He also referred WBEZ to Tim LeCroy, a pastor who chaired the PCAs committee that wrote the domestic and sexual abuse report. Conversations about sex, including consent, are taboo. 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. We are personally reflecting on where we may fall short and how we can be proactive in preventing abuse and cover-up, instead of just reacting to it. Former members of Covenant Fellowship Church say Chungs abuse is part of a larger pattern of abuse and silencing at CFC and affiliated ministries. } They called for the rescission of the ruling in July but fell short of votes when only 22 individuals sided with the move, out of 35, with 12 who went against it and one abstention. Influencing the emerging generation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Last summer, Kim, writing on behalf of the Oversight Board, promised that CFC would release a full report at the conclusion of GRACEs investigation. 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. In our previous meetings, they had acknowledged that [Chungs case was] within the scope, so Im not certain why that changed.. However, a senior consultant at Center Consulting has ties with Chung. My experience is that more gets done for the perpetrator versus the victim. . top: 19px; 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. 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.. 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. Several CFC Survivors came forward to tell their stories on an Instagram account. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-embed body { Even though many doubt that enough change has happened, some are finding healing beyond CFC. TRR reached out to Min Chung for comment, but he did not respond. margin: 0; I personally do it for the survivors. Check out our new Instagram account. The presbytery is a ruling body of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), the denomination that ordained Chung. 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. Though the assessment is nearly complete, the termination by CFC effectively halts our work at this time. 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. In May 2021, CFC cut ties with Chung. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse by Dr. Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys. Hi. If they found out, they would be devastated and you know how people talk, and I wouldnt want them to have to go through that. . He experienced his childhood in America and went to James B. Conant High School. In May, CFC severed ties with Chung and hired Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (G.R.A.C.E.) Front-runner for Oscar. Donate today >>, Wednesday, March 1, 2023 Todays headlines: Caterpillar and the United Auto Workers have reached a new tentative six-year agreement, averting a strike. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-controls .mejs-time-rail .mejs-time-total { Chung turned over leadership of the church he founded in 2019 to a team of associate pastors, according to Ministry Watch. And calls for reform are spreading through the Korean-American community, even as whistleblowers fear retaliation. 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). visibility: hidden; Rebecca Hopkins is a journalist based in Colorado. 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. 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. Rebecca Hopkins is a journalist based in Colorado. 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. 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. Follow her on Twitter @WBEZeducation and @soosieon. One was a claim from many years ago of inappropriate touch with an adult woman. The motion to rescind the KCP decision needed a two-thirds vote in favor. We know this may cause pain for many people, and we deeply regret that CFC has chosen this path.. In addition, CFC vowed to be clear and transparent with members by providing regular updates on the probe on its website. The commission declared the KCP should have disciplined the pastor according to the PCAs Book of Church Order not follow the restorative steps the associate pastors had instituted, according to Brian Park. Harold Kim (Christ Central of Southern California), Steve Chang (Living Hope Community Church), Owen Lee (Christ Central Presbyterian Church), Hanley Liu (First Chinese Baptist Church Walnut), Will Chang (New Life Presbyterian Church), Michael Lee (All Nations Community Church), Hannah Chao (All Nations Community Church), Soojin Park (Christ Central Presbyterian Church), Tim St. John (Lighthouse Community Church), Moses Y. Lee (Rosebook Presbyterian Church). That is the message of Esther Lius book Shame: Being Known and Loved. 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. 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. Chung was also an adjunct professor at Urbana Theological Seminary from 2005 to 2018. Keep in touch with Julie and get updates in your inbox! Chung joined the church in 2005 as the minister of missions, taking over a storied tradition of deploying missionaries around the world, said Walter Kim, an 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. As of May 27, 2021, Covenant Fellowship Church (CFC) has terminated its formal relationship with Min Chung. CFC made the difficult decision to terminate its agreement with GRACE and this decision was made with much prayer and deliberation, Kim wrote in an email last week. 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. Web1215 W. Lambert Rd. A vote by the Presbyterian oversight group on July 13 to remove Chung as a minister failed to get the necessary 2/3 vote. Many people were waiting to see what came out of this and then what their response would be to that, Pinyo said. The decision to return Chung to ministry may be appealed to the Standing Judicial Commission of the PCAs General Assembly. More than a dozen former CFC members, leaders, and volunteers came forward to TRR. 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. Posted on: Feb 04, 2023 User login How Can the Church Support Asian American Women? URBANA For Janet Park, the events of last year feel like a waste of time and energy. 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Kim also alluded to the KCP investigation. The mainline Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) announced this week it will change the way it reports statistical information about the denominations membership to, The pastor of a Baptist church in Virginia is in jail on child sex abuse-related charges, the Washington County (Va.) Sheriffs Office, Steve Morgan, founder and president of a group of 26 evangelical-charismatic churches known as the Network, has been hiding a disqualifying sexual. The Roys Report seeks to foster thoughtful and respectful dialogue. Marco Morante was eliminated in episode 8, Military, since the judges werent impressed by his outfit with a military motif. Heartland Greenway LLC refiled its application with the Illinois. Pastoral leadership is an immense privilege, not a right. They were also concerned that other victims may exist, she said. Also, any comments with profanity, name-calling, and/or a nasty tone will be deleted. .mytheme-mejs-container.mejs-container, Pastor Min Chung admitted some guilt but faced few consequences. What remains is for the regional body that originally adjudicated the case to respond about procedural steps needing correction for the future.. What Happened To Marco From Next In Fashion? You have entered an incorrect email address! Nothing was ever followed up on with me. 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. 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.. Would you consider making a tax-deductible donation to help our journalists continue to report the truth and restore the church? .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time-handle-content { But TRR disclosed that CCG's senior consultant, Charles Zimmerman, has ties with Chung. It 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. 