In addition, CFC vowed to be clear and transparent with members by providing regular updates on the probe on its website.
what happened to pastor min chung April 21, 2023. But theres, of course, a lot under the surface as well, he added. 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. right: 0; To donate, click here. new homes for sale in gonzales, la; jfk airport covid testing requirements; norman, ok mayor political party; switzerland cemetery records; Some members of the allegation group also said they lacked confidence the KCP would handle any future cases differently, given the ties many of the pastors had to Chung. 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. Hannah Chao .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time-loaded, height: auto; font-size: 13px We know this may cause pain for many people, and we deeply regret that CFC has chosen this path. . Women in many Korean churches are told to be submissive, former CFC members said. 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. 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. One of those associate pastors was KJ Kim, the new head pastor of CFC. For many years, Chung had been a council member and a writer for their site. Even the pastors, I would say, do a good job at that. Sometimes weve lost purpose and direction. 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. One was a claim from many years ago of inappropriate touch with an adult woman.
Many of the women harmed while under Chung's leadership would begin to share their stories through an Instagram account, @letters_from-Rahab. 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. Pete Singer, GRACEs executive director, called the cancellation very rare, adding he is aware of just one other organization that has done the same. 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.. In addition to the alleged sexual assault, the report lists several other allegations against Chung. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-controls .mejs-horizontal-volume-slider .mejs-horizontal-volume-total, As a whistleblower, its traumatic as well, because there are so many places of pain and injustice along the way, Park said. Attorney Laura Dunn, a contracted institutional response specialist with GRACE, said many of the people with whom she spoke struggled to get through their interviews, some of which took three to four hours. We prefer to style these with the main accent color of our theme */ Another day, theres basketball. Since there is no room in the culture for open candor, exchange of perspectives, and helpful permissive dissension, there is only a cycle of abuse that continues at all levels of leadership," Dan Lee, a whistleblower, revealed.
what happened to pastor min chung 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). Many CFC members are students there who hail from the Chicago area. Esther Yoon-Ji Kang is a reporter for WBEZs Race, Class and Communities desk. .wp-caption img { He said, Your parents are well-respected members of their church, your fathers an elder [at their church], Rhee recalled. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-embed body { "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. We extend an invitation to worship with us if you are ever in the Champaign 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. Smith said she agreed to report the incident and received help from the University of Illinois Bryan Chapell, the PCAs stated clerk, confirmed to WBEZ in a statement that the discipline matter has been concluded by the SJC. A few months later, a group of pastors dissatisfied with the presbyterys April 2021 determination filed a complaint in an effort to indefinitely suspend Chung from ministry. Esther Yoon-Ji Kang is a reporter for WBEZs Race, Class and Communities desk. The KCP did investigate the incident but resolved 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." What remains is for the regional body that originally adjudicated the case to respond about procedural steps needing correction for the future.. 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) 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. Fontijn, Park and others told WBEZ they are angry the victims of sexual and spiritual abuse who came forward to be interviewed by GRACE will not be heard. She is convinced she would have been raped if he could. But TRR said that the ruling may still be appealed to the Standing Judicial Commission of the PCA's General Assembly. CFC came under fire last summer for its alleged mishandling of sexual misconduct by church founder and former head pastor Min Joshua Chung. The group said that though the was guilty, what he did was already enough for his reinstatement and that his hiatus from preaching was also enough to discipline him for the sin. Chung turned over leadership of the church he founded in 2019 to a team of associate pastors, according to Ministry Watch. Do share this story to encourage others to pray too. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. However, some internal tension caused many leaders to depart the church, with Chung stepping down as head pastor in 2019. Langberg helped an ad interim committee of the PCA write a new report on domestic and sexual abuse in churches. color: #888888; 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. I really did not see this coming, she said. Singer said any organizations that back out do so because they dont understand the nature of an independent assessment or investigation. Many CFC members are students there who hail from the Chicago area. 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.
The Roys Report }
This website requires JavaScript to function correctly. 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. WebGreat! 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. The motion failed to pass, allowing Chung to remain an ordained minister in good standing with the PCA. 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. .elementor-widget .elementor-icon-list-icon svg { He still preaches as a member in good standing. margin-top: 18px 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.. For a monthly gift of $11or more wed also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time-handle-content { It was just like, Why, why did we do this all in vain? Park said. .grecaptcha-badge { visibility: hidden; } She said, Its very important for churches to understand theyre killing themselves, and they dont look anything like the God they say they serve. visibility: hidden;
They may get along with that for a long time but somewhere along the way, the rot will show, and it will end up destroying them.. On December 4, 2022, CFC became a particular church within the Presbytery of Pastor KJ Kim acknowledged that Chung has been accused of a pattern of abusing his authority. 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. 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.
what happened to pastor min chung 5 min read. Chung, who founded the church in 1990 on the University of Illinois-Champaign Urbana campus, announced in the summer of 2019 that he would transition out of the head pastor role and a team of associate pastors would lead the church. In the aftermath, CFC promised to make changes and to be transparent. What remains is for the regional body that originally adjudicated the case to respond about procedural steps needing correction for the future..
Korean Covenant Fellowship Church Halts Investigation Into His influence extends beyond the church walls. But TRR disclosed that CCG's senior consultant, Charles Zimmerman, has ties with Chung. 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. .grecaptcha-badge {
In February of 2019, Park said she reported the matter to Kim and urged him to allow a third-party investigation, but Kim refused.
Leaders - SOLA Network background-color: #efefef; what happened to pastor min chung. WBEZ confirmed with Justin Coverstone, the stated clerk of the Presbytery of Northern Illinois, that CFC was in the process of joining that regional body as of early September.
