Bryan Chapell, the PCAs stated clerk, confirmed to WBEZ in a statement that the discipline matter has been concluded by the SJC. He added that the Book of Church Order wasnt designed to protect victims of abuse, and that the PCA should consider amendments to the book to help make the judicial process less cumbersome for lay members. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time { This story originally appeared at MinistryWatch., Religion Unplugged56 BroadwayNew York, NY 10004, Religion Unplugged is a production of The Media Project and a member of the Institute for Nonprofit NewsEIN: 83-0461425site design by Peter Freeby, Clemente Lisi, books, Pope Pius XII, Jews, Zenger, Hamil Harris, Primary Feature, Samuel Rodriguez, National hispanic christian leadership conference, Uvalde, Uvalde school shooting, Zenger, Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment. The commission ruled the KCP had made procedural errors during its initial look at the allegations against Chung, according to Brian Park, one of the pastors in that presbytery who filed the complaint to the SJC. Rhee told WBEZ she reported the incident to Pastor Chung. K.J. As outlined in WBEZs initial report, in April 2021, the KCP a regional presbytery of the PCA to which Kim, Chung and other former CFC pastors belong had found Chung guilty of his admitted sexual harassment for inappropriately touching a female congregant in 2001 (instead of a more serious form of misconduct). kept the alleged sexual assault from church leaders and his wife, LeCroy said victims of abuse, who cannot get redress via the means provided by the church or denomination, can take to various means to seek justice. Several survivors would ask theKorean Central Presbytery(KCP), a denominational oversight group, to investigate Chung's inappropriate touching incident before WBEZ's reporting. Premiers mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. The victim was terrified and did whatever she was told, the report states. Through the Presbyterian Church in America's ruling body, Korean Central Presbytery (KCP), Min Joshua Chung, the founder of the Covenant Fellowship Church (CFC) in Champaign-Urbana, was restored to his post as a minister in April this year. It was very much like, Why do you think you got into this relationship? A major area we processed was how I respond to authority and feeling pressured, obligated, attacked, and manipulated. Diane Langberg, a prominent psychologist and leading voice on abuse within church communities, said CFCs termination of the GRACE assessment is yet another move to silence the individuals the church has hurt. to conduct a third-party investigation. (Illinois defines criminal sexual assault as using force or threat or force, and the defendant knows the victim is unable to give knowing consent.). April 21, 2023. [Churches and presbyteries] are not trained to look into [abuse], Langberg said. new homes for sale in gonzales, la; jfk airport covid testing requirements; norman, ok mayor political party; switzerland cemetery records; Anne Stych is a freelance writer, copy editor, proofreader and content manager covering science, technology, retail, etc. Facebook photo. WebGreat! Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Chung turned over leadership of the church he founded in 2019 to a team of associate pastors, according to Ministry Watch. Last August, shortly after the WBEZ report was published, the same group of pastors from the KCP appealed the case, which went to the PCAs Standing Judicial Commission (SJC), a quasi-judicial body of sorts, according to several sources. Follow her on Twitter @estheryjkang. 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. Join with thousands of others to keep this important public media-based resource available to all. Susie An covers education for WBEZ. The Roys Report seeks to foster thoughtful and respectful dialogue. .wp-caption img { Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE), an organization hired by Covenant Fellowship Church to look into the allegations against the Inside the Actresss Marriage to a Pastor. Authors Channel Summit. Webwhat happened to pastor min chung pickwick lake fishing guides. Go to our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Many other ministries have removed Chung from their boards and speaking schedules. There were also claims of pastors making sexual comments to teen attendees, officials brushing off sexual assault claims, and a general setting where women were seemingly less valued than men. font-size: 13px Now, more than a year after WBEZ broke the story, former members and others familiar with the church say CFC is quietly reversing course. However, some internal tension caused many leaders to depart the church, with Chung stepping down as head pastor in 2019. Webwhat happened to pastor min chung. I went to my head pastor and I was emotionally distressed, she said. SOLA Network, a digital platform and conference including Asian American pastors from all over the country, recently broke ties with Chung. A year later, the group of 14 whistleblowers submitted their report to the PCAs Korean Central Presbytery and called for the KCP to investigate Chung, arguing CFC associate pastors had failed to discipline him, said Park. Becky Stephens will become senior pastor at Bucyrus United Methodist Church in July. Many people conceive of tweets as analogous to TV or newspaper or radio that there are people who tweet, there are people who read the tweets, as Munger puts it. A new report appears to implicate Covenant Fellowship Church's former head pastor, Min Joshua Chung, in fostering and creating a misogynistic church .