Pastor of The Ridge Church resigns after arrest

Trent Holbert charged with multiple child sex offenses

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
June 19, 2021

Trent Holbert, former lead pastor of The Ridge Church in Ridgecrest, resigned after being arrested on charges of statutory sexual offenses and taking indecent liberties with a minor. Photo by Fred McCormick

A pastor of a church in the Ridgecrest community of Black Mountain has resigned after an investigation by the Special Victims Unit of the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Department led to his arrest on charges of multiple child sex crimes. 

Trent Holbert, the former lead pastor of The Ridge Church, was charged with two counts of statutory sexual offense with a person who is 15 years of age or younger; one count of taking indecent liberties with a minor and misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Trent Holbert, former pastor of the Ridge Church, was arrested after the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant, May 18. Photo courtesy of Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office.

A June 16 press release from the sheriff’s office states that Holbert was being held on $300,000 bond at the Buncombe County Detention Facility at the time. He was arrested after the execution of a search warrant at a residence on Tucker Road, May 18. Investigators seized electronic devices in the search, according to the sheriff’s department. 

The Ridge Church released a statement from elder Drew Wheeler in response to an inquiry on Holbert’s status as lead pastor. 

"Trent Holbert has resigned from his position as the head pastor of the Ridge Church. Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of our former head pastor and the families of all of those involved,” Wheeler’s statement said. “The care and protection of children and minors is a biblical and moral mandate that is taken seriously by the Ridge Church. We do not condone such actions as the alleged, and our prayers are with the victims of any such abuse.”

The church would not respond to questions about how the arrest of Holbert will impact future services or the exercise program that was once led by the former pastor and is held in the building. 

The Baptist State Convention of N.C., in a statement released after Holbert made his first appearance in court on June 17, said the organization was “deeply grieved” to learn of the charges. 

“As a pastor, Trent has been a speaker at convention-related events for adults in the recent past. He underwent background and reference checks prior to his participation in those events,” the statement reads. “We are not aware that he had any contact or dealings with minors as part of those events.”

The investigation remains ongoing, according to the sheriff’s department. The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office encourages anyone with knowledge of a sexual crime against a child or adult to contact them at 828-250-6670.