The friend urged the victim to tell Chung she hadnt consented to his touch. 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. 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. Webrestaurants near san clemente outlets; aretha franklin favorite color; best items to unlock isaac: repentance; why did syd leave the commish; average 100m time for 13 year old This is so disheartening. Its a moment of reckoning for the Korean American church, former CFC member June Pinyo said. 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. Why do you think youre staying for so long? . } Yet whistleblowers, who knew about the alleged assault, pressured Chung for a decade to confess to the church. The Rev. 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. 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. That same year, the actress retired from acting to start a family with her new husband. 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. . Get Your Domain Names Here! what happened to pastor min chung. Webwhat happened to pastor min chung CMI is a proven leader at applying industry knowledge and engineering expertise to solve problems that other fabricators cannot or into silence those who knew of the incident, the report states. 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. Go to our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Another woman reported to Chung that she had been raped repeatedly. CFC came under fire last summer for its alleged mishandling of sexual misconduct by church founder and former head pastor Min Joshua Chung. 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. In May, CFC severed ties with Chung and hired Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (G.R.A.C.E.) 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. Kim, who is currently the churchs senior pastor, previously said Chung had admitted to touching a female over the clothing for a brief moment about 20 years ago but had immediately stopped when she asked him to. 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 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. Chung turned over leadership of the church he founded in 2019 to a team of associate pastors, according to Ministry Watch. The victim was terrified and did whatever she was told, the report states. Whistleblowers are making their accusations public after several years of attempts to confront the influential pastor within a reportedly tight-knit, shame-based community. Theres a picnic. 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. The motion requires two-thirds vote. These include the SOLA Network, a group of Asian American pastors, and the Joshua Generation, a high school ministry that the minister also founded. According to recordings acquired by WBEZ, Chung had admitted to touching a female "over the clothing for a brief moment" but stopped upon request. background-image: url("images/mejs-controls-dark.svg"); The victim did. Anne Rhee (not her real name) recalled when she began to kiss a male friend from church. Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE), an organization hired by Covenant Fellowship Church to look into the allegations against the If Chung wished to return to ministry, he would be allowed according to the KCP's ruling. 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? Get new articles and breaking news delivered to your inbox. margin-top: 18px People close to the woman said she didnt wish to speak to TRR. 500K PCA and other conservative denominations. 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. The leader of a Christian cult in Kenya is due to appear in court next week, as the exhumation of bodies found in mass graves on his land continues. Learn how your comment data is processed. In the aftermath, CFC promised to make changes and to be transparent. Thank you. Pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie has said he closed down his Good News International Church four years ago In the aftermath, CFC promised to make changes and to be transparent. WebHe is a bi-vocational pastor and has been in the animation industry for over 10 years. 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. We extend an invitation to worship with us if you are ever in the Champaign area.. They were also concerned that other victims may exist, she said. 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. Despite the procedural errors, the SJC also declared the case would effectively be terminated and not sent back to the KCP to be retried. Nothing was ever followed up on with me. One was a claim from many years ago of inappropriate touch with an adult woman. 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.. The presbytery is a ruling body of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), the denomination that ordained Chung. /* Progress and audio bars */ 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. transform: translateY(445%); .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-embed, Pete Singer, GRACEs executive director, called the cancellation very rare, adding he is aware of just one other organization that has done the same. position: absolute; They gave a couple of examples [of bias], which were tenuous at best, Singer said. In September 2019, two other whistleblowers met with Kim as a final step to urge leadership to take proper steps, the report states. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-controls, Former members of Covenant Fellowship Church (CFC) of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, where Chung pastored, say the whole church system breeds abuse. new homes for sale in gonzales, la; jfk airport covid testing requirements; norman, ok mayor political party; switzerland cemetery records; At a later meeting, the KCP would discuss a complaint filed by several pastors who wanted to see Chung removed from office. 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. We see this is the third article this month youve found worth reading. An Asian American pastor in Illinois was reinstated to ministry in spite of doubts on his character due to sexual abuse accusations. At least 90 have been discovered so far. For Janet Park, the events of last year feel like a waste of time and energy. 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. Chung discouraged her from reporting the incident to police. 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. 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. He and his wife Tracy are celebrating eleven years of marriage together and have three children: Caden, Isabella, and Ian. He also referred WBEZ to Tim LeCroy, a pastor who chaired the PCAs committee that wrote the domestic and sexual abuse report. Daughter of Disgraced Megachurch Pastor Jeremy Foster Speaks Out, 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. Chung, who founded the church in 1990 on the University of Illinois-Champaign Urbana campus, announced in the summer of 2019 that he would It was just like, Why, why did we do this all in vain? Park said. In addition, CFC vowed to be clear and transparent with members by providing regular updates on the probe on its website. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time-buffering, We pray that CFC reconsiders this course of action and chooses to re-engage with GRACE for completion of this independent assessment.. Do share this story to encourage others to pray too. Many other ministries have removed Chung from their boards and speaking schedules. 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. Although banned from preaching at CFC by the Korean Central Presbytery in which he was .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time-handle-content { Without its RSO status, the church was not able to reserve campus spaces and recruit attendees on Quad Day, an annual event held at the start of the fall semester where new students are introduced to organizations on campus. /* Reduce height of the progress and audio bars */ Whistleblowers say theyre disappointed, but not surprised, with the ruling. Webhow long do sausages last in the fridge from butchers; python press any key to exit while loop. 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. }
