POWDER SPRINGS, GA – Worship With Wonders Church is responding after being subtly accused of covering up sexual abuse. Pastors DeLana and Myles Rutherford shared a screenshot of an old letter as a defense for their response to the church’s former youth leader, who abused a teen boy in 2023.
Marcus Kendall Turner invited the teen boy to church when the victim was in middle school. The youth leader encouraged the boy to attend a youth group called “Hangout Life Crew.” What began as an innocent outreach effort devolved into Turner spending time alone with the boy and exchanging text messages with the victim over 12,000 times. Sexually explicit content was shared in those message interactions.
Marcus Kendall Turner committed repeated acts of sexual abuse against the teen victim between August 2023 and September 2023. Those crimes were carried out at the perpetrator’s home.
Worship With Wonders Church leadership was reportedly notified of Turner’s sexual abuse in September 2023. Those in authority at the church allegedly failed to immediately contact law enforcement. It was not until the victim’s mother called 911 that a police investigation was launched on September 18, 2023, according to the office of District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway.
“Parents should be able to trust that church leaders will protect children, not victimize them,” said Assistant District Attorney Leyna Pope of the Special Victims Unit in a statement. “That trust has been shattered for this family. The defendant used his position to target and then groom a vulnerable child that culminated in horrific abuse,” she added.
“Silence and inaction only deepen the harm. Protecting children must always come first.”
Pastors DeLana and Myles Rutherford responded to the criticism from the District Attorney’s office by posting a letter from 2023 on Worship With Wonders Church’s Instagram page.
In the letter, the Rutherfords gave an outline of how they handled the accusations.
“Upon being informed, we as pastors, immediately began meeting with all parties involved to get additional facts. Upon completion of those meetings, we then met with our covering pastors and local authorities and sought counsel to determine next steps.”
“Based on all the information we gathered, we as pastors personally made a call to report suspected abuse to local law enforcement authorities.”
Worship With Wonders Church’s leadership stood on their convictions from three years ago when addressing recent scrutiny. “In light of any misinformation being circulated, we refer people back to the statement made [in] October 2023 that we continue to stand by,” the team shared on Instagram.
Marcus Kendall Turner pled guilty to sex crimes involving a teenage child on February 9, 2026. He will serve 25 years in prison and be required to register as a sex offender upon release from incarceration. Turner will also be on probation for life.