As reported in Time Magazine (February 2016), Susan Burke, the lawyer for the victims, plans to file another lawsuit in Virginia, involving the two individuals from that jurisdiction. Every Sunday, hundreds of families participate in our church services and entrust their children to the care of our staff and volunteers. A number of developments in the lawsuit against Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM) have taken place since I first covered it for RD back in early March. Sovereign Grace Churches (SGM; previously Sovereign Grace Ministries and People of Destiny International, PDI) is a group of Reformed,[2] neocharismatic,[3] Evangelical, restorationist,[4] Christian churches primarily located in North America. 3) Online forums ripped us to shreds. Is justice possible? Some church leaders expressed that they wanted the story to go away, so the community could move on. Above all, I think many of the families want Sovereign Grace to acknowledge publicly that mistakes were made. WebThe Sex-Abuse Scandal That Devastated a Suburban Megachurch. And precisely for that reason, SGC has an opportunity to set an example for all evangelical churches that are facingor, sad to say, will one day have to facesimilar controversy. In this case, it is not a tough call at all. According to Ennis, the lawsuit originally asked for $50 million in damages, but as the deposition and discovery process went on, "the plaintiffs tried hard to settle out of court for a much lower sum". Yes, we have been the target of misinformed critique in both the secular and Christian media, and more will likely come, he stated. It also notes that since plaintiffs had failed to file a Third Amended Complaint, the case is closed. In 2013, in a lawsuit against our church, a woman accused my husband and three others of molesting her twenty-five years earlier. She also imagined that 18 people witnessed the abuse, and she listed them by name. [49] In 2011, Sovereign Grace Music's album Risen charted at No. Multiple people have accused Sovereign Grace Churches (SGC) of covering up sexual abuse, and other reports indicate that the churchs culture discourages people from reporting it. has broken with the ministry as a result. Evangelical ministries are now facing their own abuse crises. I started with one family, and then I met with another, and from there, I was able slowly to gain introductions to others. Rather, the firm specialized in various forms of business litigation and business law, as did the attorney hired to investigate, Mr. Liebeler. Most importantly, as far as were able to discern, we believe this course, the theological capitulation it would represent, and the precedent it would set, would ultimately dishonor Christ and harm the cause of the gospel. In "The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Modern Christian Thought" published in 1995,[18] Alister McGrath associated PDI with the Shepherding Movement and described it as having "informal links with Bryn Jones," the UK house church leader. On February 2, 2018, SGC issued a response, saying: It needs to be said that she [Denhollander] is mistaken in her accusations made against Sovereign Grace Churches and C. J. Mahaney. Mahaney are still revered, still headlining conferences, and still running churches, with powerful evangelical allies on their side. But regardless of the public discourse, we are strongly committed to ensuring a safe environment for the children in our churches., In a statement to TIME, Mark Mitchell, the executive pastor of Covenant Life Church, said that along with the broader educational community the church had learned much over the last few decades about how to respond to reports of abuse and care for victims and families. While there is a specific process by which a charge may be submitted against an elder by any current or former SGC church member, SGC leadership has no authority to mandate an investigation by an outside authority upon all of our churches. 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. They know it may be too late to get justice for all of the Sovereign Grace plaintiffs, but they want the laws to change for future victims. In the Palmer case, brought by Renee Palmer Gamby, Ennis testified that. In Maryland, unlike some states, there is no statute of limitations for bringing criminal charges in felony sexual abuse cases, which is why Nate Morales went to jail decades after he abused boys at Covenant Life Church. The comparisons drawn between SGC and horrific, widespread episodes of abuseabout which the facts are already publicly establishedare irresponsible. Picking the right investigator matters. [23][24][29] On January 25, 2012, Mahaney was reinstated as president of the organization by the board after three review panels found no reason to disqualify C.J. Ennis testified before the Maryland Senate Committee that no one had testified during the Morales trial that the church had advised them not to report. Does this kind of circumscribed sexual environment give way to more sexual abuse? Some of these allegations confront abuse that is decades old. And for the sake of SGC and for the integrity of evangelical churches everywhere. 