MinistryWatch: Consolidated Abuse Lawsuit Against Harvest Christian Fellowship and Greg Laurie Contains New Allegations
By Kim Roberts - Posted at MinistryWatch:
Published March 11, 2026
Lawsuit alleges Harvest Christian Fellowship covered up ongoing abuse at Harvest Homes in Romania.
Twenty-two plaintiffs who claim they were abused at Christian children’s homes in Romania have consolidated their lawsuits into one against California megachurch Harvest Christian Fellowship, its pastor Greg Laurie, former missions pastor Richard Schutte, and the alleged abuser Paul Havsgaard.According to the federal lawsuit filed last week (March 6) in California, the abuse took place between 1998 and 2008 when Havsgaard was the manager of Harvest Homes in Romania. The homes were funded and operated by Harvest Christian Fellowship, the lawsuit alleges.
Harvest is a megachurch in Riverside, California, started as Calvary Chapel in 1976 and renamed in 1982. It has about 15,000 in attendance each Sunday. Laurie is also known for his Harvest Crusades, claiming that over 11 million people have attended and over 1 million people have made decisions to follow Christ.
Havsgaard first visited Romania in 1998 with Samaritan’s Purse to distribute shoeboxes of gifts to needy children in Bucharest, the lawsuit states. After that visit, Havsgaard then suggested that Harvest establish a permanent mission in Romania.
Later in 1998, Havsgaard returned to Bucharest to begin setting up the Harvest Homes, including establishing the Romanian Harvest Foundation to handle the formalities.
It wasn’t long before abuse reports began from residents, volunteers, and local Romanian employees. According to the lawsuit, the first reports of abuse were made in 1999. Mami Tina, the home’s cook, reported suspicions of Havsgaard’s abuse to Schutte early on during a visit to Romania. Upon returning to California, Schutte reported to Laurie’s deputy, John Collins, but nothing was done.
See also:
