Nine teaching elders protested the KCPs ruling, saying they didnt think Chung was truly repentant, and called for indefinite suspension. As James 3 warns us, teachers will be judged more strictly. And women are taught to protect men, even when the men are doing something wrong or hurting the women, said former member June Pinyo. The congregation also sought to evaluate the health of the church through The Center Consulting Group (CCG). Pastor KJ shows no signs of remorse, shows no sign of pastoral care, only concerned with keeping us quiet.. Wade Morris, Popular Baptist Youth Speaker, Dies After COVID-19 Hospitalization. background: #db4e88; } Last summer, amid the outcry that resulted from the revelations by an Instagram account called @letters_from_rahab, CFC said it would cut financial ties to the pastor and hire a third-party group to do a full investigation. It contracted with an organization called Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE) to assess the church and its response to allegations of abuse. Illinois Newsroom gets stories from public radio stations from across the state, including WBEZ-Chicago, WCBU-Peoria, WGLT-Normal, WVIK-Rock Island, WIUM-Macomb, WNIJ-DeKalb, WSIU-Carbondale, WUIS-Springfield, and St. Louis Public Radio. But TRR said that the ruling may still be appealed to the Standing Judicial Commission of the PCA's General Assembly. We prefer to style these with the main accent color of our theme */ Because of the trust that had been damaged and the pain that had been caused, he said, the church board voted unanimously May 27 to separate from Chung. Amid rumors of sexual misconduct, Chung announced in the summer of 2019 that he would transition out of the head pastor role and that a team of associate pastors would take over. But now were not really given that chance.. Front-runner for Oscar. Another day, theres basketball. background-color: rgba(219, 78, 136, 0.075); font-size: 11px; I have really chosen to not respond to many of these issues but when I was a young man right before I went to college to study for the ministry one of the men who was a brother to a popular board member of the church attempted to molest me at my parents home while I was recovering from a severe pneumonia. The CCG called the allegations against Min Chung an inappropriate moral failure between Min Chung and a woman. We remind him to abide by the BCO (Book of Church Order), and we believe that he should return to ministry.. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time-handle-content { } 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. CFC also hired The Center Consulting Group to conduct surveys and evaluate the health of the church. It was another missed opportunity, Amy Han said. Pastoral leadership is an immense privilege, not a right. For the sake of the churchs purity and healing, we desire for there to be a thorough, fair, and independent investigation completed regarding the incident and the aftermath. position: absolute; However, the KCP determined at an April meeting that looked only at the single incident that Chung had been restored to God, as well as the woman, and that that discipline instituted by CFC pastors was found to be sufficient.. Its a moment of reckoning for the Korean American church, former CFC member June Pinyo said. Though the assessment is nearly complete, the termination by CFC effectively halts our work at this time. Im tired, said Tim Ma, who previously served on the CFC worship team. 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. } */ Chung didnt respond when The Roys Report tried to reach him for comment. 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. That is the message of Esther Lius book Shame: Being Known and Loved. WebLearning to Groan in the Holy Spirit | Romans 8:13-16, 26-27 (Pastor Min Chung) I am probably going to get myself in trouble making this next statement but the context was always a sense of Hyper-Complimentarianism or some hybrid form of it because the Denomination that I refereed of believed in women Pastors but the culture was steeped with this type of theological thinking. 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. 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). 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. Min Chung is the founding and senior pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church Rev. Keep in touch with Julie and get updates in your inbox! The motion requires two-thirds vote. In this case, Id say this is the logical result of Korean Cultures Confucian-infused hierarchy: father-son, king-subject, husband-wife, elder-younger, friend-friend (where one is above the other in rank). He was in his own words his neighborhood's "all-purpose Asian" and did not feel he had a culture of his own. While the perfect judgment of God awaits us all, human judgments must be made to reflect His. So they think that they can have some level of control of the process some access to information before they get to the final product, Singer said. Nothing was put in place, to my knowledge, to keep me safe from him. to conduct a third-party investigation. Pete Singer, GRACEs executive director, called the cancellation very rare, adding he is aware of just one other organization that has done the same. But Chung got upset that the victim had told someone and told her to keep the incident quiet between the two of them, the friend said in the report. