A story in Washingtonian Magazine, by Tiffany Stanley, dated February 14, 2016, highlights three families who were plaintiffs in the lawsuit and their involvement with Sovereign Grace Ministries. The Catholic Church has been taken to task over abuse for decades now. For more than 40 years, Sovereign Grace Ministries was a haven for evangelical Christians from around the D.C. metro region. Center in Louisville, Kentucky, became the focus of controversy when it invited Mahaney, the senior pastor at Sovereign Grace For those confused by the events of the last few years, here is a brief timeline based on one offered by SGCs former flagship, Covenant Life Church (CLC): October 2012: Accusers file an initial complaint with three plaintiffs, alleging that SGM and leaders in Maryland and Virginia covered up sexual abuse within two congregations. 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 pastors and ministry leaders are not equipped to conduct investigations into allegations of sexual abuse within their ministries. Underpinning much of these teachings is a patriarchal understanding of Christianity, where men are in charge. 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.. At the same Senate hearing another individual, Terry Mayo, also testified. 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. WebMultiple people have accused Sovereign Grace Churches (SGC) of covering up sexual abuse, and other reports indicate that the churchs culture discourages people from WebMahaney resigned from the presidency of Sovereign Grace Ministries in 2013 in order to plant Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville. Web12914 Shelbyville Rd Louisville, KY 40243 Sovereign Grace 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. To share this article with your friends, use any of the social share buttons on our site, or simply copy the link below. On one level, I understood that, but I was also talking to victims who had their lives irrevocably changedthey couldnt just move on. The court also found that the "Covenant Life School" sued by the plaintiffs did not exist during the time frame of the alleged abuse.[59][60]. SB 69 died in committee following the hearing. A little more transparency might go a long way. 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. That assumption isnt true. The sad reality is that sexual abuse is widespread everywhere, not just in religious communities. Mahaney are still revered, still headlining conferences, and still running churches, with powerful evangelical allies on their side. So too the despicable acts carried out by Loftness and Ricucci. On March 8, 2016, two individuals testified before the Maryland State Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee regarding the Sovereign Grace Ministries lawsuit. Some of the leaders at Sovereign Grace Ministries had outsized influence in evangelicalism at largeJoshua Harris, one of their former pastors, wrote a book I Kissed Dating Goodbye, which as you point out is an evangelical cult classic and shaped how evangelical millennials grew up understanding sex. That suit wouldnt involve all the original plaintiffs because some are too old to file suits. In the course of the interview about Nassar, Denhollander said that evangelical churches in general have a habit of shoving sexual abuse under the rug: We are very happy to use sexual assault as a convenient whipping block when its outside our community. Mahaney announced "that he would step down as president of SGM's beleaguered network of churches. It was 2011, five years after her family had left Covenant Life Church. Indeed, Covenant Life Church (which left SGM in 2012 amid the allegations) did commission an independent investigation to look into how sexual abuse reports were handled at its church. 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. These survivors are women and men in their twenties, thirties, and forties, whose marriages have been affected, who have been in psychiatric inpatient treatment, who live in terror of their own kids going to a sleepover. 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. For nearly six years now, an open wound has been festering in the evangelical community. SGC has also posted its full statement regarding this editorial.]. This is an oversimplification, but basically, if a church member confesses abuse to a pastor, or the knowledge is received from a victim in a pastoral capacity, the minister may not be legally obligated to report the abuse. RZIM issued a. following the report, but has yet to announce any changes in leadership. However, its history of being fired or not rehired by some ministriesas well as Tchividjians past public statements on SGM, which SGC says have prejudged and publicly indicted the ministrycould make a church understandably balk. What does a young girl make of her purity if her father molests her? 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. Speaking up after the hard work has been done is easy, said Denhollander, who is an attorney known for being the, to publicly accuse USA gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar of sexual abuse. 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. from his role as President, or to "call into question his fitness for gospel ministry. As of January 2018, two years later, no new lawsuit has been filed. Since the lawsuit was dismissed on procedural grounds, and not on the merits of the case, there was never a legal investigation of the charges. Judge Burrell found that any conspiracy to cover-up should have been brought within the time frame of the alleged abuse. 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. 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. WebHer investigation, The Sex Scandal that Devastated a Suburban Megachurch , chronicles the inside story of crimes against children in D.C.-area Sovereign Grace churches, That being said, we call upon SGC to welcome an independent audit of how it has, in fact, processed charges when they have been brought to its attentionthis is precisely one of the points of contention. 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. I can understand that pastoral confidentiality is important, and so are religious freedom considerations. While two of the links in Denhollanders post are broken, you can read the churches statements here. 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. August 8, 2013: Motion to reconsider denied by the Circuit Court for Montgomery County. The lawsuit ended up being dismissed because of the statute of limitations. 