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. A couple of other organizations have also severed their associations with the CFC founder. Korean Christians have had such a tremendous and positive impact over the last few decades on local communities and believers, its difficult to overstate. Several CFC Survivors came forward to tell their stories on an Instagram account, @letters_from_rahab. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. CFC had been regularly updating the church on GRACEs investigation. margin-top: 18px Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The churchs website says that as of July 2021, CFC is under the leadership of Reverend KJ Kim and a lay oversight board and is in the process of particularizing or becoming a fully organized church with the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). WebTHE RADIO SHOW WILL BE LIVE! 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. 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 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. As 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. 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. Joshua Generation, commonly called J-Gen, a ministry for high schoolers that Chung founded, also severed ties with Chung. Follow her on Twitter @estheryjkang. 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 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.. Many CFC members are students there who hail from the Chicago area. 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. Women in many Korean churches are told to be submissive, former CFC members said. The SOLA Network exists to influence the emerging generation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Find more resources and videos here. height: auto; But the way to combat shame isnt to fix yourself or cover your misdeedsit is to be truly known and loved. 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. Pastor Chung holds a Korean-American identity. Singer said any organizations that back out do so because they dont understand the nature of an independent assessment or investigation. During that time, he pastored the church, served on several ministry boards, and taught at the seminary. Nov. 22, 2018. These include the SOLA Network, a group of Asian American pastors, and the Joshua Generation, a high school ministry that the minister also founded. For investigators at GRACE, CFCs decision to terminate the assessment is a highly unusual move. While the perfect judgment of God awaits us all, human judgments must be made to reflect His. It affects your identity, making you want to hide parts or even all of yourself. Toward that end, the site requires that people use their full name when commenting. Minister accused of sexual misconduct remains ordained, Meet Todd Gloria the first AAPI Mayor for San Diego, Arrest made in vandalism of Philadelphia mosque, Marvel unveils plans for AAPI Heritage Month stories, Woman accused of lying about her ethnicity resigns from diversity position, Govt. . 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. New report reveals how Korean pastor in Chicago fostered 'm WebLearning to Groan in the Holy Spirit | Romans 8:13-16, 26-27 (Pastor Min Chung) margin-top: 9px; Whistleblowers say theyre disappointed, but not surprised, with the ruling. Chung preached messages urging congregants to submit to leaders and forgive them and calling victims to forgive their abusers. CFC separated from Chung on May 27 and has contracted a third-party investigation into his conduct. 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? Pinyo told TRR that shes advising her current church leadership on how to be a safe and healthy church that doesnt turn a blind eye to problems. Sean Park, who said he experienced hazing and burnout at CFC, said hes finding his way to a healthy relationship with God. z-index: 1; 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. And women are taught to protect men, even when the men are doing something wrong or hurting the women, said former member June Pinyo. Pastor KJ Kim acknowledged that Chung has been accused of a pattern of abusing his authority. Zimmerman didnt answer calls or emails to comment on his relationship with 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. 6 min read. We continue to seek the Lord for His leading in this season of ministry.. Covenant Fellowship Church is nondenominational, has no elders, and is not a PCA member. If you think that is bad, consider this; We have a PCA pastor, Kiernan Stringer in Toronto, Canada who admits in writing a letter to us and his congregation to breaking the 7th commandment ( You shall not commit murder) and the 9th commandment ( You shall not bear witness against your neighbour), refuses to repent and everyone in the PCA hierarchy refuses to anything about it. Eventually, that group reconsidered and completed the assessment. 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, Rev. says that as of July 2021, CFC is under the leadership of Reverend KJ Kim and a lay oversight board and is in the process of particularizing or becoming a fully organized church with the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-controls .mejs-horizontal-volume-slider .mejs-horizontal-volume-current, 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. 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. He cited an example in the Bible, in the book of Luke, where Jesus tells the story of a woman and an unjust judge. 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. Many times, I thought I lost my own understanding in God. 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. CFC has begun posting Leadership Updates on its website. WebView the profiles of professionals named "Min Chung" on LinkedIn. /* Track progress bar background (amount of track fully loaded) To donate, click here. And in August, CFC hired GRACE. The gospel is good news for all sinners; in the blood of Christ, all can find forgiveness and redemption. Toward that end, the site requires that people use their full name when commenting. But after receiving the findings and recommendations from its investigation team, the KCP decided to restore Chung to his post. .wp-caption img { 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. However, CFC has made some changes. Eventually, Ashton was removed along with Angel Chen in episode 9 because she didnt live up to the judges expectations. During the subsequent year, the SOLA Council learned that: Furthermore, in recent weeks, it has become public knowledge that Min Chung was found guilty by the Korean Central Presbytery (KCP). 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). 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). .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-controls .mejs-time-rail .mejs-time-loaded { Brea, CA 92821 | 562.694.2100 2022 Living Hope Community Church. SOLA Network, a digital platform and conference including Asian American pastors from all over the country, recently broke ties with Chung. Were an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. He kept this information hidden for nearly 20 years from his wife, his church leaders, and other leaders outside the church. In February of 2019, Park said she reported the matter to Kim and urged him to allow a third-party investigation, but Kim refused. How Tragic. 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 reportedly abused a number of congregants at CFC. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse by Dr. Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys. 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. This story has been updated to clarify CFCs relationship with regional and national presbytery associations. We also introduced two new members of the [], Editors Note: This panel discussion is from SOLA Conference 2021. He received disciplinary measures that included temporary leave from the pulpit and acknowledgment of previous personal acts of piety as self-imposed discipline. 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.

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