** Very soon thereafter, regrettably, Mike submitted his resignation as the Senior Pastor of Eastview Christian Church, the church stated. "The fault often lies more with leadership than with congregants," Miller added. People composing official statements need to be more careful about their use of adverbs. . However, the board did not provide details about what may have happened behind closed doors, with Hillsong's interim Senior Global Pastor Phil Dooley telling hundreds of attendees, "The truth is we don't know what happened next," according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp. FIRST RAPE INVESTIGATION OPENED IN UKRAINE FOR ALLEGED SEX CRIME COMMITTED BY RUSSIAN SOLDIER, "The woman has not said there was any sexual activity," Dooley reportedly added. The Asbury Revival Is Over. In a video conference shared with the Australian media, Houstons interim replacement Phil Dooley said the church didnt know whether the incident had involved any sexual activity. CNN has not been able to independently verify the video. Following Colliers resignation, Phil Dooley who has taken over for former head and founder of Hillsong Brian Houston, 68 uploaded a video giving Collier the churchs blessing. Discovery Company. When she filed for divorce, Smith said she felt ostracized from the church and lost her role in the childrens ministry. He claimed that in 2016, trustworthy staff members looked into sexual allegations against Caleb but resolved it wasnt possible to know if the allegations were true. Houston has led the Hillsong Church for more than two decades. ", "He is the man you hope he is," she continues. On Sunday, the church published a webpage with details of the process, including members of the search committee and details of the church membership vote to come in future months. Although all parts of the complaint were unable to be sustained, important elements of the complaint were sustained and the conduct was of serious concern, the statement continued. People have often asked me over the years, What would it take for you to ever leave Hillsong? I politely always replied, I will never leave the Hillsong World until the mission/vision that God has given me becomes hindered by the challenges that come along with the entity.. The Roys Report seeks to foster thoughtful and respectful dialogue. However, as written, it indicates that the only thing anyone regrets is Mikes resignation. Conservative and evangelical leaders are speaking out after Pastor Matt Chandler took a leave of absence following some questionable behavior online. The pastor's leave is the latest blow for the church and the Southern Baptist Convention denomination the countrys second-largest faith group, of which the Village Church is a member. They revealed that (he) did not use language appropriate for a pastor, and he did not model a behavior that we expect from him., The statement said his leave of absence is "both disciplinary and developmental, which allows him to focus on growing greater awareness in this area.". Later, on February 25th, the Elders met with Mike. 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. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. The Arizona megachurchCentral Christian Church (CCC), which has five locations in the Phoenix area announced the termination of Lead Student Pastor and Associate Preaching Pastor Caleb Baker at a church service posted on Feb. 13. Mike Glenn, senior pastor of Brentwood Baptist Church a prominent multi-site Southern Baptist congregation with about 12,000 members made the announcement on Sunday during a service and a video released the same day. Yet another set of Hillsong megachurch pastors stepped down this weekend, following the resignation of church founder and former leader Brian Houston last week, Glenn and his wife, Jeannie, have two sons and became grandparents in recent years. Joey Moss, chairman of the churchs board of trustees, affirmed that Glenn and the board have planned the transition over the past year. Australian authorities said last year that Houston allegedly knew information relating to the sexual abuse of a young male in the 1970s and failed to bring it to the attention of police. The Arizona megachurch Central Christian Church (CCC), which has five locations in the Phoenix area announced the Today, @RickWarren announced that they will begin searching for his successor. Glenn has authored two books and frequently blogs, including guest posts on The Jesus Creed. Updated on 3/1/23: This story has been updated to include a statement from Cal Jernigan that he posted on CCCs website on February 28. According to his online church profile, Chandler married his wife in 1999 and they have three children. The fact remains Caleb and the other employee got caught red handed, in the act. His book, "The Purpose Driven Church: Every Church Is Big in God's Eyes" is said to have encouraged pastors to lead a healthy and purposeful church. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Then and now the Elders believe that for the health of our church, a third-party involvement is necessary to adequately address allegations. Matt Chandler, the lead pastor of The Village Church in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, has stepped down after admitted to inappropriate direct Meanwhile, the elders at ECC have commissioned a third-party audit, the elders wrote in a statement posted Saturday. Earlier this month, SBCannounced that it's under federal investigation related to sexual abuse. Jernigan said he regretted not digging more into the claims, saying he now takes full responsibility for his decision. The elders decided the initial results, completed in January 2023, were not thorough enough, and requested a second, more detailed audit, looking at workplace culture and HR policies. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Each campus has the flexibility to contextualize ministry to its unique community under the leadership of its own campus pastor, the church states. But it takes a lot of hard work, time, and money to do what we do. I, and the other leaders of this church, cannot turn a blind eye to this and act as if this didnt happen or that somehow we didnt know, we didnt find out.. Probably wont go as far as the results of 2 Samuel 12:14, but its nothing to mess around with. No One Knows. We've received your submission. "What is notable about Matt Chandler's situation is how he and his church handled the situation," he wrote. 