Nolan Wolfe: Pastor, advocate indicted on 9 sexual abuse charges
Smyth County Commonwealth's Attorney Phillip "Bucky" Blevins walks into Antioch Greater Love Ministries as a search warrant is being executed.
Accompanied by a sheriff's deputy, Nolan Wolfe came out of the church briefly as it was being searched.
In 2023, Nolan Wolfe reflected on the warming center and the community's assistance.
One of Smyth County’s most prominent pastors, who in recent years has advocated for the homeless and turned the church he ministered into a warming center, now faces nine sexual abuse related charges and is being held without bond in the Abingdon Regional Jail.
On Wednesday, 50-year-old Robert Nolan Wolfe turned himself in after a special grand jury indicted him the previous Friday with two counts of forcible sodomy, two counts of abduction of a minor, two counts of carnal knowledge of a child between 13 and 15 years of age, and three counts of taking indecent liberties with a child.
The special grand jury also noted that Wolfe had previously served as a substitute teacher.
Wolfe was aware that he was under investigation. On Dec. 19, authorities executed search warrants at Antioch Greater Love Ministries on Maple Street and Wolfe’s home.
At one point, while the church-warming center was searched, Wolfe came outside with a sheriff’s deputy. A couple individuals who had apparently been in the church were outside along the street. Wolfe yelled to them: “I'm OK, Mama. I'm OK.”
The findings of those search warrants are currently sealed as the investigation continues.
The Special Grand Jury that indicted Wolfe was established to address issues relating to an encampment of homeless individuals near the Riverwalk in Marion. As that encampment was resolved through other avenues, the Special Grand Jury’s investigation led to the indictments issued Jan. 9.
Court documents say the charges relate to incidents in 2007 and 2008.
The special grand jury was first convened on Oct. 15, 2025, and met again in November and December 2025 and concluded on Jan. 9.
The special grand jury also unanimously agreed to issue a public report about its work, saying, it “is both appropriate and necessary in the light of the gravity of the matter investigated.”
That report said, “…The Special Grand Jury heard extensive sworn testimony from over thirty individuals and reviewed documents obtained pursuant to a subpoena duces tecum [court order to produce documents]. Witnesses from all walks of life testified..., some of whom were members of the homeless community and residents of different states.”
“…The testimony and evidence presented revealed a deeply troubling pattern of conduct involving Mr. Robert Nolan Wolfe….”
The report continued, “The evidence established that individuals experiencing homelessness and residents of the ‘Warming Center’ were solicited for unwanted sexual conduct by Mr. Wolfe. More alarmingly, a deeper investigation into Mr. Wolfe’s prior conduct, dating at most 19 years prior, revealed that Mr. Wolfe leveraged his position of trust and authority as a Smyth County substitute school teacher to identify, groom, and ultimately sexually abuse multiple minor boys. This conduct was not isolated or accidental, rather, it reflected a deliberate and predatory misuse of institutional access and community trust.”
The report concluded, “The victims identified in the returned true bills represent only those offenses for which sufficient evidence was presented to establish probable cause, and their testimony was compelling, consistent, and profoundly disturbing.”
Indictments do not mean that a person is guilty of the charges, but that the grand jury found sufficient evidence to take the matter to trial.
The Smyth County Sheriff’s Office and Marion Police Department, whose personnel are investigating the case, are asking anyone who may have knowledge or information about Wolfe’s alleged conduct to contact law enforcement at 276-783-7204.
Wolfe has long been in the community spotlight, volunteering to take part in community events such as a Spirit of ’45 ceremony honoring World War II veterans and Black History Month and Juneteenth events.
Smyth County is 95.5% white and 2.3% Black, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. When racial issues developed, Wolfe was often sought as a voice for the Black community.
In June 2020, following the murder of George Floyd by a police officer, Wolfe joined a panel with then Marion Police Chief John Clair to openly discuss the struggles Black individuals had with law enforcement.
Just four years earlier, his Marion church hosted a prayer ceremony for law enforcement and invited local deputies and officers.
Wolfe, who has served multiple churches, including one in Wytheville and another in Charlotte, North Carolina, over nearly three decades, once said the clergy have a duty to the entire community, not just their flock, and possess “an obligation to speak out, to be proactive, not reactive.”
In November 2023, Wolfe transformed Antioch Greater Love Ministries into a warming center for unhoused individuals. The church’s sanctuary became a space where meals could be served and individuals could sleep. Wolfe regularly said he stayed at the center throughout the night.
The church-center solicited help from other churches, organizations, and businesses to help feed and meet the needs of unhoused people.
Wolfe persisted with operating the center despite complaints from residential neighbors that live near the church.
Last April, he spoke to the Marion Town Council about the enormity of the unhoused population. During the cold weather months when the warming center is open, Wolfe said he was there nearly 24 hours a day. He also emphasized the humanity of the unhoused, saying, “I call them by Kim, David, Tiger…. I know their stories and where they’re from.”
