The, , which were published Feb. 9, revealed that the initial allegations, shocking as they were, pale in comparison to Zacharias actual proficiency as a sexual predator. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. The Thompsons signed an NDA at the time, and the executrix of Zacharias estate has yet to release them from it. To put it simply: Sovereign Grace Churches (SGC; formerly Sovereign Grace Ministries) and its individual churches and leaders, present and former, who have been accused of failing to adequately respond to past incidents of child and sexual abuse should submit to a thorough, truly independent investigation. And these lessons emphasize the importance of what she has been requesting for some time: an independent investigation into Sovereign Grace Churches. But in these types of cases, which deal with minors and abuse, some court files are sealed, which is another obstacle. 'This resulted in the victims family being corrected when they should have been gently cared for as sufferers,' he said, according to the Washingtonian Magazine article. SGC has turned to MinistrySafe, a group favored by Southern Baptists and Dallas Theological Seminary. Frederick K.C. RZIM issued a public apology following the report, but has yet to announce any changes in leadership. that concerns over SGC leaders handling of sexual abuse allegations contributed to him stepping away from the church. The investigations findings, which were published Feb. 9, revealed that the initial allegations, shocking as they were, pale in comparison to Zacharias actual proficiency as a sexual predator. Last year, she called the SGC saga one of the worst, if not the worst, instances of evangelical cover-up of sexual abuse and has since detailed objections to their previous investigations and defenses. [21][22], Although reconciled with C. J. Mahaney in 2011,[23][24] Tomczak earlier described the parting of ways with Sovereign Grace Ministries as "an unbelievable nightmare" during which his family "were threatened in various ways if [they] did not cooperate with [PDI/SGM] A letter was circulated in an attempt to discredit me and to distort the events surrounding my departure. The current statute gives survivors sufficient time for litigation, and a lifetime to bring charges to criminal court. You wrote that Susan Burke, a leading abuse litigator who is defending the Sovereign Grace victims, has called this case the toughest shes ever worked on. But it doesnt. Perhaps there are reasons the report failed to disclose a number of disturbing facts. [45], Sovereign Grace Churches also operates Sovereign Grace Music, based in Louisville, Kentucky, where contemporary worship albums have been released every few years since the 1980s. Its time for healing to begin. Witnesses (I was one) were prepared to testify under oath to that fact. We remain persuaded that an investigation of the sort weve been challenged to authorizeboth in good faith and otherwiseis inappropriate, impractical, unjust, and finally would be unsatisfactory to all interested parties, the 2,300-word statement concluded. To share this article with your friends, use any of the social share buttons on our site, or simply copy the link below. Maryland State Senate Committee Hearings (March 2016), Hocken includes SGM in his list of restorationists; see Stanley M Burgess, Eduard M van der Maas (eds), Wagner includes SGM in his list of apostolic networks; see Stanley M Burgess, Eduard M van der Maas (eds), Learn how and when to remove this template message, "KEEPING THEIR EYES on the CROSS; Gospel truth draws at Covenant Life", The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, "C.J. This has left many, many observers bewildered, angry, and deeply suspicious of SGC and these accused churches. Addressing this issue is not damaging the Gospel, it is instead seeking to restore the Gospel and Christ to their rightful authority and priority over institutions and mishandled theology. To unlock this article for your friends, use any of the social share buttons on our site, or simply copy the link below. A lot of the reporting involved spending hours in courthouses around the D.C. suburbs, digging through case files, a process that I actually enjoy. Rev. Upon graduation he attended Sovereign Grace Pastors College in Gaithersburg, MD (now located in Louisville, KY). [32] Some critics have suggested that the move may have more to do with the fractured state of the organization's relationship with the SGM flagship church, Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg.[33]. Mahaney & Sovereign Church of Louisville Pulled Out of the Southern Baptist Convention When Asked About Sex Abuse Scandal but Continue And these lessons emphasize the importance of what she has been requesting for some time: an independent investigation into Sovereign Grace Churches. WebControversy has surrounded SGCpreviously Sovereign Grace Ministries, or SGMand its founder C. J. Mahaney since at least 2012, when SGMs flagship congregation faced a for less than $4.25/month. "[25] Other notable charismatic figures, such as Lou Engle, founder of The Call prayer concerts, and Ch Ahn, pastor of Harvest Rock Church in Pasadena, CA, also ceased to be formally associated with PDI during this period. About half of U.S. states specifically require clergy to report child abuse, but still others exempt them, through whats known as clergy-penitent privilege. I talked to the churches in Maryland and Virginia very early on in my reporting process, letting them know I was doing the story, and I kept in touch with them about my progress until the very end, giving them chances to respond to my findings. WebSovereign Grace Ministries is an