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-horizontal-volume-total { The church has, since, grown into a congegration with more than a thousand attendees. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-controls .mejs-horizontal-volume-slider .mejs-horizontal-volume-current, 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. His influence extends beyond the church walls. Last summer, hundreds of accounts surfaced online criticizing Covenant Fellowship Church for mishandling alleged incidents of sexual abuse committed by church members. He said in a statement to WBEZ that the presbytery is currently working with CFC and is discussing whether to receive the congregation into our jurisdiction. He still preaches as a member in good standing. Kim, who is currently the churchs senior pastor, previously said Chung had admitted to touching a female over the clothing for a brief moment about 20 years ago but had immediately stopped when she asked him to. Pastor Min Chung is also known as one of the youth movement Joshua Generation conference and college movement founders. Pastor Chung holds a Korean-American identity. He experienced his childhood in America and went to James B. Conant High School. After that, he was acknowledged at the University of Illinois. However, a senior consultant at Center Consulting has ties with Chung. } Join with thousands of others to keep this important public media-based resource available to all. ymca executive director salary; times reporter garage sales; parexel trials london; eteri tutberidze husband; rocky mountain air show 2022; usfl rules differences; Menu. Editors note: This story has been updated to clarify when the KCP received the whistleblowers allegations and to more accurately state certain charges. For many years, Chung had been a council member and a writer for their site. GRACE said in a statement that although all that remained in the investigation was a minimal number of interviews, primarily with CFC leadership, it had been informed by CFC that the assessment would not continue. .mytheme-mejs-container.mejs-container, background: #db4e88; Also, any comments with profanity, name-calling, and/or a nasty tone will be deleted. During that time, he pastored the church, served on several ministry boards, and taught at the seminary. Over the years, Chung rebuked whistleblowers who tried to confront him for causing dissension in the church. They either left or were forced to leave by the leadership they loved, the report states. One was a claim from many years ago of inappropriate touch with an adult woman. In May 2021, CFC cut ties with him. What remains is for the regional body that originally adjudicated the case to respond about procedural steps needing correction for the future.. content: ''; 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. In addition, CFC vowed to be clear and transparent with members by providing regular updates on the probe on its website. But theres, of course, a lot under the surface as well, he added. WebWorked at Associate Pastor of New People Baptist Church (Sae Kook Min Baptist Church (1978-1987) and PoDowon Baptist Church (2006-2010) Lives in Gimpo Pastor Cyrus Chung Chung .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time-hovered, 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. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time-total { Bryan Chapell, the PCAs stated clerk, confirmed to WBEZ in a statement that the discipline matter has been concluded by the SJC. URBANA A former assistant pastor at a Champaign church has been criminally charged with sexually assaulting a teen who was a member of the congregation. Coverstone confirmed in a separate email to WBEZ that Kim, who had been accused by former church members of failing to respond properly to Chungs sexual misconduct, had been accepted into the Presbytery of Northern Illinois in January. The Mississippi. The leader of a Christian cult in Kenya is due to appear in court next week, as the exhumation of bodies found in mass graves on his land continues. In addition, hundreds of accounts surfaced online criticizing the church for mishandling alleged incidents of sexual abuse committed by church members, highlighting how Chung and other church leaders downplayed that abuse. We advise you upgrade your web browser before continuing to use this website. Eventually, that group reconsidered and completed the assessment. Rev. It is interesting the there were 5-6 million Presbyterians in the 1960s the number now is down to paltry 1.5 Presbyterians in the U.S. 1 Million Liberal (PSUSA) She bangs on his door all hours of the night until he finally comes and gives her justice, LeCroy explained. Theres a side of me thats like, no, Im not gonna give another ounce of my energy and time to this, and then theres this other side of me thats just so upset at the injustice of it all, that people still dont have the truth., Miryung Fontijn, another member of the allegation group, said she was shocked by the GRACE termination. The Revelation of Jesus