We judge that his relationship with God is restored as we consider the grace of God. Christian Rocker Posts Stunning Response to Recent Apostasy of Christian Leaders, Chicago Radio Host & a Former Bodyguard Say James MacDonald Asked Them to Arrange Murders, James MacDonald Took Millions from Harvest & Now Demands Broadcast Ministry, Mancow Airs Shocking Comments By James MacDonald: My Response. Hi. 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. into silence those who knew of the incident, the report states. According to sources, in the past few months, CFC has terminated the assessment with GRACE and wiped any trace of the leadership updates from last year (as seen on a web page accessed by WBEZ on Sept. 21). I really did not see this coming, she said. Another promised change was to bring the church under a regional body within the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA), to seek more oversight and accountability for its leaders and members. Theyre a very inclusive, very inviting community. Chung began private counseling sessions with the victim, using that time to urge her to keep silent about the assault, the report states. They were also concerned that other victims may exist, she said. background: #db4e88; A total of 19 people signed on to the report or are cited as witnesses. Serving with a denomination as a District Leader I saw leaders shuffled to different churches who were related to significant people in the denomination who continued to act our inappropiately on women and it was imply ignored or excused. We continue to seek the Lord for His leading in this season of ministry.. 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. A Presbyterian oversight group has determined that the former head pastor of a Korean church near the Champaign-Urbana campus of the University of Illinois can remain an ordained minister despite allegations of sexual misconduct against him and his church. 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 While the perfect judgment of God awaits us all, human judgments must be made to reflect His. Former CFC member Janet Park said that when she confronted Chung in 2009, he told her that he kept the matter a secret because the victim had insisted on doing so. Were an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. Also, any comments with profanity, name-calling, and/or a nasty tone will be deleted. To make a donation,click here. WBEZ uncovered multiple other allegations against CFC, including pastors at the church making sexual comments to teen girls, church officials brushing off women who were sexually assaulted who went to them for help, and an overall culture that diminished women. In 2020, the SOLA Council was notified about a past incident involving council member Min Chung, in which he acted inappropriately with a female young adult whom he was pastoring. Women in many Korean churches are told to be submissive, former CFC members said. He also referred WBEZ to Tim LeCroy, a pastor who chaired the PCAs committee that wrote the domestic and sexual abuse report. In the aftermath, CFC promised to make changes and to be transparent. 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. You have entered an incorrect email address! 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The Council believes sexual sin against a member of the congregation and failure to properly confess or be held accountable are reasons to disqualify a pastor/elder from office. Many times, I thought I lost my own understanding in God. Min committed sexual misconduct against a female young adult whom he was pastoring. Over the course of the past few years, the leadership of Covenant Fellowship Church has sought to investigate claims of abuse regarding our founding pastor, Kim wrote in a statement to TRR. The council also encouraged a member in the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) to inform the denomination of the information SOLA had received regarding Min, who is a member of the PCA. 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? The presbytery is a ruling body of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), the denomination that ordained Chung. He experienced his childhood in America and went to James B. Conant High School. z-index: 1; As of May 27, 2021, Covenant Fellowship Church (CFC) has terminated its formal relationship with Min Chung. But that system broke down: Oversight entities had limited power and the denominations governing rules proved to be inadequate for addressing the issue of abuse in the church. figcaption.wp-caption-text { But now were not really given that chance.. Chungs church reckoned him to have an especially high place of anointing, making him untouchable when he does wrong, said Dan Lee, another whistleblower in the report. For investigators at GRACE, CFCs decision to terminate the assessment is a highly unusual move. 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. For us, Pastor Min is more than just a gifted pastor and teacher. Brea, CA 92821 | 562.694.2100 2022 Living Hope Community Church. Copyright 2023 Christianity Daily. Without its RSO status, the church was not able to reserve campus spaces and recruit attendees on Quad Day, an annual event held at the start of the fall semester where new students are introduced to organizations on campus. Chung turned over leadership of the church he founded in 2019 to a team of associate pastors, according to Ministry Watch. He kept this information hidden for nearly 20 years from his wife, his church leaders, and other leaders outside the church. Korean Church Stops Independent Investigation into Sexual To Pergamum: Do Not Compromise | Revelation 2:12-17 (Pastor Min Chung) Many people were waiting to see what came out of this and then what their response would be to that, Pinyo said. I have to believe that having an an honor/shame cultural background, rather than a right/wrong (or guilt) background, would bring quite a few challenges to conducting an independent leadership investigation. 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. Ultimately my hope is to discover who God truly is, beyond the God that CFC represented.. Anne Rhee (not her real name) recalled when she began to kiss a male friend from church. [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. tricked into sending Asian Texans drivers licenses to fraud scheme, Everything Everywhere All at Once nearly sweeps SAG Awards, Elon Musk uses Asians in defense of Dilbert creators remarks about Black people, Michelle Yeoh wins SAG Award for best actress. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. 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. .wp-caption p.wp-caption-text { .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time-total, We grieve the subtle undertones of misogyny that have been present in our churches and have contributed to unbiblical hierarchies and unhealthy power structures. 6 min read. 500K PCA and other conservative denominations. position: absolute; . According to U of I spokeswoman Robin Kaler, Covenant Fellowship is once again a registered student organization with the university this school year giving the 32-year-old congregation access to the schools facilities and a new crop of potential members. Im tired, said Tim Ma, who previously served on the CFC worship team. Its disappointing, but kind of in line with what weve seen from them over the past several yearsprioritizing the institution over the victims, said former church member June Pinyo. 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