– Advertisement –

Pastor Accused of Stealing Almost $35,000 From Congregation

by | Jan 14, 2019 | Blog, Uncategorized | 0 comments

✪ Read this article ad-free and leave comments here on Substack
Donald Lee Reynolds

GRAND FORKS HERALD — A former pastor faces 10 years in prison after being accused of stealing almost $35,000 from his parish in northeast North Dakota over the past 14 years.

Donald Lee Reynolds, an Edmore resident who was born in 1959, is scheduled to appear at the end of the month in Ramsey County District Court on a Class B felony charge of theft.

A criminal complaint filed in late October alleges he stole $34,668. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Bishop Terry Brandt of the Eastern North Dakota Synod in Fargo confirmed the document refers to funds allegedly stolen from the High Plains Ministry, a congregation of six churches in northeast North Dakota that consolidated in 2004.

Reynolds has been a pastor with the High Plains Ministry since it formed. The ministry that is overseen by Brandt’s synod includes Lutheran churches in Edmore, Nekoma, Adams, Lawton, Fairdale and Doyon. The churches joined as they faced declining attendance.

Join Us and Get These Perks:

✅ No Ads in Articles
✅ Access to Comments and Discussions
✅ Community Chats
✅ Full Article and Podcast Archive
✅ The Joy of Supporting Our Work 😉



A complaint alleges Reynolds submitted false charges to the parish and received reimbursements for fraudulent purchases from 2004 to 2018.

Reynolds resigned as a High Plains Ministry pastor when he was confronted with the allegations on June 21, Brandt said. The former religious leader also is no longer a pastor for the ELCA.

“Had he not resigned, he would have been removed,” Brandt wrote in an email to the Herald.

Reynolds’ attorney, Evan Heustis of Devils Lake, also declined to comment on the case. Several numbers that were listed for Reynolds came back as non-working numbers.

The synod and High Plains Ministry is giving its full cooperation to investigators regarding the case, and the parish is working with insurance agents to minimize its financial loss, Brandt wrote. The ELCA has high standards for its pastors, he added.

Read More >>

Three Ways to Support DISNTR


The Dissenter is primarily supported by its readers. The best way to support us is to subscribe to our members-only Substack site where you will receive all of our content ad-free, plus you will get member-only exclusive content.

Support us with a monthly donation on Patreon

Support us with membership to our ad-free Substack

Make one-time or monthly donation on Donorbox


👕 Or make a purchase from our online store. 👕
Make a Dogecoin Donation

- Advertisement -

Latest

Ancient Aliens and Starseed Children?

Ancient Aliens and Starseed Children?

I indulged myself in a few episodes of Ancient Aliens on YouTube over the weekend—not because I buy into it, but because I find it fascinating to see the great lengths people will go to try to make sense of our existence and the world we live in. Something I found...

Long Time Charismatic Cult Leader, Jimmy Swaggart, Dies at 90

Long Time Charismatic Cult Leader, Jimmy Swaggart, Dies at 90

Jimmy Swaggart, the once-celebrated televangelist whose legacy is as stained by scandal as it is by airwaves, has died at the age of 90. According to multiple reports, Swaggart passed away on July 1, 2025, following complications from cardiac arrest he suffered two...

- Advertisement -

Subscribe

Store

Follow Us

- Advertisement -

- Advertisement -

You Might Also Like…

UCC Priest Turns the Incarnation Into Pro-Abortion Propaganda

UCC Priest Turns the Incarnation Into Pro-Abortion Propaganda

From Caleb Lines’ latest sermon: Mary gets to choose and Mary chooses to carry the Messiah. Mary says, let it be in the story, which means that Mary is afforded a choice that so many people in our society today are no longer afforded. The biblical call is to increased...

Ancient Aliens and Starseed Children?

Ancient Aliens and Starseed Children?

I indulged myself in a few episodes of Ancient Aliens on YouTube over the weekend—not because I buy into it, but because I find it fascinating to see the great lengths people will go to try to make sense of our existence and the world we live in. Something I found...

Long Time Charismatic Cult Leader, Jimmy Swaggart, Dies at 90

Long Time Charismatic Cult Leader, Jimmy Swaggart, Dies at 90

Jimmy Swaggart, the once-celebrated televangelist whose legacy is as stained by scandal as it is by airwaves, has died at the age of 90. According to multiple reports, Swaggart passed away on July 1, 2025, following complications from cardiac arrest he suffered two...

They Don’t Just Love Death—They Feast on It

They Don’t Just Love Death—They Feast on It

There was a time, not all that long ago, when even the most enthusiastic child sacrifice apologists would at least pretend to mourn the “need” for the right to murder their child. “Safe, legal, and rare,” they chanted in their tailored suits and sterilized sound...

- Advertisement -

Want to go ad-free with exclusive content? Subscribe today.
Already a subscriber? Click Here

This will close in 0 seconds

Three Ways to Support DISNTR



The Dissenter is primarily supported by its readers. The best way to support us is to subscribe to our members-only Substack site where you will receive all of our content ad-free, plus you will get member-only exclusive content.

 

Support us with a monthly donation on Patreon

Support us with membership to our ad-free Substack

Make one-time or monthly donation on Donorbox


👕 Or make a purchase from our online store. 👕

This will close in 0 seconds