Jorge Gonzalez Martinez

Introduction

Jorge Gonzalez Martinez is a 49-year-old former pastor of Iglesia Internacional Poder y Gloria (“International Church of Power and Glory”) in Edinburg, Texas, a city in the Rio Grande Valley about 20 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. He was arrested at the church on July 27, 2026, and charged with four felony counts of indecency with a child; a month later he was arraigned on two more counts of child grooming, each a third-degree felony. Edinburg police have said there may be other victims. Martinez has not been tried, and a woman identifying herself as his wife told a television station that he is innocent.

Background Information

Martinez led Iglesia Internacional Poder y Gloria, a congregation in south Texas’s Rio Grande Valley, where photos published with early reports showed him preaching. The Roys Report called the church to verify whether he was still pastoring there and received no immediate response; by September 2026, ChurchLeaders described him as a former pastor. The case began inside the congregation: a police report filed in July 2026 revealed that a child had told someone at the church that Martinez had touched her inappropriately several times, and that her father took the report to authorities after learning of it.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Allegations. The claims in this section are allegations from the Edinburg Police Department and charging documents, which reported substantiating them through the arrests. They were never admitted by Martinez and have not been adjudicated in court; he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

According to an arrest affidavit, one of the girls told a parent on July 19, 2026, that Martinez had touched her multiple times between March and April 2025; he was taken into custody at the church on July 27. The affidavit describes contact that began with hugs and grew more invasive. The girl said the hugs turned into “body-to-body contact,” and “[She] stated the tighter hugs evolved into him giving kisses on her forehead, cheeks, and lips,” the affidavit said. She told investigators that Martinez pulled down her leggings, ordered her to lie on the ground without her pants and close her eyes, and on another occasion placed her hand on his genitals over his clothing. The alleged incidents occurred in the church’s camera room.

Martinez was charged with three counts of indecency with a child (sexual contact) and one count of indecency with a child (exposure); all four charges are felonies. A newly released affidavit later added a second girl’s account: she said she was volunteering as a camera operator during a Monday-night sermon recording when Martinez spoke about his difficult childhood, pressed her for repeated hugs, and made her feel selfish for declining them; she said the hugs involved his hands on her upper thighs and kisses on her face.

The second girl also described an incident in May, when Martinez’s wife left her alone with him at the church while running errands before driving her home. She said Martinez invited her into the camera room to show her the livestream computer, put his arm around her to move the mouse, placed his hands around her neck and his arms around her waist, and said, “Just a little longer,” when she tried to break away from a hug. She said she closed her eyes at his instruction before he kissed her cheeks and forehead, then hid in the bathroom until his wife returned and delayed reporting out of fear. In other instances, Martinez is accused of touching a victim’s chest after lifting her shirt and bra, pulling down another victim’s leggings and underwear as she lay on the ground, and placing a victim’s hand on his crotch.

In August 2026, Martinez was again arrested and arraigned on two additional third-degree felony counts of child grooming under a 2023 Texas law that criminalizes knowingly persuading, enticing, or coercing a child into sexual activity; a grooming charge does not require that sexual abuse has occurred. Edinburg police announced the arraignment on Tuesday, August 25.

Public Reaction and Consequences

Edinburg Police Chief Jaime Ayala publicly encouraged possible additional victims to come forward. “Part of why we wanted to push this out, if there’s potentially any other victims that are out there that have not made an outcry, maybe this helps them have the confidence to bring it forward,” Ayala said. Police said in July they were concerned there might be other victims. A woman identifying herself as Martinez’s wife told KVEO-TV that he is innocent.

The church made no public statement in the period covered by the reports. The Roys Report’s call to the congregation went unanswered, and ChurchLeaders said it had reached out to Iglesia Internacional Poder y Gloria for comment.

The immediate consequences ran through the courts. Bail on the original four charges was initially set at $300,000 and later reduced to $70,000, and Martinez was released after posting bond on the condition that he have no contact with children. After the August re-arrest, bail on the grooming charges was initially set at $100,000 before being reduced to $60,000, and he was again released.

Current Status

As of September 2026, Martinez, 49, faces six felony charges: four counts of indecency with a child and two counts of child grooming involving two children. He is out of custody, having twice posted bond and been released. His next court date had not been scheduled as of late August. A third-degree felony in Texas carries a maximum sentence of 10 years, and a 2025 change in state law requires anyone convicted of child grooming to register as a sex offender. All of the charges remain unproven allegations; Martinez is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The arrests ended Martinez’s pastoral role at Iglesia Internacional Poder y Gloria. Coverage that initially identified him as the church’s pastor described him within two months as a former pastor. He has spent the weeks since July 27, 2026, moving between jail and bond conditions — an initial $300,000 bail reduced to $70,000, release under a no-contact order, a second arrest, a $100,000 bond reduced to $60,000, and a second release.

The allegations against him are now public across secular and Christian media, with affidavit details reported by Rio Grande Valley television stations, The Roys Report, and ChurchLeaders. If convicted, he would face up to 10 years per third-degree felony count and mandatory sex-offender registration. Until a court rules, however, the charges are only accusations, and Martinez remains legally innocent.