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. The ultimate reality that I live with is that if my abuser had been Nathaniel Morales [a church member at Covenant Life Church convicted of child sexual abuse] instead of Larry Nassar, if my enabler had been [an SGM pastor] instead of [MSU gymnastics coach] Kathie Klages, if the organization I was speaking out against was Sovereign Grace under the leadership of [Mahaney] instead of MSU under the leadership of Lou Anna Simon, I would not only not have evangelical support, I would be actively vilified and lied about by every single evangelical leader out there. 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. Why Pastors Are Stepping Down", "C.J. [Basically, the two plaintiffs whose claims were not time-barred had sued in the wrong state and could refile in Virginia.]. This article has been updated the story with clarifications since it original publication. What does a young boy think if a male church member sexually assaults him? 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. Get the best from CT editors, delivered straight to your inbox! And especially for the sake of the gospel. Witnesses (I was one) were prepared to testify under oath to that fact. Because many churches are ideologically committed to the theories that lead them to handle abuse so poorly, many church leaders are very sincere, yet sincerely wrong. 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. At the same time, if the many charges prove to be true to a larger extent than they currently acknowledge, it would be sad and troublingbut not without hope if it leads to truth-telling and repentance. Since the scandal, more than 30 churches have left the denominationincluding Covenant Life and SGC Fairfax. 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. Perhaps the number of abuse victims isnt as high as it seems. Browse 60+ years of magazine archives and web exclusives. [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. A lawsuit complicates who is willing to talk to you, and I am sympathetic to that. 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. 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. The beloved drink is both an attraction and a generational divide. [65], In a different case in 2014, Nathaniel Morales, a youth mentor at Covenant Life Church, who "led youth bible studies, directed worship teams, and even attended sleepovers,"[66] was convicted of abusing four boys between 1983 and 1991. May 14, 2013: A Second Amended Complaint is filed, adding three more plaintiffs alleging abuse. | (Photo: 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. And for the sake of SGC and for the integrity of evangelical churches everywhere. [56] An appeal of the lower court's decision was heard by the Maryland appellate court in May 2014, and the lawsuit was again dismissed when the court found that the Plaintiff's attorney had filed the appeal too early. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. Whats worse, these unseemly events reverberate outward, mixing with the #ChurchToo discussion and lingering anger over the Roman Catholic Church abuse scandal. Denhollander came to national attention when she became the first woman (of almost 160) to reveal publicly that she had been abused by USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar. 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 Facebook post on Feb. 12. I immediately urged that an independent investigation be conducted and agreed that CJ needed to step down from public ministry until that took place, he stated. Its time for healing to begin. [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". Or who earnestly felt, as a matter of religious freedom, that secular authorities and courts shouldnt second-guess pastoral counseling decisions. Fourth, we recognize and applaud the steps Sovereign Grace and its churches have taken since this controversy first erupted. Rev. They are a tool to see if there was a cover-up. 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. June 14, 2013: While the motion for reconsideration is still pending, plaintiffs file an appeal with the Maryland Court of Special Appeals. Anyone familiar with sexual assault, institutional dynamics, or simply the process for independent investigations, would immediately recognize that this type of firm is not in any way the type of firm normally retained for such endeavors, and that the skill set and expertise necessary for this type of investigation, simply was not present. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. In her Feb.12 statement, Denhollander listed three SGC churches that have sent letters calling on SGC leaders to conduct an investigation. WebIn late 2012, a lawsuit in Montgomery County, Maryland was brought against Sovereign Grace Ministries for a conspiracy to cover-up child sex abuse. [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. A team arrived in April of 1981 of 11 people, including Tomczak and family. While two of the links in Denhollanders post are broken, you can read the churches statements. 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. 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." that concerns over SGC leaders handling of sexual abuse allegations contributed to him stepping away from the church. And we are hardly ready to conclude SGC and the accused congregations and leaders are guilty of every charge brought against them. WebSovereign Grace Churches says no to outside investigation of abuse allegations News Bob Allen | April 17, 2019 An evangelical church-planting network accused of covering up [69][70], In November 2013, SGM issued a statement saying that, years after pastoral counsel was sought, "allowing courts to second guess pastoral guidance would represent a blow to the First Amendment. . With congregations numbering in the thousands, SGMs churches including Sovereign Grace Church in Fairfax, Va. and Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Md. 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. What Happens Now? Perhaps SGMs reporting process was indeed followed more times than not. She testified that the defense had refused to settle out of court requiring that the case be heard in court on its merits. "[2] Larry Tomczak withdrew from the Charismatic Catholic scene shortly before the creation of Covenant Life Church. She also imagined that 18 people witnessed the abuse, and she listed them by name. Since its publication, I have also been hearing from people who want to share with me stories of abuse from other ministries. 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. His accuser was plaintiff Heather Thompson Bryant. Books like I Kissed Dating Goodbye promote courtship. Since then, five other albums have charted, the highest being From Age To Age (2012) at No. The church was among an initial list of 10 that were alleged to have displayed a wanton disregard for the seriousness of abuse.. 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