Christ | Revelation 1 (Pastor Min Chung) joe 2019.02.19 52. Pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie has said he closed down his Good News International Church four years ago Diane Langberg, a prominent psychologist and leading voice on abuse within church communities, said CFCs termination of the GRACE assessment is yet another move to silence the individuals the church has hurt. I really did not see this coming, she said. Check Many CFC members are students there who hail from the Chicago area. The KCP which consists of several pastors who were close with Chung had determined that he had been restored to God, as well as the woman. The regional presbytery also determined no additional disciplinary steps were needed for Chung other than what the church had already instituted. WebThe Roys Report is a Christian media outlet, reporting the unvarnished truth about whats happening in the Christian community so the church can be reformed and restored.. I really did not see this coming, she said. Another woman reported to Chung that she had been raped repeatedly. } But we cant do it without you. Its time that we simply say enough is enough and no -longer co-sign this terrible plight that impacts people generationally. Sorry, your web browser is not capable of supporting the features required by this website. In our previous meetings, they had acknowledged that [Chungs case was] within the scope, so Im not certain why that changed.. As reported by The Roys Report ( TRR) last year, Min Joshua Chungarguably the nations most prominent Korean-American pastorwas accused Singer said any organizations that back out do so because they dont understand the nature of an independent assessment or investigation. Webwhat happened to pastor min chung. text-align: left; } 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. Chung began private counseling sessions with the victim, using that time to urge her to keep silent about the assault, the report states. what happened to pastor min chung. .grecaptcha-badge { visibility: hidden; } [Churches and presbyteries] are not trained to look into [abuse], Langberg said. At that meeting, however, the KCP instead considered a motion to rescind the April 2021 judgment and to hold a retrial, according to a July 15, 2021, statement from the presbytery. lely golf summer membership. font-size: 11px; Post author By ; cases where eyewitnesses were right Post date March 7, 2023; } 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. Premiers news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. height: 90px; Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of "Jesus v. Evangelicals: A Biblical Critique of a Wayward Movement" by Constantine Campbell. Sources, including Singer, told WBEZ that CFC was concerned the information-gathering process was biased and that it dug too much into Chungs case, which the church deemed outside the scope of the assessment. 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. A Presbyterian oversight group refused to defrock a Korean American minister following allegations of sexual misconduct, reports Ministry Watch. Zimmerman didnt answer calls or emails to comment on his relationship with Chung. He is the founder of truthmattersministries.com. For investigators at GRACE, CFCs decision to terminate the assessment is a highly unusual move. WBEZ Chicagoalso uncovered about an Instagram account created last May which grew to become a platform for sexual assault survivors, exposing the abuses that have been happening in the church for almost thirty years. J-Gen canceled its summer retreats to grieve and reflect.. At least 90 have been discovered so far. Pastor KJ shows no signs of remorse, shows no sign of pastoral care, only concerned with keeping us quiet.. Covenant Fellowship Church is nondenominational, has no elders, and is not a PCA member. 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. CFC separated from Chung on May 27 and has contracted a third-party investigation into his conduct. 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. She bangs on his door all hours of the night until he finally comes and gives her justice, LeCroy explained. 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. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-button > button { /* Reduce height of the progress and audio bars */ In a world of fake news theres never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. I actually had gotten to the point where I was naively thinking that [the GRACE assessment] was the one thing that was finally going to [lead] CFC to take a true, humble look at themselves.. Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment, also known as GRACE was hired by Covenant Fellowship Church to look into the allegations against the church and its former head pastor, Min Joshua Chung. Chung, who founded the church in 1990 on the University of Illinois-Champaign Urbana campus, announced in the summer of 2019 that he would Thank you. In much of Asian culture, you never want to look bad in front of the community and you never want to be the cause of someone else being shamed, said Frank Mesina, a former CFC member. The KCP which consists of several pastors who were close with Chung had determined that he had been restored to God, as well as the woman. The In the aftermath, CFC promised to investigate and to be transparent. height: 3px; Kim did not respond to a request for comment on these claims against him. . For investigators at GRACE, CFCs decision to terminate the assessment is a highly unusual move. