The allegation centers on personal charges made during a short tenure at First Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma City.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — A former operations manager at First Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma City is accused of embezzling nearly $100,000 by putting personal expenses on a church credit card during about six months on the job, according to local reports and court records reviewed by television station KFOR.
The case has drawn attention because it involves one of Oklahoma City’s oldest congregations, a church that traces its roots to the first worship service held in the city after the 1889 Land Run. The allegation also raises immediate questions about internal financial controls, restitution and whether additional charges or court steps could follow as prosecutors review records gathered by church leaders and investigators.
Church leaders said the suspicious spending was tied to Kandace Ballenger, who handled day-to-day operations at First Presbyterian Church, a congregation with a campus at 1001 NW 25th St. in the Paseo area. Ballenger was arrested last week and booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center on an embezzlement allegation, according to local reporting. Investigators say the suspected misuse happened during a short period of employment in 2024, then came to light near the start of 2025 when church officials reviewed charges and began matching purchases against church business. After confronting Ballenger, the church terminated her employment, according to the reports. The matter was later referred to law enforcement. The timeline described publicly suggests the church first found irregularities internally, then compiled records before the case moved to an arrest. That sequence is common in white-collar investigations, where institutions often gather account statements, receipts and internal records before a criminal filing takes shape.
The spending details that have surfaced so far point to a series of ordinary personal purchases rather than one large withdrawal. Court documents cited by KFOR say the card was used for more than $1,000 in home repairs, a custom quilt order of more than $1,500 and recurring gym charges in Norman. Those examples do not account for the full amount, which was reported as nearly $100,000, and officials have not publicly released a full itemized list of all transactions. It also remains unclear over exactly how many billing cycles the charges were made, whether any money has been recovered, and whether investigators believe anyone else knew about the purchases at the time. The church has not publicly described all of its internal accounting steps, and authorities have not, at least publicly, laid out whether the allegation involves one card, multiple accounts or any effort to disguise the charges inside normal church operations. That leaves major questions still unanswered even as the basic allegation has become public.
The setting gives the case extra weight in Oklahoma City. First Presbyterian Church says its history goes back to April 28, 1889, when a Presbyterian minister led what the congregation describes as the first church service in Oklahoma City. The church’s current campus at Northwest 25th Street and Western Avenue sits on about eight acres, and the congregation says the present facility was built in phases between 1954 and 1964. Beyond worship, the church hosts music and community programs, making it a visible institution in the neighborhood. That profile helps explain why the allegation has resonated beyond a routine property-crime report. For many churches and nonprofits, operating money can be tightly tied to donations, program budgets and seasonal giving. A loss of nearly $100,000 can affect staffing, maintenance, outreach and trust all at once, even before a court decides whether the allegation is proved. In cases like this, the practical fallout often arrives long before any criminal case is finished.
So far, the public record appears to show an arrest on an embezzlement allegation, but not a full public accounting of the next court milestones. Local reporting said Ballenger was released on bond after being booked into jail. Prosecutors are expected to review the evidence gathered by investigators and church officials, a step that can lead to a formal filing, amended counts, plea talks or a preliminary hearing depending on how the case proceeds. It is not yet clear whether restitution has been formally sought in court, whether the church’s insurance carrier has been involved, or whether forensic accountants were used to trace every disputed charge. Those details often matter in fraud cases because prosecutors usually need a clean record showing what was authorized, what was not, who controlled the accounts and how the alleged loss was calculated. The next milestone is likely to be a court appearance or charging update that spells out the amount, the dates and the exact theory of the alleged offense in greater detail than the first news reports have done.
The allegation also carries the human tension that often surrounds crimes inside trusted institutions. Churches rely on staff and volunteers to handle money, bills and daily operations, and congregations often know the people in those roles personally. That can make discovery slower and reaction sharper once a discrepancy is found. In this case, the church has not publicly offered lengthy comment in the initial reports, but the reported facts suggest leaders moved from internal review to confrontation, termination and a criminal complaint. The purchases cited in the court documents stand out because they were not described as obscure financial transfers or technical bookkeeping moves. They were familiar expenses that, if proved, would have been visible pieces of everyday life paid with institutional funds. That kind of allegation can deepen the sense of betrayal for donors and members, who expect offerings to support ministry, upkeep and public service. It can also leave staff and parishioners waiting for months while the legal process catches up to what the financial records may already show.
The case remained at an early stage Sunday, with the central allegation public, the defendant identified and larger questions about charging details, restitution and court dates still unresolved. The next significant development is expected to come when prosecutors or the court set out the case more fully in a public filing or hearing.
Author note: Last updated March 29, 2026.