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time-hovered, The former AG pastor led his congregation out of the 1.8 million member Pentecostal denomination and presided over the change of policy in his local church on same-sex practices. Other whistleblowers said in the report that that isnt true. Its time to move on.. 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. It serves as a digital platform for evangelical leaders, writers, speakers, and bloggers who share the same values of faith to provide Gospel-centered resources.View all posts by SOLA Network, This week we continued sharing our content from SOLA Conference 2021. } .wp-caption p.wp-caption-text { 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. Even the pastors, I would say, do a good job at that. Brea, CA 92821 | 562.694.2100 2022 Living Hope Community Church. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-embed, To donate, click here. background-color: #fff; MC (Min Chung) is anointed by God, God only exists at CFC and there is no other place like CFC, Lee said, describing the church environment. } We grieve that this incident will cause many to experience confusion and lose trust in their pastors and elders. } Bryan Chapell, the PCAs stated clerk, confirmed to WBEZ in a statement that the discipline matter has been concluded by the SJC. Some former CFC members told TRR they believe CFC leaders have lost their way. Even the friend in whom the victim confided feared she would be cursed by God if she spoke against Chung. Members didnt feel safe talking to leaders and sometimes felt ostracized, the report said. The Council in particular, as men in pastoral leadership of Asian American churches, want to offer an apology. The political influence of the Senior Pastor in most independent churches is always a problem but in a denomination the hope is that people with oversight can minimize the political influence I guess not. left: 0; In addition to the alleged sexual assault, the report lists several other allegations against Chung. } 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. AsAmNews is a community of users interested in reading, learning and commenting on news, events, people & issues in the Asian Americans and Pacific Islander communities. padding: 1px; CFC, located in Champaign-Urbana, hired GRACE to evaluate the churchs practices, policies and culture for risks relating to emotional and spiritual abuse, after many in the Asian American community called for reform. In addition, CFC vowed to be clear and transparent with members by providing regular updates on the probe on its website. Dr. Min J. Chung is the founding and lead pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church, an . Per a New York Times opinion piece from June 13, 2016 called South Koreas Misogyny, Women made up 86 percent of all violent crime victims in 2013, according to police data (most violent crime is sexual in nature, and women suffer disproportionately from sexual crimes)., Per a June 23, 2021 article from foreignpolicy.com, sexism has been a long-standing issue in South Korea. background-image: url("images/mejs-controls-dark.svg"); /* Player background */ More than a dozen former CFC members, leaders, and volunteers came forward to TRR. But Chung is subject to the PCAs Book of Church Order because of his PCA ordination, KJ Kim told TRR. Those who looked deeper discovered sexual misconduct and abuse of power by Chung, former long-term church members, pastors, and leaders state in a 67-page report released to The Roys Report (TRR). This years conference theme is Witness, and we hope to equip the local church to be a compelling witness despite our divisive and divided society and culture. figcaption.wp-caption-text { right: 0; Get Your Domain Names Here! /* .jet-smart-listing__featured-box-link:before { We judge that his relationship with God is restored as we consider the grace of God. The victim did. /* Progress and audio bar background */ Check out our new Instagram account. 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 Join with thousands of others to keep this important public media-based resource available to all. The report accuses Chung of orchestrating a cover-up of sexual abuse allegations against another Korean-American pastor of a church with close ties to CFC. He also referred WBEZ to Tim LeCroy, a pastor who chaired the PCAs committee that wrote the domestic and sexual abuse report. Our King Jesus, in his incarnation, wept at the suffering of man and in his full glory he will wipe away every tear as he welcomes us into eternity. He still preaches as a member in good standing. We apologize for the ways we may have contributed to an unhealthy culture if we have been silent. He added: Theyre banging on the door, looking for justice, and I dont think leaders of the church should look down upon that because that is exactly what they should be doing if they havent found it where they should find it.. 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. Mayor Lori Lightfoot was handed a stunning defeat, the first time in 40 years a sitting mayor was not reelected. into silence those who knew of the incident, the report states. 