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. At the same time as former and current members of CFC were being interviewed by GRACE, the case against the figure at the center of the controversy Min Chung made its way through the PCAs judicial system. Sources at GRACE told WBEZ that the group had conducted interviews with more than 40 former and present CFC members, many of whom spent hours talking about their experiences. As of July 2021, CFC is lead by Reverend KJ Kim and is in the process of becoming part of the Presbyterian Church in America. To Ephesus: Remember To Love Me | Revelation 2:1-7 (Pastor Min Chung) joe 2019.02.19 64. .grecaptcha-badge {
} */ /* Track progress bar background (amount of track fully loaded) Eventually, that group reconsidered and completed the assessment. In an email to Roys, Kim wrote that the decision to terminate the churchs agreement with GRACE was made with much prayer and deliberation.. Alengthy investigationby National Public Radio station WBEZ in Chicago last year and social media posts by past members portrayed Covenant Fellowship Church and Chung as fostering a misogynistic environment that included sexual mistreatment and oppression of women. Women in many Korean churches are told to be submissive, former CFC members said. WebAs reported by The Roys Report (TRR) last year, Min Joshua Chungarguably the nations most prominent Korean-American pastorwas accused by multiple witnesses of sexual misconduct and decades of cover-up and intimidation. How Tragic. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. }
He cited an example in the Bible, in the book of Luke, where Jesus tells the story of a woman and an unjust judge. All rights reserved.Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Another day, theres basketball. margin-top: 18px In September 2019, two other whistleblowers met with Kim as a final step to urge leadership to take proper steps, the report states. Theres a side of me thats like, no, Im not gonna give another ounce of my energy and time to this, and then theres this other side of me thats just so upset at the injustice of it all, that people still dont have the truth., Miryung Fontijn, another member of the allegation group, said she was shocked by the GRACE termination. CFCs main ministry is to the students at the University of Illinois and the church recruits heavily during new student week, said Tim Ma, former CFC member and 2014 Illinois graduate. For Janet Park and other members of the group that filed the initial allegations against Chung and the CFC pastors, the GRACE termination felt like a particularly painful blow. Hi. In one particular case, according to sources, Chung took steps to cover up sexual abuse committed by a fellow pastor, Samuel Lee, who was leading Faith Alliance Glenn Youngkin Donates $43,750 Salary to Good News Jail & Prison Ministry to Bring Gospel to Inmates, Baltimore Church Pastor Refused to Pay Electricity Bill of Over $30,000, Energy Company Cut Its Power Supply, United Methodist Church Regional Bodies Explore Solutions as Congregations Depart, St. Peter's Basilica Unveils Exclusive 'Prayer Entrance' Amid Tourist Surge, Comedian John Crist 100 Percent Happy His Sexual Misconduct Was Exposed Via Charisma Report, Christian Leaders React To Scathing Report On Ravi Zacharias Sexual Misconduct, What Are The Pros And Cons Of Purity Culture? She said, Its very important for churches to understand theyre killing themselves, and they dont look anything like the God they say they serve. } Victims of abuse who express their grievances on social media, who protest, who take their stories to the media theyre like that woman in that parable, LeCroy said. Anew reportfrom the Chicago radio station WBEZ has gone into extensive detail regarding Chung's misogynistic conduct. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-controls .mejs-horizontal-volume-slider .mejs-horizontal-volume-total, Moreover, for the sake of god, Min Chung had carried out various beneficial things for the duration of his life. Pastor Chung was claimed and accused in the scandal for certain genuine wrongdoings of sexual and obnoxious attack. 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You have entered an incorrect email address! Joshua Generation, commonly called J-Gen, a ministry for high schoolers that Chung founded, also severed ties with Chung. At a later meeting, the KCP would discuss a complaint filed by several pastors who wanted to see Chung removed from office. 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. Chung was also an adjunct professor at Urbana Theological Seminary from 2005 to 2018. CFC also hired The Center Consulting Group to conduct surveys and evaluate the health of the church. The report doesnt offer explicit details of the incident, but states that the touching was in a way that could be constituted as sexual assault under Illinois law. Under the previous structure, CFC was an independent church, with just Chung and the associate pastors, as individuals, belonging to the Korean Central Presbytery (KCP), one of the regional bodies within the PCA.
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