Pete Singer, GRACEs executive director, called the cancellation very rare, adding he is aware of just one other organization that has done the same. He is the ultimate judge who will make right all wrongs and the one who will both save and destroy. top: 19px; The investigation, which began last summer, came after multiple allegations that CFC had silenced and intimidated those who reported sexual misconduct by the churchs former well-known pastor, Min Joshua Chung. While we do not want to minimize the importance of seeking justice on earth, we want to encourage you with the reminder that it is God who has the final say. [They] are literally re-traumatizing [themselves] by speaking to us, so the least the other side could do would be to hear those pieces of information, Dunn said, adding that current church leaders, including KJ Kim, were the only remaining people GRACE had left to interview. Pastoral leadership is an immense privilege, not a right. } SEOUL, South Korea A prominent church pastor whose behavior came under scrutiny when the #MeToo movement took hold in South Korea was The church consists of predominantly a Korean American congregation. Gave $3 Million Grant for Reconstruction of Historic First Baptist Church in Williamsburg. In April, the Korean Central Presbytery received an eight-page report summarizing its investigative teams findings and recommendations. The congregation also sought to evaluate the health of the church through The Center Consulting Group (CCG). LeCroy said the procedures and laws of the PCAs Book of Church Order by which churches, presbyteries and pastors abide dictates that the lower court, [the presbyterys] decision is to be respected, and that the SJC often does decide things along procedural grounds, and not the merits of the original case. We, as a collective voice of Asian American leaders, implore Min Chung to cease all public ministry at least until a new investigation is conducted and proper Email:[emailprotected] Frank Barker, whose 4,000-member Briarwood Presbyterian Church grew from a Birmingham, Alabama, storefront before he helped found the conservative Presbyterian. Please consider interning, joining our staff, or submitting a story or making a contribution. Im tired, said Tim Ma, who previously served on the CFC worship team. He also said that, for sexual harassment of a member of the congregation, the KCP should have dealt Chung a suspension of a period of years, and perhaps even defrocked him. But Chung is subject to the PCAs Book of Church Order because of his PCA ordination, KJ Kim told TRR. The KCP ruled only on the sexual assault allegation, calling it sexual harassment. They determined that Chung was guilty but has done enough for restoration to ministry. Joshua Generation, commonly called J-Gen, a ministry for high schoolers that Chung founded, also severed ties with Chung. And in August, CFC hired GRACE. Sexual misconduct and/or harassment in any form is a grievous sin that should never be tolerated. WebPastor Min Chung (@pminchung) Instagram photos and videos pminchung 119 posts 1,287 followers 21 following Pastor Min Chung This Account is Private Already follow The motion to rescind the KCP decision needed a two-thirds vote in favor. /* Progress and audio bars */ The SJC decision stated there can be no reasonable hope of just proceedings with no cooperating victim, although Chung himself had admitted to sexual misconduct. Former church members expressed dismay over CFCs apparent about-face. The presbytery is a ruling body of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), the denomination that ordained Chung. We see this is the third article this month youve found worth reading. He still preaches as a member in good standing. Park is part of a group that last year brought to light allegations of sexual and spiritual abuse at Covenant Fellowship Church (CFC), a predominantly Asian American church near the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Many people were waiting to see what came out of this and then what their response would be to that, Pinyo said. He experienced his childhood in America and went to James B. Conant High School. background: #db4e88; One of those associate pastors was KJ Kim, the new head pastor of CFC. After troubling times during the Depression, he was able to open a grocery store in an African-American neighborhood. We are accountable to our congregation and the denomination that has charge over its leaders and we believe that this is best for our church and its future. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse by Dr. Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys. Later, the victim called a friend and told her what Chung had done. He has either founded or served in leadership for several youth and college ministries throughout the country, and was a board member for international missions organization SIM from 2006 to 2019. Though disappointed, the whistleblowers said that they were not surprised with KCP's ruling, citing the environment at CFC where Chung leads and the congregation's high regard for the minister. Park is one of the whistleblowers who submitted the report to the KCP. 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(Illinois defines criminal sexual assault as using force or threat or force, and the defendant knows the victim is unable to give knowing consent.). We judge that his relationship with God is restored as we consider the grace of God. