrinal statement and there are no reference to the biblical gospel on its website. By that I mean there is nothing about the need for sinners to be reconciled to God through the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Or put another way, there is nothing about Jesus taking our sins and being punished in our place in order to satisfy God’s justice, turn away God’s wrath, and show forth his love.
Moreover, God is not approachable and there is no grace and acceptance apart from the finished work of Christ on the cross. Their mission statement of restoring hope and experiencing Christ’s life is only possible if you understand the gospel rightly and turn from your sins sincerely.
This is the perfect kind of church for Russell Tusing to take advantage of. How? By convincing them that he was fit to preach nine months after pleading guilty to “cruelty to children in the first degree.” He should be in prison, not behind a pulpit.
Thankfully, Rebecca Hopkins broke the story last month. She is a top notch journalist. For the last ten months, I also tried to find out what happened after the hearing in December 2025 (i.e., the Guilty Plea Proceedings). So did blogger Todd Wilhelm and Atlanta News First TV Anchor Karli Barnett. In April 2025, Karli found out that all the information about Tusing was removed from the public record by the Superior Court of Troup County. Thankfully, I saved all of it.
I also have unredacted copies of the court transcript for the “Guilty Plea Proceedings” and the “Inventory of Special Conditions of Probation” set by Judge Baker.
I hope this article causes Grace Covenant Worship Center to act righteously and prohibit Tusing from further preaching. I also hope it alerts people throughout Troup County and beyond. He is a danger. And I pray it encourages other victims of Tusing to contact law enforcement and press charges.
Russell Tusing Returns to Preaching
Last month on September 25, Tusing preached on The Privilege of Knowing God as Father at the Wednesday evening service for Grace Covenant Worship Center. He says nothing about being a horrific father in contrast to our heavenly Father.
In fact, one would assume he was a godly father as he references his daughters and sons in the message. He says nothing about pleading guilty to child cruelty or being the opposite of God the Father in his parenting. There is no acknowledgment of any wrong doing.
Tusing is a play actor. He is putting on a performance. Wearing a characteristic tight tee shirt, he lectures and admonishes the church to know God as Father like he does. He is haughty and overbearing in his delivery. He is also wordy and repetitive.
Strangely, he takes the first 15 minutes to lay out his belief that John likely wrote his gospel because of sibling rivalry with Peter who supposedly got all the credit in the early church (e.g., Acts 1-12). That is nutty!
First, Peter was martyred in Rome around A.D. 67. Second, John wrote his gospel around A.D. 90. Peter had been dead a long time! John was not “trying to get one over with Peter.” He didn’t write the fourth gospel (or 1, 2, 3 John and Revelation) in order to get the recognition he deserved. That is sick to suggest.
He wrote because he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to record the good news of Jesus Christ at the end of his life in print so people could believe and have eternal life long after he was gone. John was not “breaking free and doing his own thing” as Tusing proposes.
Excerpts from Tusing’s Message
Russell Tusing’s deceit and hypocrisy are extraordinary! I quote him and then provide some commentary.
“Knowing God as Father is to predominate the rhyme and rhythm of our faith. Just as it is the focal point of Christ throughout his life and ministry. According to John’s gospel, it is to be the focal point of our lives and our ministries in whatever capacity we find ourselves.” (22:44-23:16)
The Fatherhood of God did not “predominate the rhyme and rhythm” of his marriage or family. It was not the “focal point” for him in his “capacity” as a husband and father.
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“It is Christ’s activity that gives us this privilege, that gives us this ability, that gives us this power to become children of the Father. To know God relationally, intimately, and savingly as Father. Christ, his activity in us is what brings us to have the privileged childlike faith, that is involved in knowing God as Father as Christ has revealed him.” (32:40-33:22)
Tusing does not “know God relationally, intimately, and savingly as Father.” If he did he would not have abused his wife and family for so many years. He was a monster according to their testimony, not a father.
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“Listen to this, hear this, be reminded of this. This privilege of becoming children of God, children of the Father, isn’t simply becoming an object of God. It isn’t announcing we merely become his new creatures, though we do become new creations to be sure. It is not simply saying or affirming that we’re the Father’s new possessions as though we are trinkets that can be discarded or ignored or taken into hand when it so pleases us as a whim. That’s not what we are given the privilege of. And we’re not to hear it, to hear it so impersonally, that is detached existence, isn’t it?” (33:30-34:14)
Tusing used his oldest daughter as the focal point for his sexual desires like “trinkets that can be discarded or ignored or taken into hand when it so pleases.” He didn’t care about her as a father. He wanted to use her and touch her. He lived “so impersonally” in a state of “detached existence.”
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“Christ is also Father oriented. And in as much as he was and is, he wants us to be just as Father oriented because it was his purpose and his privilege and his pleasure to make known God as Father. My daughters every Sunday would run up to me. Latch onto my legs, hug me and swarm. And then after service they would take my smartphone and secretly take pictures knowing that I would discover them. That’s the childlike faith that the Father wants us having, that the Father has given us in Christ, that Christ gives us by the Spirit. It’s that childlike faith that he awakens within us to be that exuberant as children of the Father to delight in him as Father and not to just confess him as Father. What is the point of confession if there’s no experience?” (38:55-40:23)
Tusing uses this illustration to highlight his fatherhood as a compelling example of God’s fatherhood. “My daughters every Sunday would run up to me. Latch onto my legs, hug me and swarm…. It’s that childlike faith that he awakens within us to be that exuberant as children of the Father.” In other words, we should relate to God the Father the way his daughters related to him as father. This is pure deceit! If Tusing had any humility or integrity he would tell the church he was a cruel father and his children don’t ever want to see him again. They fear he will harm them.
