Church family,
Over the past few days, some of you have become aware of a social media post regarding one of our staff members, Kiave Glover.
The post references a domestic dispute in Kiave's previous marriage. It goes on to suggest that Preston Trail knowingly overlooked serious concerns and were dismissive toward a church member who questioned our decision to hire him. That portrayal is incomplete and, in several important respects, inaccurate.
On Saturday, our staff wrote to our Student Ministry families because we wanted parents to hear from us directly. We encourage you to read that email linked here, as it provides important background regarding our knowledge of Kiave's past and the careful process and discernment that preceded his hiring.
Today, rather than asking you to simply trust our perspective, we believe it is right for you to hear directly from the person whose voice has been noticeably absent from the public conversation - Kiave's former wife.
"At the end of our marriage, my former husband and I experienced a deeply emotional conflict. During that incident law enforcement became involved. While I never wanted to pursue charges and requested only that he leave the home, the decision to make an arrest was ultimately out of my hands.
I do not minimize what happened, nor do I wish to rewrite that part of our story. It was a painful season for both of us, and I believe it is important to be honest about that. However, Kiave Glover was never an abusive partner, and I want that to be known.
I believe people should not be defined solely by the worst moment of their lives. Over the past four years, I have witnessed significant personal growth in Kiave, and we have developed a healthy, respectful co-parenting relationship built on communication and mutual respect for the well-being of our children.
As someone who values both truth and grace, I believe in accountability, but I also believe in redemption. I believe people are capable of learning from their mistakes, growing, and becoming different than they once were. My experience over the past several years has given me reason to believe that this difficult chapter does not define who he is today."
A Statement from Kiave's Former Wife
Written Saturday, July 25, 2026
We are deeply grateful to Kiave's ex-wife for her willingness to speak so personally. She wrote us this letter not to defend Preston Trail, nor to revisit one of the hardest seasons of her life, but to make the truth known and to protect her family from an incomplete public narrative.
Long before Kiave joined our staff, he spent nearly two years being known, discipled, and observed by trusted leaders in our church. As we came to know both his story and his character, he voluntarily disclosed his arrest. We did not dismiss it or minimize it. Instead, we asked difficult questions, sought counsel, spent considerable time understanding the circumstances, and carefully discerned whether he demonstrated the character and spiritual maturity required for ministry.
We eventually concluded that Kiave possessed the maturity, gifts, and character to serve on our church staff. Our confidence has never rested on the idea that Kiave is perfect. It rests on observing a life marked by humility, repentance, integrity, and accountability. Today, we have complete confidence in his character and his ability to faithfully serve at Preston Trail.
Statements circulating online have suggested that when concerns about his past were raised, church leadership simply told people to "trust us" and refused further conversation "for the sake of unity."
That is not an accurate representation of what occurred.
Over the course of two months, on four separate occasions, members of our Next Gen leadership team, our Executive team, and one of our Elders spoke with the concerned family. We made every effort to listen carefully, answer questions, explain our process, and share what could be appropriately shared. Because this situation involved deeply personal experiences that belonged to others - not to the church - we were neither free nor willing to disclose every detail requested.
Eventually, it became clear that we had reached a point where additional meetings were no longer helping us better understand one another. We had answered every question we were able to answer and carefully considered every concern that had been raised. While we respected that the family remained unconvinced, our responsibility was not to continually revisit a decision we believed had been made faithfully before God. Our confidence in that decision remains unchanged.
Suggestions that Preston Trail's leaders acted carelessly, concealed information, or dismissed sincere concerns simply do not reflect what occurred.
This situation also raises a broader question about leadership and transparency within the church.
Biblical transparency means being willing to answer difficult questions, explain our process, acknowledge mistakes when they occur, and remain accountable for our decisions. Biblical confidentiality means protecting information entrusted to our care - even when that limits what we can say publicly. Healthy leadership requires both. We welcome sincere questions from people with a genuine desire to understand. And there are moments when wisdom requires us to say, "We have shared all that we are able to share," while continuing to honor the dignity and privacy of those involved.
We also want to encourage our church family to exercise discernment when engaging with social media.
The post that prompted these conversations was published without anyone from Preston Trail being contacted for comment or context. More significantly, Kiave's ex-wife was never contacted before deeply personal claims involving her life and family were presented publicly. Those omissions matter because context matters. When only selected pieces of a story are presented, even facts can create a misleading narrative.
As followers of Jesus, we should care just as much about what is omitted as we do about what is included, because truth is not merely the absence of falsehood - it is the faithful presentation of the whole story. In an age where stories spread quickly, may we be people who are slow to assume, slow to react, and eager to seek truth before reaching conclusions. Discernment is not only about recognizing what is true; it is also about knowing when our words will bring light and when they will simply add to the noise. As followers of Jesus, we want to be people who speak with wisdom, grace, and restraint.
Finally, we've also included a personal statement from Kiave. It is one thing to read a social media post written about someone. It is another to hear directly from them. We encourage you to read his words. We believe you'll encounter a man shaped by humility, accountability, repentance, and God's redeeming grace. His testimony points to the redeeming work of Jesus, and we are grateful that God is using his story, his leadership, and his heart for students to help the next generation discover that same hope and transforming grace of Christ.
The social media post claims church leadership said that "any objective observer would agree" with our hiring decision. Standing alone, that statement can sound dismissive. But now that you have heard directly from the person most affected and have the context that was omitted from the public narrative, we do believe that an objective observer would conclude that our leadership exercised the careful, prayerful discernment hiring a staff member deserved.
Thank you for continuing to pray for Kiave, his ex-wife and their families, for our students, our leaders, and our entire church family.
For nearly 25 years, we, our elders, and senior leadership team have sought to lead Preston Trail with prayerful discernment, biblical conviction, and integrity. We know trust is never demanded; it is earned over time. Thank you for the trust you have placed in us. We remain committed to earning that trust every day by pursuing truth, protecting people, and faithfully shepherding this church.
Senior Pastors,
Paul Basden & Jim Johnson