Becky Stephens will become senior pastor at Bucyrus United Methodist Church in July. Covenant Fellowship Church in central Illinois has terminated an independent investigation of "spiritual and emotional abuse" led by GRACE. He is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity at Talbot Theological Seminary. CFC separated from Chung on May 27 and has contracted a third-party investigation into his conduct. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-controls .mejs-time-rail .mejs-time-loaded { 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. Now, more than a year after WBEZ broke the story, former members and others familiar with the church say CFC is quietly reversing course. Editors note: This story has been updated to clarify when the KCP received the whistleblowers allegations and to more accurately state certain charges. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time-float, Authors Channel Summit. Anne Stych is a freelance writer, copy editor, proofreader and content manager covering science, technology, retail, etc. Pastor Min Chung admitted some guilt but faced few consequences. 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. We extend an invitation to worship with us if you are ever in the Champaign area.. padding: 1px; }. Anne Rhee (not her real name) recalled when she began to kiss a male friend from church. However, there have also been a number of accusations of abuse of power and harsh treatment towards others that continued to surface regarding this same pastor, Kim continued. 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. The motion requires two-thirds vote. 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). It was another missed opportunity, Amy Han said. Rhee told WBEZ she reported the incident to Pastor Chung. Rev. WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Toward that end, the site requires that people use their full name when commenting. Dr. Min J. Chung is the founding and lead pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church, an interdenominational, multi-ethnic ministry located on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. However, a senior consultant at Center Consulting has ties with Chung. The church consists of predominantly a Korean American congregation. invitation to love poem analysis; how to take care of your soul sermon; list of largest unsupported domes in the world. Even the friend in whom the victim confided feared she would be cursed by God if she spoke against Chung.
Charles Stanley, Atlanta Pastor Who Preached to the World, Dies Rev. At a later meeting, the KCP would discuss a complaint filed by several pastors who wanted to see Chung removed from office. Eventually, that group reconsidered and completed the assessment. 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.. WebAs of July 2021, CFC came under the leadership of Reverend KJ Kim and a lay oversight board. 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 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 acknowledge that this was wrong., Kim said the woman had forgiven Chung long ago.. In April, the Korean Central Presbytery received an eight-page report summarizing its investigative teams findings and recommendations. Webwhat happened to pastor min chunguindy football roster. top: 19px; Chung continued to speak elsewhere during this time. 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. content: ''; And women are taught to protect men, even when the men are doing something wrong or hurting the women, said former member June Pinyo. Opinion: What is Revivaland is it Happening at Asbury? Post author By ; cases where eyewitnesses were right Post date March 7, 2023; Although banned from preaching at CFC by the Korean Central Presbytery in which he was .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time-float-corner, Join with thousands of others to keep this important public media-based resource available to all. They also ruled that the period when Chung wasnt preaching at CFC was enough discipline for his sin. He cited an example in the Bible, in the book of Luke, where Jesus tells the story of a woman and an unjust judge. The Rev. Its time that we simply say enough is enough and no -longer co-sign this terrible plight that impacts people generationally. Former members of Covenant Fellowship Church (CFC) of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, where Chung pastored, say the whole church system breeds abuse. Webwhat happened to pastor min chung. Join with thousands of others to keep this important public media-based resource available to all. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time { .mytheme-mejs-container.mejs-container, The World Economic Forum ranks the country 115th out of 145 countries in gender equality. 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.. In May, CFC severed ties with Chung and hired Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (G.R.A.C.E.) Susie An covers education for WBEZ. 5 min read. 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. At least 90 have been discovered so far. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-embed, 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. . Last summer, hundreds of accounts surfaced online criticizing Covenant Fellowship Church for mishandling alleged incidents of sexual abuse committed by church members. Becky Stephens will become senior pastor at Bucyrus United Methodist Church in July. 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. The victim was terrified and did whatever she was told, the report states. 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. They were also concerned that other victims may exist, she said. The motion to rescind the KCP decision needed a two-thirds vote in favor. 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. (The version of the report released to TRR referenced and summarized the texts instead in the interest of the victims privacy.) 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.
Did Pastor Min Chung Resign After CFC Scandal? Where Is he We continue to seek the Lord for His leading in this season of ministry, he said. Sungwoo Nam, KCP clerk, said in a statement. We remind him to abide by the BCO (Book of Church Order), and we believe that he should return to ministry.. into silence those who knew of the incident, the report states. Webhow long do sausages last in the fridge from butchers; python press any key to exit while loop. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. A total of 19 people signed on to the report or are cited as witnesses.
Minister accused of sexual misconduct remains ordained 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. .wp-caption p.wp-caption-text { He experienced his childhood in America and went to James B. Conant High School. CFC also hired The Center Consulting Group to conduct surveys and evaluate the health of the church. These include the SOLA Network, a group of Asian American pastors, and the Joshua Generation, a high school ministry that the minister also founded. }
Pastor Min Chung Profiles | Facebook 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. /* Progress and audio bar background */ WBEZ emailed CFC lead pastor KJ Kim and the churchs Oversight Board with questions about why the church terminated its contract with GRACE, as well as CFCs plan for any long-term changes in the wake of last years events. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-controls .mejs-horizontal-volume-slider .mejs-horizontal-volume-current, /* .jet-smart-listing__featured-box-link:before {
} Attorney Laura Dunn, a contracted institutional response specialist with GRACE, said many of the people with whom she spoke struggled to get through their interviews, some of which took three to four hours. 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. Weve lost our reputations. But we cant do it without you. Another woman reported to Chung that she had been raped repeatedly.
A 124-page extended version of the report, containing copies of texts describing one victims assault and subsequent intimidation, was submitted to an investigative team of the Korean Central Presbytery (KCP) in November 2020, following up on a five-page allegation letter the whistleblowers sent in August.