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time { /* .jet-smart-listing__featured-box-link:before { WBEZ first reported the allegations against Chung and the crisis unfolding at CFC as the victims of sexual and spiritual abuse shared their stories online. by National Public Radio station WBEZ in Chicago, Covenant Fellowship Church and its former head pastor Min Joshua Chung for years fostered a misogynistic environment that included sexual mistreatment and oppression of women. Its time that we simply say enough is enough and no -longer co-sign this terrible plight that impacts people generationally. Not every religious leader is trained in handling the needs of sexual assault victims They should assist with reporting to the appropriate authorities and seek referrals to the victim services and professional counseling services!!! I would be interested to know how much of the loss of members comes from the PCA and how much comes from the-once much larger-PCUSA(not PSUSA). Pastor Kim also promised that church leadership would add more layers of accountability and would humbly listen, learn, and grow so we can be a healthier church moving forward.. Chung showed Minari to his parents around Thanksgiving 2019, a couple of months before its Sundance premiere. Korean Church Stops Independent Investigation into Sexual For almost 20 years, Chung kept the alleged sexual assault from church leaders and his wife, Park said. Kim would not agree to an interview but wrote back: We at CFC continue to seek the Lord in the work of the church and we are grateful to God for the way He is leading our congregation and this is our focus right now. Chung was also an adjunct professor at Urbana Theological Seminary from 2005 to 2018. He said, Your parents are well-respected members of their church, your fathers an elder [at their church], Rhee recalled. But lay leaders and congregants began leaving the church in recent years, which was also a registered student organization at UICU. CFC added that while the CFC Oversight Board would see the survey ahead of time and GRACE would accept input, GRACE would make final decisions on which survey questions to include. 217 Today: 217 Today host looks back on time at Illinois Public Media, Plans are back on the table for a carbon pipeline in Illinois, Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson head to Chicago mayoral runoff. Ive been very hesitant for some while about getting really committed and really involved and back to serving with a church, but I feel like my appetite is coming back, he said. Access to MinistryWatch content is free. More than a dozen former CFC members, leaders, and volunteers came forward to TRR. Esther Yoon-Ji Kang is a reporter for WBEZs Race, Class and Communities desk. On January 17, 1990, the couple welcomed their first child, Tucker Stephenson. We see this is the third article this month youve found worth reading. TRR reached out to Min Chung for comment, but he did not respond. background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); We remind him to abide by the BCO (Book of Church Order), and we believe that he should return to ministry," Sungwoo Nam of KCP stated. Attorney Laura Dunn, a contracted institutional response specialist with GRACE, said many of the people with whom she spoke struggled to get through their interviews, some of which took three to four hours. However, we hope you will support our work with your prayers and financial gifts. The report, published in June, is intended to provide resources to handle abuse cases and to offer best practices and guidelines for elders, churches, presbyteries and other entities. Ultimately my hope is to discover who God truly is, beyond the God that CFC represented.. Our hope is to provide care and oversight in whatever way is appropriate. He declined to be interviewed in order to respect the privacy of those involved and due to the ongoing nature of allegations.. SOLA Network, a digital platform and conference including Asian American pastors from all over the country, recently broke ties with Chung. She says he then began to force himself on her and pull his pants down until she pushed him off and ran into the bathroom, locking the door until he left. A 124-page extended version of the report, containing copies of texts describing one victims assault and subsequent intimidation, was submitted to an investigative team of the Korean Central Presbytery (KCP) in November 2020, following up on a five-page allegation letter the whistleblowers sent in August. margin-top: 18px As WBEZ previously reported, those restorative steps had included meeting with the CFC pastoral staff regularly for mutual encouragement and care and preventing Chung from preaching at CFC for a limited time. Pastor Kim did not respond to a TRR inquiry about the audit. The victim was terrified and did whatever she was told, the report states. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-controls .mejs-time-rail .mejs-time-total { Biblical discipline, especially of a pastor or elder in ordained office, cannot be conducted in solitude by the offender. Rebecca Hopkins is a journalist based in Colorado. The motion requires two-thirds vote. However, a document submitted by a group of former CFC members calling themselves the allegation group, asked the Korean Central Presbytery (KCP), a denominational oversight group, to investigate the incident, called it unwanted, non-consensual touch in her private area., Chung reportedly personally counseled the woman after the incident, and said they reached reconciliation.. On July 13, the KCP met to discuss a complaint about the ruling filed by a group of pastors who wanted the group to remove Chung from the ministry. WILL and the Illinois Newsroom are committed to bringing you in-depth, relevant coverage that keeps you informed and engages you with our community and state. The SOLA Network exists to influence the emerging generation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In 2018, Chung preached a sermon addressing the #MeToo movement in which he told victims to repent for your pain and reaction to your sin nature.. While the perfect judgment of God awaits