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.. [14], In 1981, Brent Detweiler, pastor of Indiana Christian Fellowship in Indiana, Pennsylvania, asked Mahaney and Tomczak to provide oversight and accountability for his church. [51] Larry Tomczak, a co-founder of SGM, who left the organization in the late 1990s, was alleged to have abused and assaulted a child in the form of administering corporal punishment over a period of twenty-five years. An independent review by a qualified firm requires higher, not lower, standards than the less-defined and basic standards set out in Scripture., (Mohler stated that Denhollander had fundamentally changed his understand of the Sovereign Grace situation. But we also see this as an opportunity for SGC to become a positive example for the rest of the evangelical community. Second, if there are credible claims of sexual misconduct within a ministry, it is usually the tip of the iceberg.. Ennis testified that, "A third plaintiff eventually withdrew her allegations, admitting they were false.". 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. [39], Sovereign Grace Churches was known as "People of Destiny International" until 1998. 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. [36] The Indiana church, as mentioned above, was one of the charter members of SGM. Abstinence is too. While two of the links in Denhollanders post are broken, you can read the churches statements. Layman was not on trial and was not given an opportunity to clarify his remarks in court. Mahaney, Sex Abuse, Failure to Report, Statute of Limitations, Sovereign Grace Ministries, Lawsuit, Pedophiles, T4G The Washingtonian released a new article after spending many months investigating Sovereign Grace Ministries, CJ Mahaney, and the many cases of alleged sex abuse named in the lawsuit brought on by victims (named The lawsuit ended up being dismissed because of the statute of limitations. To date the police have filed no charges against anyone in that case. I pray that God gives us all grace to respond wisely and biblically. On one level, I understood that, but I was also talking to victims who had their lives irrevocably changedthey couldnt just move on. They want that accountability. Controversy has surrounded SGCpreviously Sovereign Grace Ministries, or SGMand its founder C. J. Mahaney since at least 2012, when SGMs flagship congregation faced a lawsuit alleging a sexual abuse cover-up, which was later dismissed on procedural grounds. The February issue of Washingtonian Magazine featured an expos of long-buried sexual abuse of children in a prominent evangelical church network, Sovereign Grace Ministries. The victims are still with us. WebControversy has surrounded SGCpreviously Sovereign Grace Ministries, or SGMand its founder C. J. Mahaney since at least 2012, when SGMs flagship congregation faced a Again, we are deeply concerned about this matter in part because we want to make sure justice is done for all the alleged victims. Documentation was found showing the family of one plaintiff was immediately advised to notify authorities. We call for this on behalf of potential victims who may have yet to be heard. I think there are real problems with these exemptions. This does not mean we can verify every word Denhollander has written; only that she has so carefully documented so many of the disputed matters that we have concluded that this whole affair needs a fresh, independent investigation to clear the air. If I were a defendant, absolutely convinced of my innocence, I would be frustrated by this outcome, wrote TWW. Books like I Kissed Dating Goodbye promote courtship. The theological focus gradually shifted during the mid 1990s and it was later suggested that the increasing New Calvinism of PDI was a major factor in Larry Tomczak's departure from the movement. As SGC put it in a statement to CT: Clearly, any specific allegations of child sexual abuse should be reported to criminal and child protection authorities, regardless of the passage of time. Its extremely difficult to respond to false accusations without appearing unsympathetic to victims of abuse. At his sentencing, she made a compelling speech calling for his just punishment while also extending her forgiveness. [11], The organization of over 80 member churches grew out of the charismatic renewal of the 1970s under the leadership of Larry Tomczak. And this was a complicated story to unravel and tell. And they want churches to better handle abuse in the future. SB 69 died in committee following the hearing. (Allegation Number 57 of the lawsuit reads, As a result of the Church's conduct and misrepresentations, Robin Roe was not cared for by loving and responsible adults, but instead was incarcerated in a juvenile half-way house with criminal juveniles.) Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital As a result, the case was dismissed. Magazines, Digital One of them, Kings Cross Church, since sending its letter. Web12914 Shelbyville Rd Louisville, KY 40243 Sovereign Grace In many cases alleged perpetrators or those who covered up, are still in leadership. 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. Montgomery County police investigated and filed no charges. The apologists version of events was that Thompson and her husband were trying to extort money from him. Despite continued calls for an independent, third-party investigation into Sovereign Grace Churches (SGC) and its response to abuse allegations, the network has officially taken the option off the table, calling it inappropriate, impractical, unjust and impossible.. The law as it stands, does both. If this is true, it raises many questions. "[27] Joshua Harris, who was Mahaneys successor and proteg and who has since renounced his faith, implied in an interview with The Washington Post that concerns over SGC leaders handling of sexual abuse allegations contributed to him stepping away from the church. That puts this proposal squarely in the category of more-harm-than-good.". [63], 3. We see, however, that SGC, churches current and formerand pastor C. J. Mahaney (founder and former president) in particularare under a cloud of suspicion. 