Pastor Crucified—Killer Planned to Murder 14 Christian Leaders in Shocking Jailhouse Confession

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On April 28, 2025, Pastor Bill Schonemann of New River Bible Chapel was murdered in his home just north of Phoenix, Arizona. This wasn’t just a tragic act of violence; it was the opening salvo in a planned campaign of terror targeting Christian leaders across the United States.

The killer, Adam Sheafe, now sits in jail, and he’s confessed everything on camera. What he described should send a chill down the spine of every pastor and church leader in America.

The Killer’s Plan: "Operation First Commandment"

Sheafe, 51, called it Operation First Commandment. His goal was to kill 14 Christian leaders across 10 states. That list wasn’t limited to one denomination. He intended to target evangelicals, Catholics, and members of the LDS church—anyone, he said, who preached that Jesus is God.

After killing Pastor Bill, Sheafe reportedly crucified the pastor’s body and fashioned a crown of thorns to place on his head, symbolically mocking the crucifixion of Christ. According to his jailhouse confession, Sheafe was moments away from abducting a Catholic priest in Sedona when he was intercepted by police. His plan was to force the priest at gunpoint to drive home, where he would be killed.

Sheafe claimed he felt no remorse. He said he wasn’t mentally ill. He made clear that he believes Christian pastors are leading people astray by teaching Trinitarian theology, and in his delusion, he was acting to defend God’s name.

This Was an Anti-Christian Terror Plot

This was not an isolated murder. This was an ideologically driven terror plot against pastors, rooted in heretical theology and executed with cold calculation. He even said he planned to "start in Phoenix and end in Phoenix," leaving a trail of dead clergy in between.

These kinds of attackers—motivated by radical beliefs, operating alone, and showing no signs of remorse—are the hardest to stop. That’s why pastors need to stop assuming it can’t happen to them.

Practical Steps Pastors Must Take Now

The risk may be small, but it is no longer theoretical. Here are key steps pastors should take to protect themselves, their families, and their ministries.

1. Situational Awareness Must Become a Lifestyle

• Know your surroundings. Scan every room, every parking lot, every entry point.

• Walk with purpose. Look confident. Avoid staring at your phone in public spaces.

• When driving, vary your routes to and from church. Don’t keep a predictable schedule.

• Sit facing the entrance at restaurants or meetings.

• Learn to "scan, assess, respond" in daily life—look for anomalies and make decisions.

2. Reinforce Your Home

• Install high-quality deadbolts, strike plates, and door braces.

• Use motion-activated cameras and lighting around all entrances.

• Set up perimeter alerts that notify your phone of movement or Wi-Fi disruptions.

• Keep your landscaping trimmed to eliminate hiding spots.

• Make forced entry time-consuming—it buys you precious minutes to react.

3. Control Your Personal Information

• Scrub your home address from your ministry website, social media, and online databases.

• Use a PO Box for church correspondence.

• Pay for a service like Magen or DeleteMe to remove your data from data brokers.

• Don’t livestream from your home or post videos that reveal identifying details.

4. Train Like Your Life Depends on It

• Take defensive firearms training if you’re open to it.

• Practice drawing, moving, and shooting under stress.

• Learn de-escalation, but understand that not all attackers can be reasoned with.

• Train your family too. Use code words and hand signals. Establish rally points.

• Consider martial arts like Krav Maga for hand-to-hand self-defense.

5. Work With Law Enforcement

• Introduce yourself to local police and let them know you’re a public-facing pastor.

• Ask them to conduct drive-bys or home security checks if you’ve received threats.

• Host a safety briefing at your church and invite law enforcement to participate.

6. Partner With Your Church Security Team

• Let them train you on personal awareness.

• Walk through your home security plan together.

• If you don’t have a team, start building one now.

A Stronger Biblical Foundation for Vigilance

Pastors aren’t called to walk in ignorance. They are called to walk in wisdom, and that includes recognizing evil and preparing for it. Faith isn’t opposed to vigilance. In fact, true biblical faith sharpens our awareness, deepens our courage, and leads us to action.

2 Timothy 4:14–15

"Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message." Application: Paul names a personal threat and warns others. This is a biblical example of issuing a threat bulletin. Pastors today must do the same when faced with danger.

1 Samuel 17:37

"The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine." Application: David trusted God and took action. He prepared. He trained. He fought. Pastors must likewise be prepared to defend their flocks.

Proverbs 24:11–12

"Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter... does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?" Application: Knowing of danger and doing nothing is condemned. Pastors have a duty to intervene and protect others—and that includes planning for their own safety.

Nehemiah 4:9

"But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat." Application: Prayer and security go hand-in-hand. Nehemiah didn’t rely solely on spiritual protection. He took practical action, and so must we.

Matthew 24:43

"But understand this: if the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and not let his house be broken into." Application: Jesus Himself commends vigilance. A good shepherd watches and prepares.

Final Word

We need to pray for Pastor Bill’s family, his church, and yes, even for his killer. But we also need to wake up to the reality that Christian leaders are now in the crosshairs. The world is becoming more hostile toward the gospel. The threats are real. The enemy is active.

But we don’t need to bunker down. We need to be wise. We need to prepare. And we need to keep preaching boldly—while being ready to defend ourselves and those we lead.

Let evil come. Let it try. We will be watching. We will be ready. And God will be with us.

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