Editor's Note:
This story was updated Friday at 10 a.m. to reflect a statement received from the Ohio Attorney General's Office after publication. It was updated Friday at 2:35 p.m. to reflect an additional quote and information provided by the agency.
NEW ALBANY — The Ohio Attorney General’s Office recently refused to investigate alleged sex crimes involving a megachurch, but did examine its finances five years ago.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s charitable law section probed Faith Life Church’s finances after a May 2020 complaint filed by a former member and employee of the church.
The probe did not lead to charges, documents obtained by Knox Pages show, but the office reserved the right to “resume or open a new investigation if additional information or developments” arise.
Faith Life Church is under investigation by the Licking County Sheriff’s Office for alleged sex crimes involving multiple victims dating back up to 22 years.
The church and its more than 3,000 members are led by co-pastors Gary Keesee, and his wife, Drenda Keesee, who recently took office as a Knox County commissioner.
Faith Life Church, through its attorney — Katie Taber — said it “appreciates the thorough review conducted by the Attorney General’s Office and took its recommendations seriously.”
“The church evaluated each recommendation and implemented changes where needed to further strengthen its policies and procedures,” Taber wrote in a prepared statement in response to a list of questions from Knox Pages.
Yost, a 2026 gubernatorial candidate, recused the agency he oversees from investigating alleged sex crimes involving the same church six weeks ago. He cited a friendship with Gary and Drenda Keesee, co-pastors of the church, for his reason.
Yost’s office has declined to comment further on his relationship with the Keesees.
When asked why the Attorney General’s office would investigate finances of Faith Life Church, but not allegations of sexual abuse, an office spokesman on Friday said, “The AG did not know the individuals in 2022.”
“The AG did not know the individuals until last year, so there was no potential for a conflict during the review by the charitable law section,” said Steve Irwin, the office’s press secretary.
Yost has been the state attorney general since 2019.
The publication asked if there were any additional complaints filed since April 2022 and if the church is currently under investigation by any sections of the AG’s office.
Irwin said he “cannot confirm the existence of, or potential for, an investigation by the Charitable Law Section.” He said investigations done by that section of the AG’s office are confidential under state law.
The agency said there is no record of any such additional complaints.
Knox Pages also asked why charges were not filed following the AG’s investigation into the church’s finances. As of Friday afternoon, Irwin did not address the question.
‘Fertile soil … for mistrust’
The New Albany-based church was encouraged to make changes to address the “persistent problem” of a lack of transparency and “the Keesees’ total control over the governance and finances of the church,” according to an April 2022 letter written by William Sieck, the principal assistant attorney general in the AG office’s charitable law section.
Sieck brought up several “matters of concern” in his letter to the church before making recommendations for improvement.
Sieck said “the total control of any charitable organization by a small, related and static group of individuals is a red flag from a governance perspective.”
He said the church’s bylaws give the Keesees “functional life-estate interests in the church without any input from or oversight by independent directors or congregation members.”
The bylaws also give Gary Keesee “near total control over board composition and an insurmountable veto over all board decisions (not just decisions on ecclesiastical matters).”
Additionally, the bylaws give Drenda Keesee “an automatic right to succeed her husband if he passes — plus an assurance of two years’ ‘widow compensation’ in the amount of Pastor Gary Keesee’s last annual income, which has recently been raised to several hundred thousand dollars per year.”
Sieck noted that “widow compensation” would be above and beyond the existing compensation for serving as a successor pastor.
“And, their daughter is both treasurer and secretary,” Sieck wrote. He did not specify which daughter.
Sieck noted Faith Life Church congregants, or members, have “few if any rights under the bylaws, and indeed may not even know the terms of the bylaws.”
Members also don’t receive regular reports on the church’s finances, Sieck noted.
While the “matters of concern” Sieck wrote about aren’t illegal, “they are unusual and concerning.”
“Undisclosed control is fertile soil, at a minimum, for mistrust. Indeed, the complaint giving rise to this investigation arose, in part, from such a lack of transparency and accountability,” he wrote.
Sieck quoted scripture in his admonition for the church to do better in terms of transparency and accountability.
“‘And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest their deeds should be exposed,’” Sieck wrote, quoting 2 John 3:19-20 from the Bible.
Measures taken by the church
Sieck acknowledged the church’s effort to improve accountability. Those measures, however, came after the AG’s office began its investigation, Sieck noted. The measures included:
- enhancement of disclosures regarding unrestricted use of donations
- the engagement of Guinn, Smith & Company CPA to review financial records and reports
- the church will continue to use Guinn, Smith & Company to perform annual audits of the church’s finances
- Pastor Ron Farber, who oversaw the financial office, left the office
- employed a new controller “with significant experience”
Sieck said those were “all positive steps.”
But, he noted, the church did not go far enough to address “the lack of member transparency and the Keesees’ total control over the governance and finances of the church.”
Simply put, the church is not a closely-held business; it is a nonprofit corporation that has no pecuniary owners.
William sieck
He pointed to an action, at the time, that suggested those issues were “persistent problems.”
At the time, Pastor Gary Keesee had indicated that the new controller hired would work closely with CPA Tammy Guelfo of Atlanta, Ga.-based HLB Gross Collins.
But Guelfo, Sieck said, is not licensed in Ohio. She lives and works in Georgia, which is Drenda Keesee’s native state.
Guelfo focuses “mainly on business and tax consulting for closely-held businesses and their owners in areas such as cash flow management, budgeting, accounting systems, tax minimization and multi-state taxation,” according to the firm’s website.
“Simply put, the church is not a closely-held business; it is a nonprofit corporation that has no pecuniary owners,” Sieck wrote of Faith Life Church.
Sieck made five recommendations to the church:
- Make annual financial reports and copies of its bylaws, meeting minutes and other governing documents available to all members upon request.
- Become certified by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. (The Virginia-based organization offers “Christ-centered” institutions an accreditation process.)
- Engage an Ohio-based CPA with expertise in nonprofit accounting.
- Hold at least one meeting a year that is open to all congregation members “to discuss church finances and governance.”
- Amend the bylaws to provide for “two additional board members” that would be elected annually and serve as representatives of the entire congregation.
When asked if the church had heeded Sieck’s recommendations, the church’s attorney sent a statement via email that did not address specific questions asked by Knox Pages.
“Faith Life Church is led by an independent Board of Directors composed of a well-rounded group of professionals who bring both expertise in their respective fields and a strong faith-based understanding of scripture and the Kingdom principles taught and practiced by the church,” the statement reads.
The statement also indicated the church “engages an independent accounting firm and conducts annual audits, a practice the church has upheld for many years, to ensure that the church is operating at the highest level of financial integrity.
“Faith Life Church remains committed to ongoing improvement and best practices. Faith Life Church takes stewardship seriously and will continue working diligently to manage its resources with wisdom and integrity,” reads the statement.
It is unclear if the church makes its financial reports, copies of bylaws, meeting minutes and other governing documents available to all members upon request.
It is also unclear if the church is utilizing an Ohio-based CPA with expertise in nonprofit accounting and if the church holds an annual meeting to discuss church finances and governance.
As of March 13, Faith Life Church was not listed as an accredited member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, according to that organization’s website.