Pastor caught in prostitution sting resigns

CEDAR RAPIDS - Church members who saw the Rev. Jonathan L. Offt's mug shot in the news last week said they had never seen him without a smile.

Offt, 41, of Cedar Rapids, was the first person arrested in a prostitution sting conducted Oct. 15 by the Marion Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. According to police, Offt was one of nine men who responded to an online advertisement and later offered money to an undercover female officer posing as a prostitute.

Offt, who had been the senior pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church since 2003, was not in church the day after his arrest. After the news broke Monday, members were told Offt had resigned for personal reasons.

Jeanette Kellerman, a member at Trinity Lutheran for more than 40 years, said Offt was a joyful and compassionate person during his time leading the church. She said he would join in with the choir if it was short a tenor, and recently arranged donations of food to a family in the neighborhood.

“He was so well-liked,” Kellerman said. “He helped a lot of people.”

Member Carol Kiesling wrote in an e-mail to SourceMedia Group that several members want Offt to return to the church.

“If he was delivering a sermon, comforting someone in grief, baptizing a baby or any one of the hundreds of things he did in his daily life, you could tell by the light in his eyes that he was where he belonged,” Kiesling wrote.

Police described Offt as surprised, and then sullen when he learned he had been caught in the sting. They said his occupation came up during standard questioning as part of the arrest process.

“He didn't try to hide it,” Sgt. Lance Miller said. “Certainly, he wasn't proud of it. None of them were.”

Attempts to reach Offt for comment have been unsuccessful.

Kellerman said a prayer service was held Wednesday evening for Offt and his family. Offt is married and a father of three girls. She said the church was full.

“It's very shocking,” Kellerman said. “The whole church and even people outside of the church are very distraught.”

All nine men caught in the sting face one count of prostitution, an aggravated misdemeanor.