An Adams County jury convicted a Thornton youth pastor of child sex assault on Friday, according to the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
Josh Lucero, 29, was arrested in March 2025 after Thornton police said he assaulted “at least one child” while he was the youth pastor at World Alive Church, where he oversaw teenagers between 13 and 18.
According to a civil lawsuit filed in Adams County District Court, Lucero is the son of Word Alive’s lead pastors and started grooming the victim when she was 15 years old and he was in his 20s.
Lucero began assaulting her in 2018 and continued until 2021, all while he was a youth pastor, the lawsuit states. Attorneys for Word Alive denied the allegations in court filings, and the case was put on hold until the outcome of Lucero’s criminal trial.
Lucero’s attorney in the criminal case, Chloe Gleichman with the Colorado Legal Defense Group, said in a statement Tuesday she is disappointed by the outcome of the trial.
“While Mr. Lucero accepts the jury’s verdict, he intends to pursue all avenues on appeal,” Gleichman said.
Word Alive officials did not respond to an email seeking comment about Lucero’s verdict.
The district attorney’s office declined to comment on the outcome of the case because Lucero has yet to be sentenced.
His sentencing hearing is set for Sept. 11.