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“When my sons were in grade school, with two sons and two daughters, I had the noble idea of arranging a fish tank for them. That wasn’t good enough. It wasn’t good enough. I had conceived of the great barrier reef in my mind in an aquarium. And I was going to achieve that for my sons. I was going arrange that and nothing less than that would be satisfactory. Nothing less than that would be enjoyable. Nothing less than that would be worthwhile. Come to find out all my boys cared about was the fish. They didn’t care about all of the other décor in the aquarium. That was just me. I just got distracted that I couldn’t fully appreciate. And it became miserable trying to put it all together because I was doing this, I was doing that. Rather than appreciating what the fish tank was meant to be a habitation of fish. Not plastic fauna, imitation divers, and treasures of gold. Knowing God begins with a childlike faith.” (40:47-42:12)
Tusing is using this illustration of being distracted by making an elaborate aquarium (“the noble idea”) versus the undistracted faith of his sons who wanted a simple aquarium for fish. In other words, don’t be distracted from knowing God as Father. That is okay but the analogy is hard to follow. It seems to me that Tusing is taking the occasion to illustrate his benevolent fatherhood. He will stop at nothing to please his sons. That was 15-20 years ago. Not today. In fact, Sarah got a restraining order against Russell 12 years ago in 2014. It read in part,
“Such persons [Russell] are hereby enjoined and restrained in the following particulars…. From doing or attempting to do or threatening to do any act which injures, maltreats, vilifies, molests, or harasses or which may, upon judicial determination, constitute threats, harassment, or stalking the adverse party [Sarah] or the child or children of the parties or any act which constitutes a violation of other civil or criminal laws of this state.”
That was just after Mark Prater, executive director for Sovereign Grace Churches announced they were adopted into the denomination on September 24, 2014 after six years of “much prayer, discussion, and assessment.” What a joke!
Welcome to the Family, Sovereign Grace Church of LaGrange
September 24, 2014 by Mark Prater
I am deeply honored to announce that Sovereign Grace Church of LaGrange, Georgia is now part of Sovereign Grace Churches!
They have pursued a relationship and affiliation with Sovereign Grace for the past several [six] years. After much prayer, discussion, and assessment, the Southeast Region voted unanimously to adopt Sovereign Grace Church of LaGrange a couple of weeks ago.
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“He’s a Father and he’s brought us into this personal exchange of life and dynamism together to enjoy each other’s company and to delight in it and to cherish it and to treasure it. And he’s brought us into this exchange of life. That’s one of the things that got me through being in jail for two years. I’ll have to share on that on another occasion.” (58:23-58:52)
Tusing expects he will preach again “on another occasion.” God forbid! He says knowing God as Father got him through two years of prison. He doesn’t say what got him into prison!
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Tusing is a master of disguise. He puts himself forward as a man of God and a loving father on his Facebook page by posting personal insights, religious sayings, Scripture verses, Christian clip art, and worship songs. In addition, he posts numerous photos of himself with his children.
He also draws attention to a devotional commentary he is writing on the gospel of Mark “that is unlike any other.”
Russell Tusing
September 7, 2026
Crafting intro for my devotional commentary on Mark’s gospel. The main chapters are written in a manner unlike any other devotional. Very excited about this.
The last paragraph reads,
“Knowing the ministry and identity of Jesus as Son of God, will naturally and necessarily involve joyfully following Him and identifying with Him accordingly. In other words, our identity, ministry and mentality will be shaped and transformed by the Son of God’s own life…as we come to know His life more fully by way of Mark’s gospel recounting.”
Tusing’s identity, ministry, and mentality have been shaped and transformed by the devil, not the Son of God. The Bible says you will know false prophets by their fruits, not their words.
Matthew 7:15-16 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. [16] You will recognize them by their fruits.”
Here are some of the fruits that characterize his true self.
Sarah: He has no empathy. He is only concerned with himself and satisfying his own selfish, sick desires. That’s the kind of man he is. The truth is Russell is an abuser, deceitful, angry, violent, a drunk, and an oppressive man. He used his position as a pastor to gain trust and to present himself as a safe, trustworthy person.
Oldest Son: Growing up, and I’m sure now, especially when he is inebriated, he is highly dangerous, unpredictable, and violent. There is no telling what he will do when released. I can only pray our family and our safety plan and protections set in place will protect us from this monster of an individual.
Second Son: He has always been violent. I have seen him abuse my mother as well as me and my brother physically. Also knowing certain things he’s said to my mother in the past, I am certain he would try to do something to her, my brother and/or sisters. It’s also the way he could lie for so long, manipulate others, cheat on my mother, and assault [his oldest sister], all the while being a pastor, a supposed man of God. This man is a narcissistic, sociopathic, pathological liar.
Oldest Daughter: I’m the daughter of Russell. His crime [against her] has affected me both emotionally and physically. The thought of him getting out makes me so scared I start to shake to the point where it makes me want to throw up. I never want to see him again. I just want me and my family to be safe.
I have no doubt Russell Tusing is planning a return to full time ministry. He is well on his way. That is why he tried to prevent all the information above from coming out. But the Lord has prevailed and brought his evil deeds to light. No one in their right mind would follow him as a pastor if they knew the truth about him.
Nevertheless, Tusing will create a false narrative about why he went to jail, why he pled guilty, why his wife divorced him, and why his children never want to see him again. Some people will believe his lies and refuse to examine the evidence. Others will “forgive and forget” what he has done in the name of “grace.”
He may even hope to become a senior pastor at Grace Covenant Worship Center. Given their licentious doctrine and practice, they are vulnerable to his pretentions and deceitful scheming.
Instead of writing a commentary on the Gospel of Mark, he should be writing a full blown confession of sin that he posts on his Facebook page. He should also forget about returning to ministry. His kinds of sins are permanently disqualifying in my opinion.