evangelical, Reformed, and charismatic network founded in 1982 that has about 80 member churches, located mostly in the U.S. SGM also Price, Televangelist Who Built LAs FaithDome, Dies From COVID-19, RZIM PR Manager Says She Was Shunned For Asking Questions. "I believe so," he replied. On July 6, 2011, Mahaney announced that he would be taking a leave of absence as a team reviewed charges brought against him of "pride, unentreatability, deceit, sinful judgment, and hypocrisy." , one of the churchs founders, was one of the church leaders cited in a 2012 lawsuit as allegedly covering up sexual abuse for years. But it seems to me that a workable compromise would be to do what states like Texas and West Virginia and North Carolina do: Clergy-penitent privilege exists, but not in cases of child abuse. On Feb. 13, Sovereign Grace Churches leadership team pushed back against Denhollander's insistence that a third-party review of Sovereign Grace is necessary, stressing that her words and those of others have "profoundly damaged the reputations and Gospel ministries of innocent pastors and churches." Mayo also testified that her "husband had contemporaneous records from the 1980s that refuted the allegations. But when it was within our own community, the immediate response was to vilify the victims or to say things that were at times blatantly and demonstratively untrue about the organization and the leader of the organization. The week before, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Al Mohler had walked back his previous support for Mahaney, apologizing for his initial response and reiterating calls for an independent investigation. [40] British restorationist leader Terry Virgo states that Larry Tomczak and C. J. Mahaney, leaders at the time, had become "increasingly uncomfortable" with the "People of Destiny International" name, and it was shortened to "PDI Ministries". She testified that the defense had refused to settle out of court requiring that the case be heard in court on its merits. and who has since renounced his faith, implied in an. [43], Church planter Fred Herron described the PDI/SGM church planting method of founding new churches: a pastor leads a group of members to relocate to a different city and form, or plant, a new church. SGC has also posted its full statement regarding this editorial.]. A former ministry partner of Mahaney turned critic, Brent Detwiler, has been chronicling the controversy for many years and claims that 100 pastors, 300 small group leaders, 40 churches (including his own), and 12,000 members have left SGC churches largely over what they claim has been abusive and deceitful leadership. [51][55], The plaintiffs only asked the court to determine whether or not there had been a conspiracy to cover up abuse. Or who earnestly felt, as a matter of religious freedom, that secular authorities and courts shouldnt second-guess pastoral counseling decisions. False criminal charges can result in a jail term or hefty fine, however.". Mahaney pulls out of Louisville pastors conference", "Sovereign Grace Ministries, riven by conflict, seeks to change", "The Sex-Abuse Scandal That Devastated a Suburban Megachurch - Washingtonian", Mark Altrogger and Sovereign Grace Church of Indiana, PA Leave SGM, "Gospel Bluesman Offers God's Love in Sin City", "A letter from Larry Tomczak on his reconciliation with C.J. Lets set an example for all churches to follow, bringing healing to victims and churches alike. TIME: How did you decide to investigate the sexual abuse in Sovereign Grace Ministries? WebThe April 12-14 gathering held at the KFC Yum! Its difficult and rare to criminally prosecute religious leaders who covered up abuse, so lawsuits are an avenue to get transparency and justice from the institution, not just the abuser. 1) We received online threats that flyers would go out to our neighbors, informing them of the pedophile at our address. We would do well in all our churches to conduct open and frank investigations on any matter (especially sexual abuse) that (a) brings into question the integrity of the ministry and (b) contains substantial charges and witnesses that strongly suggest were not dealing with frivolous accusations. 2) Anonymous calls were made to business clients, threatening them for doing business with us. [50], In late 2012, a lawsuit in Montgomery County, Maryland was brought against Sovereign Grace Ministries, making accusations of a conspiracy to cover-up child sex abuse. Abuse is a sin, but its also a serious crime. In her Feb.12 statement, Denhollander listed three SGC churches that have sent letters calling on SGC leaders to conduct an investigation. Ennis testified only about the Maryland plaintiffs. Trauma reporting is challenging by its very nature. We call for this on behalf of potential victims who may have yet to be heard. Urging for the right things in our own community, before the facade is unmasked, is costly. The church network pushed back against renewed scrutiny around SGC and former president C. J. Mahaneys response to abuse claims. Now, both sides, must live in limbo for now., SGM also recognized that this conclusion was unsatisfactory as well: I realize that the courts dismissal of the suit does not answer the question, What now? executive director Mark Prater told SGM church members in October 2014. created insular communities led by a [67][68] "Between 1990 and 2007 at least five members of the churchs staff were told of Moraless abuse. "[42], In December 2014, executive director Mark Prater announced that the group's name would change to "Sovereign Grace Churches", to reflect its newly changed structure. When Jessica isn't writing, she enjoys West Coast Swing dancing, reading, and spending time with her friends and family. Maryland's Court of Special Appeals has dismissed a case which alleged that leaders of Sovereign Grace Ministries had attempted to cover up a sex abuse scandal at the Bethesda-Covenant Life Church. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. When a pastor, staff member or volunteer has reason to believe a child is the victim of abuse or neglect, our policy requires those individuals to report it immediately to civil authorities, he said. But their influence is widespreadas Stanley points out, Wayne Grudem, an evangelical theologian at Phoenix Seminary, once described Sovereign Grace Ministries as an example of the way churches ought to work., In response to the Washingtonian investigation, executive director of Sovereign Grace Churches Mark Prater pointed TIME to a lengthy statement he made in 2014 denying that Sovereign Grace leaders conspired to cover up sexual abuse. In this case, however, the facts being questioned and the witnesses being marshaled do indeed suggest that there are crucial questions that need to be answered if there is to be healing and closure. So many of the leaders applauding the step RZIM took today, were silent in urging that this step be taken, and remain silent regarding an organization still co-laboring alongside them or in their communities, wrote Denhollander in a, Denhollander was referring to the independent investigation Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (, ) commissioned in September of last year. Leaders of the Fairfax, Virginia, church accused in the lawsuit have "acknowledged the stories of abuse and issued a tearful apology to the families. senior pastor Mark Mullery blamed the churchs model of reconciliation. Judge Burrell found that any conspiracy to cover-up should have been brought within the time frame of the alleged abuse. 6) People withdrew from us, or fell silent. From just the past year, Im thinking of reports about Josh Duggar of 19 Kids and Counting and Bill Gothard, a Christian homeschooling advocate. Mahaney. Underpinning much of these teachings is a patriarchal understanding of Christianity, where men are in charge. WebWhile in seminary, Bruce and his wife Hien attended a Sovereign Grace church in downtown Orlando and sensed that the LORD was calling them to be a part of Sovereign Grace Churches. 7) Questions harassed us: Could we lose everything financing a defense? [58], All charges brought by the Maryland plaintiffs were dismissed by Maryland Circuit Judge Sharon Burrell, permanently barring plaintiffs from ever bringing those or related charges in Maryland civil court again at any time in the future. She has always had a passion for the written word and has been writing professionally for the past five years. Both Tomczak and Mahaney spoke at New Frontiers' Bible Weeks and Stoneleigh Conference. By Tiffany Stanley. On May 14, a second amendment was filed to the suit: [The suit] adds three new plaintiffs, making a total of 11. Furthermore, the effort to try such a case in the court of public opinion prior to any decision rendered by an authorized court is likewise irresponsible. [26], As of 2008 the group identified itself as "a family of churches passionate about the gospel of Jesus Christ with a strong doctrinal basis that is evangelical, Reformed, and continuationist. All Rights Reserved. RZIM UK has broken with the ministry as a result. Abstinence is too. However, none of those named supported her stories of abuse. (CTs sister publication, Church Law & Tax, also offers resources to help churches reduce the risk.). "And you didn't?" Five plaintiffs are now using their real names, and the rest are pseudonyms. She didn't remember the alleged abuses before her thirties, and then believed she was recovering lost memories. You take care not to re-victimize victims. Im sure they wish it could all just go away too. Evangelical ministries are now facing their own abuse crises. As The Wartburg Watch (a watchdog website critical of SGM) put it at the time: Even one of the defense attorneys allegedly acknowledged the seriousness of the complaints. SGC refused. A little more transparency might go a long way. As a result, the case was dismissed. Rachael Denhollander: Will Sovereign Grace Take the Ravi Scandal to Heart? We are simply unable to perform what some people are demanding., The SGC leaders also wrote that Sovereign Grace has a detailed, well-defined polity with clear avenues to pursue biblical justice, saying that an outside investigation would set aside the biblical principles underlying all these polity provisions and structures and submit all our churches and their leaderships to the processes and judgment of a single, functionally unaccountable organization or individual, who would be empowered to pass judgment on every SGC church without recourse., Back in 2013, faced with the lawsuit, SGM took a First Amendment defense, saying courts shouldnt second guess pastoral guidance.. Private devotion, community service, and entertainment arent what the local congregation is for. Rachael Denhollander, an attorney-advocate made famous through her testimony against gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, lives in Louisville and has researched the SGC case in detail. Therefore, all of the claims by the Maryland plaintiffs were dismissed in May 2013 because the statute of limitations had expired, 3 years after each turned 18; the claims by two Virginia plaintiffs were still within the statute of limitations. North Coast thrived and grew until its ultimate demise decades later. STANLEY: More than one church leader assumed the victims and lawyer Susan Burke brought this story to me, as a kind of trial-by-media stunt. 