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. 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. We acknowledge that this was wrong., Kim said the woman had forgiven Chung long ago.. To Ephesus: Remember To Love Me | Revelation 2:1-7 (Pastor Min Chung) joe 2019.02.19 64. Even the pastors, I would say, do a good job at that. .wp-caption-text { } Several survivors would ask theKorean Central Presbytery(KCP), a denominational oversight group, to investigate Chung's inappropriate touching incident before WBEZ's reporting. 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. 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. CFC came under fire last summer for its alleged mishandling of sexual misconduct by church founder and former head pastor Min Joshua Chung. 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. 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. You have entered an incorrect email address! 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. . According to The Roys Report(TRR), a group of whistleblowers submitted a report to the KCP in November 2020, accusing Chung with various incidents of sexual assaults. URBANA For Janet Park, the events of last year feel like a waste of time and energy. I would be interested to know how much of the loss of members comes from the PCA and how much comes from the-once much larger-PCUSA(not PSUSA). Chung didnt respond when The Roys Report tried to reach him for comment. They dont know how to assess it, and so I would think the first response would be one of humility., But instead, she said, churches think they are right, and somebody in that position isnt going to listen to any instructions, no matter how wise or good it is.. 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. No one in the USAis sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today. .wp-caption p.wp-caption-text { Becky Stephens will become senior pastor at Bucyrus United Methodist Church in July. She said, Its very important for churches to understand theyre killing themselves, and they dont look anything like the God they say they serve. Esther Yoon-Ji Kang is a reporter for WBEZs Race, Class and Communities desk. 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 She bangs on his door all hours of the night until he finally comes and gives her justice, LeCroy explained. Conversations about sex, including consent, are taboo. A Korean church located near the Champaign-Urbana campus of the University of Illinois that came under fire last year for allegations of ongoing sexual misconduct has terminated an independent investigation before its completion. According to the report, Kim was initially more interested in stopping the spread of gossip and keeping Chungs sexual misconduct private than holding Chung accountable or protecting victims. 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.. In 2019, Chung told two associate pastors in a vague and minimized confession that he had sexually touched a woman from his congregation, the whistleblower report states. I went to my head pastor and I was emotionally distressed, she said. [Churches and presbyteries] are not trained to look into [abuse], Langberg said. Meanwhile, Chung maintains a presence and continues to attend KCP meetings, according to sources. content: ''; (Illinois defines criminal sexual assault as using force or threat or force, and the defendant knows the victim is unable to give knowing consent.). 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. 4 min read. 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. 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. Also, any comments with profanity, name-calling, and/or a nasty tone will be deleted. 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. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time-total, A new report appears to implicate Covenant Fellowship Church's former head pastor, Min Joshua Chung, in fostering and creating a misogynistic church Esther Yoon-Ji Kang is a reporter for WBEZs Race, Class and Communities desk. 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 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). .grecaptcha-badge {
After that, he was what happened to pastor min chung. Now, more than a year after WBEZ broke the story, former members and others familiar with the church say CFC is quietly reversing course. 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. They failed to get enough votes. 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. Minister accused of sexual misconduct remains ordained, Business leader wants AAPI voters to use their money and their vote, Ke Huy Quan responds to rumors about Indiana Jones 5 appearance, Report shows islamophobia and bullying in schools remains high, Naomi Osaka praises Giannis Antetokounmpos answer to question about failure, Indian American founder of tech start-up pleads guilty to fraud, 15,000 signatures submitted opposing Philadelphia 76er arena, Survey: Racism & mental health top concerns of Chinese Am, Vincent Chin Institute Launched to fight hate, Ex-beauty queen double downs on racist video, 2023 resource guide for services to the AAPI Community, A Sweltering Problem Begs For A Cool Solution. right: 0; The congregation also sought to evaluate the health of the church through The Center Consulting Group (CCG). } He said, Your parents are well-respected members of their church, your fathers an elder [at their church], Rhee recalled. margin-top: 9px; Chung founded CFC in 1990, and its now home to more than a thousand members hailing from more than 20 ethno-linguistic groups, according to its website. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time-float, 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.. Susie An covers education for WBEZ. 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). The decision to return Chung to ministry may be appealed to the Standing Judicial Commission of the PCAs General Assembly. 5 min read. 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. Illustration by Andjela Padejski, Photo by Manuel Martinez / WBEZ News, Fertile Soil For Abuse: A Reckoning At Covenant Fellowship Church, CPS knew for years about sexual misconduct claims against staff at a city high school, but promoted principal anyway, records show, Inside the sexual misconduct scandal involving workers at Evanstons beaches, How Covenant Fellowship Church Is Dealing With Old Sexual Abuse Allegations, Edgewater man started creating crossword puzzles to ward off pandemic boredom, gets published by The New York Times, How Chance the Rappers Acid Rap changed an industry and Chicago, Illinois assault weapons ban enforcement blocked by federal judge in southern Illinois, West Side travel agent takes Chicago youth on field trips at home and abroad.
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