Investigation Continues of Area UMC Minister with Epstein Ties
Methodist officials continue to review the circumstances that led to the suspension of a minister with a past association with Jeffrey Epstein. Rev. Stephanie Remington remains suspended as denomination leadership reviews both her work for the convicted sex offender and what leaders say was her failure to disclose that role in denominational reports.
“In accordance with ¶363.7 of The Book of Discipline, the individual has been placed on suspension while the episcopal office reviews the matter,” officials said.
Remington was suspended from all clergy responsibilities for 90 days in mid-March while the denomination’s supervisory response process moves forward. The Missouri Conference and United Methodist News reported Bishop Robert Farr made the suspension.
Local connections
Remington has ties to two Kansas City area churches, including First United Methodist Church in North Kansas City and The Summit Methodist Church in Lee’s Summit. The Summit congregation voted to disassociate itself from the United Methodist Church in 2023 over the denomination’s move toward the ordination of LGBT ministers and same-sex weddings.
Previously, she worked for Epstein as an administrative assistant from August to December 2018 and then as property manager of his private island, Little Saint James, from January to May 2019. Epstein was arrested two months later, in July 2019, on federal sex trafficking charges.
Little James is at the center of child sex-trafficking and other illegal operations.
“Clergy serving in extension ministry operate outside a local church appointment and report their ministry setting through annual paperwork submitted to the Conference,” the UMC statement read. “No information indicating this association was disclosed in any of those reports. The Bishop or district superintendent were not contacted about the individual’s interest in or acceptance of the Epstein-related position.”
Minister not accused of anty Epstein-related crimes
Remington is not accused of a crime. Hundreds of people are thought to have been connected to Epstein’s businesses and charities, unaware of the illegal activities he or others were involved in. That has been a sticking point of the full release of the Epstein files because the documents likely wrongly implicate innocent individuals only by association. Remington told United Methodist News that she never witnessed Epstein or anyone else abusing anyone on the island.
“I never saw anything,” she said. “I knew him for the last nine months of his life, well after he served time for the things that he was accused of doing.”
Church leaders say the matter goes beyond her past employment as a minister itself and includes questions about how that work was reported to the conference.
In a statement, the Missouri Conference said Remington had represented in annual paperwork that she was performing extension ministry through the Lewis Center for Church Leadership at Wesley Theological Seminary during those years and as recently as 2025, when the Epstein crimes were the center of daily news reports. The conference said Wesley confirmed she had served only as a part-time contractor in 2017 and 2018 and had not been employed by the seminary since then.
“The Missouri Conference had no knowledge of the individual’s association with Mr. Epstein,” the conference said. “No information indicating this association was disclosed in any of those reports. The bishop or district superintendent were not contacted about the individual’s interest in or acceptance of the Epstein-related position.”
Elizabeth Glass Turner, a licensed local UMC pastor and researcher, found Remington’s name appearing in the more than 1,800 records in the Epstein files released by the U.S. Department of Justice. United Methodist News reported that many of those records involve day-to-day operations, including travel arrangements for guests and facilities matters on the island.
“I thought I’d just ‘check a few quick things’ when the Epstein library, containing part of the files, was released publicly,” Turner told WDAF in Kansas City. “I quickly realized just how broad the scope of material is.”
The Missouri Conference said the suspension of the minister was made on the recommendation of the executive committee of the Missouri Conference Board of Ordained Ministry and in accordance with the denomination’s Book of Discipline. The conference said it would not comment further while the review is underway.
“Clergy are called to uphold the highest standards of spiritual and moral leadership,” the conference said. “Concerns of this nature are taken seriously and require careful review. We recognize the deep harm connected to Mr. Epstein’s crimes and remain in prayer for survivors who deserve healing and justice.”
–Dwight Widaman
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