A prominent Louisiana church is reeling after leaders revealed that the wife of its lead pastor engaged in not one, but two inappropriate relationships-one with a married male staff pastor and another with a female church member.
Cultivation Church, a multi-campus Assemblies of God congregation, stunned worshippers during Sunday's service by announcing that Christina Donley, wife of Lead Pastor Matt Donley, had confessed to a two-year adulterous relationship with Chris Audibert, a married member of the church staff. Church elders said both admitted the affair to their spouses on July 14 before being immediately removed from every leadership role.
The revelation has shaken the congregation, particularly because both families had served together in ministry for years. Audibert most recently oversaw the church's Greenhouse Churches and Serve Team ministry alongside his wife, Mara.
Church elders have placed both Matt Donley and Mara Audibert on three months of paid leave, stressing that the time away is intended to allow them to care for their families and seek healing rather than serve as disciplinary action.
"We understand that many of you may be experiencing grief, anger, disappointment, confusion, betrayal, and concern," the elders acknowledged in a lengthy statement. "Trust has been broken."
The scandal deepened further when church leaders disclosed that Christina Donley had also been involved in an earlier inappropriate intimate relationship with an adult female member of the church in 2022. Current elders said they only recently learned of that relationship, despite assurances that it had already been addressed through counseling, accountability, and restoration.
According to church leaders, concerns about the earlier incident resurfaced in April when members sought clarification about how it had been handled. Pastor Matt Donley reportedly told elders that he and his wife had worked through the matter with outside counselors and believed it was firmly in the past.
The latest confession, however, has prompted difficult questions about accountability, transparency, and leadership within the congregation.
Elders said the allegations of the affair with Audibert first came from someone outside the church. Both Christina Donley and Chris Audibert initially denied the accusations before eventually confessing to their spouses as the investigation intensified.
Despite the heartbreaking developments, church leaders urged members to remember that their faith ultimately rests in Christ rather than any individual leader.
"The church belongs to Jesus Christ," the elders wrote, pledging to determine the future direction of the church while pursuing healing, accountability, and restoration for everyone involved.
The announcement marks one of the most significant leadership crises in Cultivation Church's history and comes amid continued conversations across American churches about pastoral accountability, transparency, and biblical restoration following moral failure.
