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. Nov. 22, 2018. 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. Dr. Min J. Chung is the founding and lead pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church, an Ministry Watch 2022 All rights reserved. Chung began private counseling sessions with the victim, using that time to urge her to keep silent about the assault, the report states. A sexual assault victim who wished to remain anonymous, but whose identity TRR confirmed, said that CFCs culture discouraged reporting sexual assault to police. But now were not really given that chance.. 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. 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. 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. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time-total { Hence, the SOLA Network writes the following statement so that the emerging generation of Asian American pastors, leaders, and Christ-followers can be gospel-centric in processing and dealing with the stated incident. But lay leaders and congregants began leaving the church in recent years, which was also a registered student organization at UICU. 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.. 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. The church also hired The Center Consulting Group (CCG) to assess problems at CFC and offer solutions. } He also referred WBEZ to Tim LeCroy, a pastor who chaired the PCAs committee that wrote the domestic and sexual abuse report. We also introduced two new members of the [], Editors Note: This panel discussion is from SOLA Conference 2021. There are Walmart runs. 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. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. 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. Min committed sexual misconduct against a female young adult whom he was pastoring. One was a claim from many years ago of inappropriate touch with an adult woman. Were an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. 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. 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. It is because we believe in the power and sanctity of the gospel that we are publishing this statement. The Council in particular, as men in pastoral leadership of Asian American churches, want to offer an apology. Pastor Kim also promised that church leadership would add more layers of accountability and would humbly listen, learn, and grow so we can be a healthier church moving forward.. 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. The city of Detroit is suing a pastor and his church over the stalled development of a new mega-church at 7 Mile and Woodward Avenue, saying blight has emerged as a result, according to court documents. 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. She said, Its very important for churches to understand theyre killing themselves, and they dont look anything like the God they say they serve. Many CFC members are students there who hail from the Chicago area. } 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) 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. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. Creating space for women to be actively involved and included has been so important and it gives me hope for the institution of the church in general, she said. For many years, Chung had been a council member and a writer for their site. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. Though the assessment is nearly complete, the termination by CFC effectively halts our work at this time. 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. 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. 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. Sean Park, who said he experienced hazing and burnout at CFC, said hes finding his way to a healthy relationship with God. He received disciplinary measures that included temporary leave from the pulpit and acknowledgment of previous personal acts of piety as self-imposed discipline. In contrast, a team of whistleblowers have alleged that the incident was sexual assault. The Korean Central Presbytery called it sexual harassment.. 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.. Pastor Min is the founding and lead pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church, a large church in Champaign. How Can the Church Support Asian American Women? 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. 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 Esther Yoon-Ji Kang is a reporter for WBEZs Race, Class and Communities desk. Keep in touch with Julie and get updates in your inbox! /* Player background */ 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. .jet-smart-listing__post-title:after { The Roys Report seeks to foster thoughtful and respectful dialogue. Meanwhile, Chung maintains a presence and continues to attend KCP meetings, according to sources. The report also recommended that the church hire a third-party auditor to address some members financial concerns, though the Center didnt think there were financial irregularities.. Join our weekly TGIF newsletter and receive recent articles and fresh resources from the web. He still preaches as a member in good standing. Brea, CA 92821 | 562.694.2100 2022 Living Hope Community Church. Former members of Covenant Fellowship Church say Chungs abuse is part of a larger pattern of abuse and silencing at CFC and affiliated ministries. 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. 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. 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. The SJC decision stated there can be no reasonable hope of just proceedings with no cooperating victim, although Chung himself had admitted to sexual misconduct. However, a document submitted by a group of former CFC members calling themselves the allegation group, asked the Korean Central Presbytery (KCP), a denominational oversight group, to investigate the incident, called it unwanted, non-consensual touch in her private area., Chung reportedly personally counseled the woman after the incident, and said they reached reconciliation.. As the leaders of CFC, we repent and acknowledge our failings and the many ways that we need to change.. According to a lengthy investigation 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. At the time, the SOLA Council placed trust in the proper processes and authorities of his local church and denomination to conduct an investigation and hold Min Chung accountable. 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We acknowledge that this was wrong., Kim said the woman had forgiven Chung long ago.. Even the pastors, I would say, do a good job at that. 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. .grecaptcha-badge { visibility: hidden; } We prefer to style these with the main accent color of our theme */ To donate, sexual misconduct and decades of cover-up, Presbyterian Church in America Votes to Leave National Association of Evangelicals, Presbyterian Pastor Who Sued for Accusers Silence to be Tried in Denominations Highest Court, Pastor Who Helped Found the Presbyterian Church in America Dies, Former Pastor Accused of Rape Resigns from Churchome After TRR Investigation; Church Official Makes False Claims, Arkansas Youth Pastor Pleads Guilty to 13 Counts of Sexual Assault, Bishop Scott Jones Moves from Extreme Center of UMC to Global Methodist Church, A Christian Health Nonprofit Saddled Thousands With Debt as It Built a Family Empire Including A Pot Farm, Bank and Airline, 2 Megachurches Rocked by Allegations They Allowed Pastor Guilty of Clergy Sexual Abuse to Re-Offend, EXCLUSIVE: John MacArthur Shamed, Excommunicated Mother for Refusing to Take Back Child Abuser, Days-long Revival Sweeping Asbury University in Kentucky, EXCLUSIVE: John MacArthur Covered Up Pastors Sexual Abuse, Witnesses Say, EXCLUSIVE: John MacArthurs Church Supported Convicted Child Abuser & Pedophile, Records Show, Dante Bowe Posts, Then Removes, Apology for Behavior Causing Split with Maverick City Music, Matt Chandler Steps Aside After Admitting Inappropriate Online Relationship, John MacArthur Pulls Out of Ligonier Conference, Pastor Resigns From Houston Megachurch After Admitting Affair, Televangelist Creflo Dollar Renounces Past Teachings on Tithing, But Questions Persist. , the termination what happened to pastor min chung CFC effectively halts our work at this time sexual assault good at! 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