MUSTANG, Okla. — A woman has come forward with serious allegations of sexual abuse against Mustang Mayor Brian Grider, claiming the abuse occurred while he was serving as a youth pastor at a Southern Baptist church in the early 2000s.
Tara, who attended Chisholm Heights Baptist Church in Mustang from 1995 to 2008, says Grider groomed and molested her when she was a minor. At the time of the alleged abuse, Grider was 21 years old and working as an associate youth pastor. Tara was just 15.
According to Tara, Grider initiated secret communication by giving her a hidden cell phone to avoid detection by her parents. Over time, she says, the conversations became increasingly inappropriate, even occurring during church services. Tara described being watched and texted by Grider while sitting in the congregation.
By the time she was 16, Tara alleges Grider began giving her pornographic material and sex toys, including vibrators wrapped in gift bags. At 17, she recalls a night when she drank alcohol for the first time at Grider’s apartment. She became ill and alleges she awoke to find Grider molesting her with a vibrator. She says she asked him to stop, and he did — but the incident left her feeling deeply violated and confused, especially given Grider’s public preaching about sexual purity.
Ashamed and traumatized, Tara did not disclose the abuse for many years. It wasn’t until 2020 — amid a broader reckoning over abuse within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) — that she confided in family and friends. She later reported the abuse through a hotline established by Guidepost Solutions, a firm hired by the SBC to handle sex abuse allegations.
Despite Tara’s report in 2022, it took the SBC’s Credentials Committee two years to formally notify the churches where Grider had worked — Chisholm Heights Baptist Church and Together We Church (formerly Trinity Church). No investigation was launched by the SBC itself, as local churches within the denomination are autonomous and not subject to centralized governance.
In a statement, SBC Vice President of Communications Brandon Porter said:
“The Southern Baptist Convention takes sexual abuse seriously. We are deeply grieved by all instances of sexual abuse and recommend Southern Baptist churches take appropriate steps to care for survivors.” The SBC also urged all parties to contact local authorities but did not address why it took two years to inform the churches.
In October 2024, Together We Church disclosed to its congregation that Grider had admitted to the misconduct. He was immediately terminated. Executive Pastor Jonathan Hinkle issued a statement expressing grief over the allegations and affirming the church’s commitment to standing against abuse.
Grider has not worked at Chisholm Heights Baptist Church in approximately 15 years. As of now, he has not been criminally charged, and it is unclear whether local law enforcement has opened an investigation.
The case raises renewed questions about the Southern Baptist Convention’s handling of abuse reports, transparency, and accountability, especially in light of the 2022 Guidepost Solutions report that documented widespread mishandling of sexual misconduct allegations across the denomination.
Tara says she came forward not just for personal healing, but to prevent others from being harmed.
“I knew that I was supposed to let the church community know,” she said.