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. Experiencing the Spirit The dynamic power of the Holy In summary, Mahaney and his staff covered up the crimes committed by Truesdale and Griney because they were friends and well-known church members. Sovereign Grace Church Pearland, TX Website. Ennis said, during her Senate Committee testimony, that she was in favor of extending the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse, but that the proposed 2016 bill, SB 69, did not have "enough teeth" to prevent lawsuits based on false accusations against individuals or organizations. With each perhaps, were left with another question or three. Its galling to them that Sovereign Grace leaders like C.J. [5] It has variously been described as a family of churches,[6] a denomination,[7] and an apostolic network. 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. May 29, 2013: Plaintiffs file a motion for reconsideration, arguing that the statute of limitations shouldnt apply because the claims of conspiracy did not surface until August 2011. 7) Questions harassed us: Could we lose everything financing a defense? An internet lynch mob can go on forever, but the law should protect innocent people from legal charges they cant defend, like those from the distant past. In its explanation against an outside investigation, as in earlier statements, the SGC writes multiple times that authorities and previous inquiries have never found credible evidence to support the suspicions against them. Every institution that desires to pursue truth and accountability must sift through these questions, and numerous Christian experts are available to help properly exegete Biblical standards of justice and accountability, she wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday. Perhaps the number of incidents when pastors decided not to report abuse is small. 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. . [41] In 2002, the group adopted its next name of "Sovereign Grace Ministries. Her investigation, The Sex Scandal that Devastated a Suburban Megachurch, chronicles the inside story of crimes against children in D.C.-area Sovereign Grace churches, explores how church leaders including founder C.J. Mahaney announced "that he would step down as president of SGM's beleaguered network of churches. The apologists version of events was that Thompson and her husband were trying to extort money from him. Stanley shares some insights from her investigation with TIME. 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. The information may be privileged, as it would be with an attorney. SGC refused. Mahaney, one of the churchs founders, was one of the church leaders cited in a 2012 lawsuit as allegedly covering up sexual abuse for years. Mahaney. Five plaintiffs are now using their real names, and the rest are pseudonyms. Perhaps the number of abuse victims isnt as high as it seems. SGC has also posted its full statement regarding this editorial.]. And we are hardly ready to conclude SGC and the accused congregations and leaders are guilty of every charge brought against them. And for the sake of SGC and for the integrity of evangelical churches everywhere. Covenant Life and another church in Virginia where the cases of abuse from the dismissed lawsuit allegedly took place are no longer in the SGC network. And as I found out in my reporting, civil lawsuits arent just about the money. Virginia. In the initial months, the accused were labeled child sex offenders and the story of the abuse, truth be damned, was aggressively promoted in news, radio and social media. While tens of thousands flocked to campus, school officials met in a storage closet to make decisions that would honor what is happening.. They were also friendly with Maranatha Campus Ministries for a period.[17]. Mayo testified that her husband was one of the accused in the Sovereign Grace lawsuit and that "she and her husband had experienced the nightmare of false accusations." SGC, a network of 72 evangelical churches with headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, said the decision was made in consult with fellow pastors, Christian leaders, and attorneys. All Rights Reserved. Mahaney did and did not respond, and recounts how victims mothers joined forces to seek justice. I can understand that pastoral confidentiality is important, and so are religious freedom considerations. They are fully prepared to provide factual and ethical reasons why the church should be removed from the SBC Presidents list and to have its good name cleared of the public suspicion created by being placed on this list, the leadership team said. For nearly six years now, an open wound has been festering in the evangelical community. 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." Another church plaintiff was never abused, (her sister was abused by her father who was prosecuted in 1987), but that plaintiff claimed the church had incarcerated her, ruining her life. [9][10] Besides the North American congregations, there are also congregations in Australia, Bolivia, Ethiopia, Great Britain, Germany and Mexico. And these lessons emphasize the importance of what she has been requesting for some time: an independent investigation into Sovereign Grace Churches. 