Crossroads Church founder Brian Tome is handing over the senior pastor position roughly a month after returning to teaching following a misconduct suspension. But the transition leaves the longtime leader with an ongoing role at the Cincinnati-based church, raising questions about how his new responsibilities will differ from the authority he exercised for three decades.
According to an October 5 report by The Christian Post, Tome announced during his Sunday sermon that lead pastor Kyle Ranson would become senior pastor. Tome will take the title of founding senior pastor and remain involved through camp ministries, his podcast, and speaking engagements.
The handover includes substantive changes in authority. Ranson will assume responsibility for leading the church and take Tome's seat on its board, while Tome described his continuing arrangement as a five-year contract renewable annually.
The announcement follows a suspension imposed in March over a 2015 encounter involving a riding crop in Tome's church office. The proximity between his return to teaching and his departure from the senior pastor position makes the transition particularly consequential, although the supplied report does not establish that the investigation required him to relinquish the role.
A Leadership Handover With A Continuing Role
Tome presented the change as a response to fatigue with the responsibilities he had carried for approximately 30 years. In a September 30 email cited by The Cincinnati Enquirer and reported by The Christian Post, he said he had missed leadership and teaching during his absence, but that the daily demands of his previous position had become tiring.
His explanation distinguished enthusiasm for particular ministry activities from the energy needed to direct the wider organization. That distinction matters at a multicampus church that, according to the report, has approximately 35,000 members across nine locations.
The announced transfer gives Ranson the senior pastor title, executive responsibility, and a board seat. Those details provide a clearer picture of the handover than the title change alone: Tome is surrendering the church's top leadership position while retaining a platform within its ministry.
What remains less clear from the supplied account is how the church will define and supervise that continuing platform. It does not specify the terms governing Tome's teaching, the scope of his future speaking responsibilities, or how his annually renewable contract will be evaluated.
The Incident Behind The Suspension
The misconduct investigation concerned a man who said he noticed a riding crop in Tome's office and asked about it. According to the account reported by The Christian Post, Tome then used the crop to whip and rub the man's crotch.
Crossroads co-founder Brian Wells said church leaders first learned of the incident in 2024, when the man disclosed it to a staff member. Wells also said Tome recused himself from the investigation and directed the staff member to contact the board.
The church's Spiritual Board said the allegation was independently substantiated, including through corroboration from a third-party witness who had not previously been known. Its statement characterized Tome's conduct as inappropriate, even if intended as humor, and said the church was offering support to those affected.
Those findings remain central to understanding the leadership change. Tome's explanation of exhaustion describes his stated reasons for pursuing a different job, while the board's findings explain why his leadership had already been interrupted by suspension.
What Happens Next?
Tome's continuing ministry interests include Man Camp, the men's camping event he helped establish. The report noted that he promoted its October 9-11 gathering shortly before publicly announcing the leadership transition, illustrating that his involvement in Crossroads activities is continuing.
For the congregation, the immediate change is a new senior pastor with the authority and responsibilities previously held by the founder. Ranson's leadership will now shape the church's direction, while Tome's new position will test how clearly Crossroads can define the relationship between its incoming leader and its influential founder.
The supplied report leaves several questions unanswered: What expectations accompany Tome's new contract? Who will review his continuing responsibilities? And how will the church communicate the boundaries of his role to members?
The announced transfer establishes who will lead Crossroads. Greater clarity about Tome's continuing position would help members understand how the church's leadership transition relates to the accountability process that preceded it.
