A youth pastor at Word Alive Church in Thornton — who is also the son of the church’s lead pastor — has been sentenced to 13 years to life in prison for child sex assault.

Church leadership did not notify police and “handled the matter internally,” according to a Monday news release by the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. That’s despite having been aware of the abuse by Joshua Lucero, 29, for years and the youth pastor having reportedly admitted to the sexual contact early on.

In an email statement sent to The Denver Gazette, Word Alive said the church “does not agree with the factual characterizations that have been made publicly” about the church’s handling of the situation, but declined to comment further, saying those “disputed issues” should be addressed via legal processes.

Lucero, whose role involved overseeing youth activities — including overnight retreats — and mentoring teens, developed a secret relationship with a high school-aged girl that spanned several years, the news release said.

Lucero had “repeated unsupervised access” to the teen through his work and her heavy involvement in church programs, and repeatedly capitalized on that access to set up meetings with her alone in his car, at his parents’ house and in “other locations away from public view,” according to the release.

The victim told police that Lucero — an adult in a position of power — engaged in sexual contact with her for several years beginning when she was 16, and that the youth pastor “pressured and manipulated her and told her not to tell anyone.”

The teen told church leadership about the abuse in 2021, and Lucero admitted to being involved, according to the release — but the church did not go to police. Lucero was ordered to step down from his youth ministry position, but was eventually allowed to return to leadership roles, including some that placed him around young congregants, the release said.

The Thornton Police Department also received anonymous messages around this time describing concerns surrounding the youth pastor’s conduct that pointed toward the teen girl not being the only victim.

According to the release, the negligent response of church leadership caused three board members to resign.

The resigned board members approached police directly, but the victim was not yet ready to take part in a police investigation and the case stalled until 2024, when the victim returned to tell her story.

Lucero, who declined to speak to investigators, ultimately surrendered himself through his attorney and was arrested by police.

An Adams County District Court jury convicted Lucero of a Class 3 felony sex assault on a child by a person in a position of trust, pattern of abuse on May 29, 2026.

Adams County District Court Judge Caryn Datz handed down Lucero’s sentence on Friday, which he will serve in the Colorado Department of Corrections.

District Attorney Brian Mason lauded the victim’s courage in the release and said the sentence “reflects the seriousness of this betrayal and the harm she endured.”

“I’m grateful for the victim’s bravery, the hard work of detectives and the jury’s careful attention to the evidence,” he said. “No child should ever be taken advantage of by someone in a position of trust — especially in a place where they should feel safe.” 

The church, which is run by Randy and Veronica Lucero, the parents of Joshua Lucero, promises on its website to “bring healing, impact and transformation to all who enter our doors.”

As of Monday, the website was still active and Facebook posts — some of which included livestreams of recent sermons by Randy Lucero — had been published as recently as Aug. 16.

“Word Alive Church takes the safety and well-being of children seriously and remains committed to maintaining appropriate safeguards,” the church wrote in an email to The Denver Gazette.

Word Alive did not directly respond to questions about whether or not the church plans to continue operating in light of the sentencing, and if so, how leadership plans to ensure no similar incidents happen again.

The church also did not respond to questions about what training youth pastors may receive to prepare them for responsibly interacting with children and teens.