us all, human judgments must be made to reflect His. We, as a collective voice of Asian American leaders, implore Min Chung to cease all public ministry at least until a new investigation is conducted and proper disciplinary measures are followed. The church followed the report with a letter apologizing for several wrongs. The woman pastor at the center of the Southern Baptist Convention's decision to oust Saddleback Church the California megachurch founded by pastor and best-selling author Rick Warren says she will continue to serve as a ministry leader despite her longstanding ties to the nation's largest Sometimes weve lost purpose and direction. Korean Christians have had such a tremendous and positive impact over the last few decades on local communities and believers, its difficult to overstate. But he said the church had recently decided to hire an outside group to investigate in order to work towards rebuilding trust and create a healthier culture that better reflects Jesus.. Get new articles and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Follow her on Twitter @estheryjkang. We continue to seek the Lord for His leading in this season of ministry.. While this was happening, the report states, Chung was exercising nearly Godlike authority to pressure his victim and various others whod learned about the incident to stay silent. The report also recommended that the church hire a third-party auditor to address some members financial concerns, though the Center didnt think there were financial irregularities.. "Regarding recovery, the pastor reconciled with his victim, and regarding his relationship with God, he recognized his sin before God and relies on the blood of Christ. We acknowledge that this was wrong., Kim said the woman had forgiven Chung long ago.. Its time to move on.. Since there is no room in the culture for open candor, exchange of perspectives, and helpful permissive dissension, there is only a cycle of abuse that continues at all levels of leadership," Dan Lee, a whistleblower, revealed. Members didnt feel safe talking to leaders and sometimes felt ostracized, the report said. It is because we believe in the power and sanctity of the gospel that we are publishing this statement. It was another missed opportunity, Amy Han said. Sorry, the underlying pathology of people who act out this way takes more than a few of your cronies to meet at some hotel resort and call that Restoration. Furthermore, what is actually done to assist the victims and their families through this process? Another day, theres basketball. } Commissioners for the Presbyterian Church in America approved a motion to leave the National Association of Evangelicals on Wednesday at the PCAs, The Presbyterian Church in Americas (PCA) highest ecclesiastical court is taking over a case allegedly mishandled by an Indiana presbytery, a letter, The Rev. In February of 2019, Park said she reported the matter to Kim and urged him to allow a third-party investigation, but Kim refused. Other whistleblowers said in the report that that isnt true. Opinion: What is Revivaland is it Happening at Asbury? Bryan Chapell, the PCAs stated clerk, confirmed to WBEZ in a statement that the discipline matter has been concluded by the SJC. Pastor Min is the founding and lead pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church, a large church in Champaign. Leaving the case to be resolved by a higher jurisdiction. In May, CFC severed ties with Chung and hired Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (G.R.A.C.E.) We know this may cause pain for many people, and we deeply regret that CFC has chosen this path.. They were also concerned that other victims may exist, she said. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of "Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse" by Dr. Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys. Hence, the SOLA Network writes the following statement so that the emerging generation of Asian American pastors, leaders, and Christ-followers can be gospel-centric in processing and dealing with the stated incident. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-controls .mejs-horizontal-volume-slider .mejs-horizontal-volume-total, I would guess the numbers will continue to collapse keep up the good work PCA. padding: 1px; Prominent Korean-American congregation Covenant Fellowship Church (CFC) in central Illinois has terminated its nearly complete independent investigation into alleged spiritual and emotional abuse at the church, according to Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE). I have the privilege of living near a large population of Korean Americans, both Christian and otherwise. (The version of the report released to TRR referenced and summarized the texts instead in the interest of the victims privacy.) He was in his own words his neighborhood's "all-purpose Asian" and did not feel he had a culture of his own. WBEZ emailed CFC lead pastor KJ Kim and the churchs Oversight Board with questions about why the church terminated its contract with GRACE, as well as CFCs plan for any long-term changes in the wake of last years events. The SOLA Network, for the gospel-centric reason outlined in the introduction, feels it is necessary to articulate that: We grieve the fact that ministers of the gospel, those who are to represent Christ himself, have sinned against their own sheep, denied the biblical call to repentance, and failed to seek justice. A TRR inquiry about the audit Depression, he was in his own is subject to the Book. Or submitting a story or making a contribution a member in good standing J-Gen, a ministry for high that... For restoration to ministry with your prayers and financial gifts what Chung had done will make right all and. 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