TACOMA, Wash. — The son of a long-time Tacoma pastor has been charged for alleged sexual abuses that occurred throughout the 90s and early 2000s.
John Stabbert, 51, has been summoned for arraignment on July 16 to enter a plea for four counts of first-degree child rape. Court documents say that if he does not show up, a warrant will be issued for his arrest.
According to police records, several church elders at Fellowship Bible Church reported to Tacoma police that Stabbert confessed to abusing at least three victims.
The alleged victims ranged from three years old to 12 years old, according to police records.
Police records say this happened during a Dec. 30, 2025, church meeting. During that meeting, Stabbert looked at a list of alleged victims and corrected the order in which they had been abused, according to police records.
According to court documents, when Stabbert was confronted with the allegations of sexual abuse, he confirmed that he had inappropriate contact with the victims but told elders, “But I’ve changed,” docs said.
One witness told investigators that Stabbert told him that “he had not known what to do with his sexual desires when he was younger and was stronger now, that is, he was no longer inclined to do such things as he had been accused of doing,” according to police records.
Police records say that the Fellowship Bible Church had been warned repeatedly about Stabbert’s alleged abuse. Stabbert was a member of the church and his father has been a pastor at the church since the 1970s.
In a statement to KIRO 7, Fellowship Bible Church wrote:
“Fellowship Bible Church is grateful for the survivors who have come forward in this case involving allegations against John Stabbert. Our priorities have been to care for survivors, protect children, cooperate with law enforcement, and respond with transparency and accountability. We have remained in contact with those who made reports to provide ongoing care. This is a deep grief to God and our community.
After receiving allegations of sexual abuse, FBC leadership reported the matter to law enforcement, provided additional information as it became available, and cooperated with the Tacoma Police Department’s investigation. We swiftly removed John Stabbert from all church-related functions and informed our church of the allegations. We understand that the charges are related to the alleged conduct that occurred between 1997 and 2001 and did not occur on church property.
Bruce Stabbert resigned as an elder and resigned his membership due to disagreements regarding how the church has chosen to address the abuse allegations.
We continue in our commitment to make our church a safe place to worship and to work toward promoting safety, transparency and accountability. FBC is deeply grateful and committed to caring for the courageous survivors who have come forward and any others who may come forward. We encourage any other survivors to contact Tacoma Police Detective Jeremy Gee or FBC."
For those who have been victims of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Pierce & Kitsap County Sexual Assault Center and the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) for more resources.
KIRO 7 has reached out to Stabbert’s attorney and is waiting to hear back.