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. Leader of Australian Megachurch Steps Down After Charge Over Fathers Sexual Abuse. The first incident occurred approximately a decade ago according to the church and involved inappropriate text messages from Pastor Brian to a member of staff, which subsequently resulted in the staff member resigning., Hillsong claimed that at the time of the incident Houston was under the influence of sleeping tablets, upon which he had developed a dependence.. Instead of dealing with the sons behavior, the solution was send him off to work at another church. A Warner Bros. The full story isn't told. In May of 2020, the megachurch reported 150,000 members in 23 countries. Other allegations concerning Mike Baker have also recently come to light. After years of delay, Southern Baptists passed a series of reforms in 2022 aimed at addressing abuse in the nations largest Protestant, A former youth pastor at First Baptist Church (FBC) of Bentonville, Arkansas, has accepted a plea deal for his victimization of children, Several churches deemed not in friendly cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) have responded to action taken by the SBC Executive. A Nashville-area megachurch pastor has announced plans to depart as senior pastor and, starting next year, lead an affiliated church-planting and resource network. The blame gets shifted to someone else. "The Purpose Driven Church: Every Church Is Big in God's Eyes", Rick Warren's Saddleback Church Makes Bold Move by Appointing Its First-Ever Female Pastors, Beth Moore: 'I Can No Longer Identify With Southern Baptists', Eric Metaxas Radio Show Banned From YouTube For Violating Community Standards, Amazing Testimonies Emerge from Major KY Revival Event in Asbury's Aftermath: 'All About Jesus', 'It's a Crisis': Historic Staffing Shortages Lead Police Departments Nationwide to Get Creative, Operation Blessing Purifies Local Well to Help Countless Turkey Quake Survivors, Senators Grill Garland on DOJ's Response to Fentanyl, Hunter Biden Probe, Applying Law to Pro-Life, Pro-Choice Activists, Texas Megachurch Leaves United Methodists as LGBT Rift Widens. The truth is we dont know what happened next. Two megachurchesone in Arizona and one in Illinoisare being rocked by allegations they allowed a pastor guilty of clergy sexual abuse to re-enter the ministryand offend again. Considering the findings of the TVC investigation and consistent with the leave of absence from preaching and teaching that the Village Church has placed Matt on, the Acts 29 Board has asked Matt to step aside from Acts 29 speaking engagements during this time," it said. 2023 Cable News Network. As I noticed the photo of a worship service [Worship service at Eastview Christian Church in Bloomington/Normal, Illinois. Click here to subscribe to the Charisma News newsletter. ECC also announced on its website that pastor Mike Baker had resigned from the church on Saturday. Glenn has served as senior pastor since 1991. Houston was charged last August with concealing child sex abuse by his late father, Frank Houston, an allegation he strenuously denied. In his video today, Mike Baker accused those who are posting allegations on social media of shooting his family like its the Valentines Day massacre., But Smith said shes refusing to be silenced. He's not being ousted but is stepping aside for work on repentance. Stay informed with the latest from CBN News delivered to your inbox. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. Following this discovery, Houston "agreed to take specific action including stepping down from leadership for a period. Despite asking lots of questions and continuing to raise concerns about what was happening (in 2016), I was told to be quiet and to stop asking questions & then had the privilege of throwing a go away celebration party and standing in front of our students to announce his send off, knowing something wasnt adding up.. What Happens Now? The church alleged, "numerous other pastors and individuals had knowledge of this matter prior to Brian Houston learning about it.". The church wrotethat after a thorough and lengthy legal investigation, "we maintain and firmly believe that we committed no wrong.". The nascent group plans to build on their history of launching churches, partnering with others, and community outreach. When the woman confronted Chandler, he thought he did nothing wrong, but he self-reported it to his church's leadership. A Nashville-area megachurch pastor has announced plans to depart as senior pastor and, starting next year, lead an affiliated church-planting and resource But while ECC elders said in their statement they initiated a third-party audit then, they didnt inform Lee that they were investigating, nor of the results, Lee said on Instagram. "They revealed that Matt did not use language appropriate for a pastor, and he did not model a behavior that we expect from him. Sign up now to get the Washington Examiners breaking news and timely commentary delivered right to your inbox. According to the churchs website, four of these churches were launched by associate pastors of Brentwood and three reflect Brentwood Baptist partnering with existing churches. Matt Chandler, the lead pastor at the Village Church in Flower Mound, about 30 miles northwest of Dallas, told his congregation on Sundaythe move was prompted by what thechurchs leaders called inappropriate messages between the pair. Through that process, email communication possibly deemed abusive has been brought to the elders attention, the elders stated. Keep in touch with Julie and get updates in your inbox! This feels like leadership trying to distance themselves from any accountability. "Irrespective of the circumstances around this, we can all agree that Brian and Bobbie have served God faithfully over many decades and that their ministry has resulted in millions of people across the world being impacted by the power, grace, and love of Jesus Christ. This is good," he added. Ill step back, and some other young whippersnapper will come in and take us into the future that God has for us, said Glenn. 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