(CNN) A Memphis, Tennessee, megachurch pastor who confessed to a sexual encounter with a teenager has been put on leave. Congregants broke into 25 seconds of applause last week after pastor Andy Savage, 42, confessed to a 1998 "sexual incident" with a teen and asked for their forgiveness. Savage was 22 at the time and a youth minister at Woodlands Parkway Baptist Church outside Houston when the incident with then-17-year-old Jules Woodson occurred. Highpoint Church issued a leave of absence for Savage to begin immediately, Chris Conlee, the church's lead pastor, said in a statement Thursday night. Deep regretsDuring a Sunday service, Savage said he "regretfully had a sexual incident with a female high school senior in the church."

Source: CNN January 12, 2018 12:11 UTC