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Former Lubbock youth pastor sentenced to 40 years for child sexual assault
LLubbock

Former Lubbock youth pastor sentenced to 40 years for child sexual assault

  • March 30, 2026

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Former Lubbock youth pastor Luke Cunningham pleaded guilty Monday morning to two counts of sexual assault child bigamy.

Cunningham was sentenced to 40 years on each count by Judge Douglas Freitage in the 140th District Court. Cunningham has 650 days of jail credit.

All other charges against Cunningham were dismissed.

Judge Freitag ordered a lifetime protective order for the victims.

“As a pastor you were supposed to point people to God, but instead you tried to play God yourself,” one victim said during impact statements made to the court.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: State argues former Lubbock youth pastor is ‘violent offender’

Cunningham served as the student pastor at Turning Point Community Church in Lubbock from 2016 to 2020 then left for a church in Granbury, Texas.

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