2023 ChurchLeaders.com, All rights reserved. The Washingtonian/February 14, 2016. Nathaniel Morales, who was convicted in 2014 of molesting multiple teenage boys, was a youth group volunteer and not employed by Covenant Life Church in Maryland, Mahaneys former congregation. Urging for the right things in our own community, before the facade is unmasked, is costly. Ennis went on to testify that an "extensive and undoubtedly expensive" investigation was conducted by the Montgomery County Police Department but no charges were ever filed. The lawsuit ended up being dismissed because of the statute of limitations. Covenant Life Church former pastor Grant Layman admitted on Tuesday while testifying about allegations against Nathaniel Morales that he withheld incriminating information from the police about the abuse. [19] In the mid-1990s, while Tomczak was still involved in the group's leadership, religious anthropologist Dr. Karla Poewe wrote that "Vineyard is particularly attractive to the young and intellectual People of Destiny serves a Catholic constituency" although participants at that time would not agree with this assessment,[20] contrasting PDI with the Vineyard Church. Later in 2012, the movement's former flagship, Covenant Life Church, departed from SGM, a decision supported by an overwhelming 93%[34] of voting members. Denhollander also responded to several reasons SGC has cited for not conducting an independent investigation, among them that 1) such an investigation implies at the outset that the SGC is guilty and 2) such an investigation would violate church autonomy. By March, 2013 approximately 20 churches had left Sovereign Grace Ministries. In February, following a landmark Houston Chronicle investigation into abuse among Southern Baptists, SBC president J. D. Greear called for an inquiry into whether Mahaneys congregation, SGC Louisville, met denominational standards in their response to abuse. It is for this reason that I have repeatedly recommended that Sovereign Grace Churches, Institute in Basic Life Principles, and several other organizations, welcome this same process, and provided recommendations of ways this can be done without violating principles of church autonomy. If I were a defendant, absolutely convinced of my innocence, I would be frustrated by this outcome, wrote TWW. She is among the evangelical voices calling for an independent investigationrecommending GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment)and criticized SGCs recent announcement. He believed that "the isolation of Covenant Life, and of a small cluster of churches of which it was a part, may have fed leadership mistakes, including the decision of pastors himself among them to handle a child sexual abuse case internally instead of going to police." The experts I spoke to didnt say these statistics are worse in evangelical churches, but they did say that abusers could prey on trusting religious communities, which give them access to children. We are grateful that SGC says (in its statement to CT), It is our desire to walk transparently, to grow in our ability to better address this risk, and to honor Christ in the way we care for those who have experienced abuse. We assume that is true of every one of the churches involved in these events. Second, churches neednt seek an independent investigation over every charge brought against them; and to be sure, there are cases where its a tough call as to whether to seek an independent investigation. After eighteen months, an independent investigator concluded her accusations likely never happened. And especially for the sake of the gospel., Subscribe to CT "[71] Regarding the accuracy of the plaintiffs' claims, SGM released a statement saying that "SGM is not in a position to comment on the specific allegations at this time, but upon review it appears the complaint contains a number of misleading allegations, as well as considerable mischaracterizations of intent."[72]. This Is a Revival Season Sean Feucht Announces 7 Days of Prayer on Capitol Hill, The Chosen, Candace Cameron Bure, Dolly Parton Win at This Years Movieguide Awards, Christian High School Girls Basketball Team Forfeits Tourney Spot Due to Trans Opponent, Tickets for SatanCon 2023, The Largest Satanic Gathering in History, Sell Out. Speaking up after the hard work has been done is easy, said Denhollander, who is an attorney known for being the first of more than 400 women to publicly accuse USA gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar of sexual abuse. For six years nowand more intensely in the last few weekscharges and counter-charges (see links below), accusations and defenses have been conducted in public forums and in the courts, without a satisfactory conclusion. But that healing cannot begin until we all know the exact nature and extent of the wound; until all the facts are out in the open; until the truth that liberates can be known; and most importantly, if and when it is pertinent, there is repentance. For more than 40 years, Sovereign Grace Ministries was a haven for evangelical Christians from around the D.C. metro region. 2. 25. HB 642, the first bill of its kind to be supported by the Catholic Church in Maryland, extended the statute of limitations to 20 years after the age of majority, but makes it much more difficult to implicate a church or civic organization in a child sex abuse civil suit after the plaintiff turns 25. This move towards Reformed (or Calvinist) doctrine is illustrated by Sovereign Grace's partnerships with Reformed theologians--such as John MacArthur, Mark Dever, and John Piper--in events like the Together for the Gospel Conferences. 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