6 min read. Join with thousands of others to keep this important public media-based resource available to all. The audit report isnt linked to any of the online church leadership updates. Chung discouraged her from reporting the incident to police. Chung turned over leadership of the church he founded in 2019 to a team of associate pastors, according to Ministry Watch. 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.. Leaving the case to be resolved by a higher jurisdiction. Rebecca Hopkins is a journalist based in Colorado. In the aftermath, CFC promised to make changes and to be transparent. Theres a picnic. 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. "MC (Min Chung) is anointed by God, God only exists at CFC and there is no other place like CFC. 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 know this may cause pain for many people, and we deeply regret that CFC has chosen this path.. In April 2021, Chungs denomination, the Korean Central Presbytery, an arm of the Presbyterian Church in America, ruled that Chung was guilty of sexual harassment, but allowed Chung to return to ministry. 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. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. 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 For us, Pastor Min is more than just a gifted pastor and teacher. 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. Experts say the scandal and subsequent backsliding at CFC illustrates how many churches and their governing bodies are ill-equipped to address allegations of abuse. The decision to return Chung to ministry may be appealed to the Standing Judicial Commission of the PCAs General Assembly. 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. An arm of the Presbyterian Church in America is allowing Min Joshua Chungarguably the nations most prominent Korean-American pastorto return to ministry despite allegations of sexual misconduct and cover-up. Although banned from preaching at CFC by the Korean Central Presbytery in which he was .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time { Sometimes weve lost purpose and direction. The church also hired The Center Consulting Group (CCG) to assess problems at CFC and offer solutions. In October, the church board released a nine-page report from the CCG. In the wake of last years scandal, CFC also chose not to renew its status as a registered student organization, or RSO, at U of I last academic year. Charles Zimmerman has been a speaker at One In Love, which Chung founded, and theyve both been main speakers at Global Kingdom Young Adult Missions Festival, where Chung was a board member. Editors note: This story has been updated to clarify when the KCP received the whistleblowers allegations and to more accurately state certain charges. CFC came under fire last summer for its alleged mishandling of sexual misconduct by church founder and former head pastor Min Joshua Chung. The lawsuit alleges that the property at 19150 Woodward Ave. is dilapidated and a public nuisance, and orders Pastor Marvin In your pain and in your healing, may you be comforted and strengthened by the presence of Christ, your advocate, your protector, and your savior. Growing up in San Francisco, Yep felt alienated. Finally, we desire and pray for justice and healing for all past and present survivors of abuse. It requires public forms of accountability and repentance. And in August, CFC hired GRACE. 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. Chung is also accused of covering up accusations of sexual abuse against a fellow pastor as well as admitting to inappropriately touching a female congregant for a brief moment. 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. They were also concerned that other victims may exist, she said. } 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 We recognize that some have suffered, often silently, because of our church, states CFCs letter. (Illinois defines criminal sexual assault as using force or threat or force, and the defendant knows the victim is unable to give knowing consent.). 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. As a whistleblower, its traumatic as well, because there are so many places of pain and injustice along the way, Park said. The motion to rescind the KCP decision needed a two-thirds vote in favor. Pastor Kim did not respond to a TRR inquiry about the audit. 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. 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. 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. } That same year, the actress retired from acting to start a family with her new husband. Also, any comments with profanity, name-calling, and/or a nasty tone will be deleted. URBANA For Janet Park, the events of last year feel like a waste of time and energy. 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. 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. This story has been updated to clarify CFCs relationship with regional and national presbytery associations. The treatment and reception of Asians in the broader American society has shaped the theological tendencies of Asian American Christians, ranging from very radical to very conservative theologies and all of these tendencies, even though often at odds with []. [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. Copyright 2023 Christianity Daily. 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