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. The decision followed multiple new allegations of sexual abuse against Zacharias (the first known accusation dates back to a lawsuit Zacharias settled in 2017). Sign up for our newsletter: 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. However, none of those named supported her stories of abuse. During the first week in April, Sovereign Grace said the Louisville congregation heard from the SBC workgroup tasked with evaluating concerns over affiliated churches abuse responses, and the elders responded quickly. And very few leaders are willing to take that step even today., In her statement, Rachael Denhollander listed four lessons from the Ravi Zacharias scandal that ought to be abundantly clear. First, it ought to be clear that, and ministry leaders are not equipped to conduct investigations into allegations of sexual abuse within their ministries. His ministry, preparing to downsize in the wake of a new investigation, expresses regret for misplaced trust in a leader who used his esteem to conceal his sexual misconduct. False criminal charges can result in a jail term or hefty fine, however.". The original apostolic team comprised Mahaney, Tomczak, Detweiler and Bill Galbraith. In reality, victims often dont realize the long-term damage they have suffered from sexual abuse until they are much older. The truth of sin that leads to repentance is one of the most glorious moments in our life in Christ. 2023 ChurchLeaders.com, All rights reserved. Of the many matters of concern, Denhollander says that Liebeler did not contact most of those raising allegations, nor witnesses on behalf of those making allegations. We have no authority over those churches, no right to their pastoral records, and no access to their internal reports or investigations, the leaders write. Witnesses (I was one) were prepared to testify under oath to that fact. Ennis testified only about the Maryland plaintiffs. Larry Tomczak reported that Mahaney had gone out of his way to rebuild their relationship after 13 years of estrangement. Predictably, the judge questioned her very legitimacy as a plaintiff. And especially for the sake of the gospel. Since its publication, I have also been hearing from people who want to share with me stories of abuse from other ministries. By March, 2013 approximately 20 churches had left Sovereign Grace Ministries. If, in fact, they are as guiltless as they have proclaimed, and if, in fact, the incidences are as few as they suggest, it would be great news for the evangelical community and the cause of the gospel. On March 8, 2016, two individuals testified before the Maryland State Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee regarding the Sovereign Grace Ministries lawsuit. What observations can you share now about the state of sexual ethics in the evangelical church more broadly? Your investigation focuses on sexual abuse in one evangelical network, but it begs the question: how widespread is sexual abuse in evangelical churches more broadly? (Covenant Life is no longer a part of the Sovereign Grace network.). On December 9, 2020 RC Sproul Jr incorporated SOVEREIGN GRACE FELLOWSHIP, INC. as a Domestic Nonprofit Corporation. 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. Mahaney Takes Leave Over 'Serious' Charges", "Sovereign Grace Ministries Reinstates C.J. The statistics I saw were one-in-four girls and one-in-six boys will be sexually abused before the age of 18. to launch an independent investigation into the claims of sexual abuse. Actually, she was charged and imprisoned by state and federal authorities for crimes of fraud, theft, drug possession, drug trafficking, and weapons concerns. The current statute gives survivors sufficient time for litigation, and a lifetime to bring charges to criminal court. Magazines, an expos of long-buried sexual abuse of children, The Sex Scandal that Devastated a Suburban Megachurch, Or create a free account to access more articles, Inside the Investigation into Child Sexual Abuse at Sovereign Grace Ministries. 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. It was because we were advocating for other victims of sexual assault within the evangelical community, crimes which had been perpetrated by people in the church and whose abuse had been enabled, very clearly, by prominent leaders in the evangelical community. The following month RC Jr announced that Sovereign Grace Fellowship was a 501 (c) (3) church and donations are tax-deductible.2 Later he announced Sunday church services would begin in his Fort Who Will Pay for the SBCs Abuse Reforms Over the Long Term? The churches, for the most part, declined to cooperate. 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. Fast forward to January 31, 2018, when Rachael Denhollander, an attorney and advocate for victims of sexual abuse, was interviewed by Morgan Lee for Christianity Today. 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. for less than $4.25/month. This year, as evangelicals ramp up their response to abuse, top leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention have joined the scrutiny over Mahaney and his current congregation, SGC Louisville, which is also affiliated with the SBC. 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. But in these types of cases, which deal with minors and abuse, some court files are sealed, which is another obstacle. A 2012 class-action suit was filed against I would want the trial to proceed so that the world could see the proof of my innocence. Moreover, there is not a single instance of a Sovereign Grace pastor or staff member ever being charged withmuch less convicted ofsexual abuse or covering up abuse in our 35+ year history.. Perhaps SGMs reporting process was indeed followed more times than not. from his role as President, or to "call into question his fitness for gospel ministry. Antonio Santarsiero / EyeEm / Getty Images. Im also thinking about Buzzfeeds recent story on Jesus People USA and Kiera Feldmans 2012 investigation of abuse in a Tulsa megachurch. 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