Join our weekly TGIF newsletter and receive recent articles and fresh resources from the web. Yet whistleblowers, who knew about the alleged assault, pressured Chung for a decade to confess to the church. But Chung is subject to the PCAs Book of Church Order because of his PCA ordination, KJ Kim told TRR. He also spoke at youth and college-aged events, counseled university students, and preached in several countries. Pastor Min is the founding and lead pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church, a large church in Champaign. 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.. Sometimes weve lost purpose and direction. 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. height: 90px; Sin has real and lasting consequences and should be dealt with appropriately with discipline and repentance, not in spite of the gospel, but precisely because of it. But the way to combat shame isnt to fix yourself or cover your misdeedsit is to be truly known and loved. 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. She is convinced she would have been raped if he could. 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. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time-buffering, 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.. /* Reduce height of the progress and audio bars */ 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. Get new articles and breaking news delivered to your inbox. 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). .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time-float-corner, Former members of Covenant Fellowship Church (CFC) of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, where Chung pastored, say the whole church system breeds abuse. 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.. 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. That same year, the actress retired from acting to start a family with her new husband. } Chungs church reckoned him to have an especially high place of anointing, making him untouchable when he does wrong, said Dan Lee, another whistleblower in the report. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-controls .mejs-time-rail .mejs-time-loaded { . CFC has begun posting Leadership Updates on its website. He said, Your parents are well-respected members of their church, your fathers an elder [at their church], Rhee recalled. Also, any comments with profanity, name-calling, and/or a nasty tone will be deleted. For us, Pastor Min is more than just a gifted pastor and teacher. In September 2019, a member of the new leadership team, Pastor KJ Kim, 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, per a recording obtained by WBEZ. Chung turned over leadership of the church he founded in 2019 to a team of associate pastors, according to Ministry Watch. The Council in particular, as men in pastoral leadership of Asian American churches, want to offer an apology. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time-total { Even though many doubt that enough change has happened, some are finding healing beyond CFC. In addition, CFC vowed to be clear and transparent with members by providing regular updates on the probe on its website. margin-top: 18px Min Chung is the founding and senior pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church Rev. 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. As a whistleblower, its traumatic as well, because there are so many places of pain and injustice along the way, Park said. Follow her on Twitter @WBEZeducation and @soosieon. Even the pastors, I would say, do a good job at that. Leaving the case to be resolved by a higher jurisdiction. Its time that we simply say enough is enough and no -longer co-sign this terrible plight that impacts people generationally. Another day, theres basketball. Some former CFC members told TRR they believe CFC leaders have lost their way. The timing of thisso close to the finish of the assessmenthas raised a lot of questions and suspicion among former members, said Pinyo. background-color: #efefef; Sungwoo Nam, KCP clerk, said in a statement. However, nine elders objected to the decision and asked for Chung's suspension. Opinion: What is Revivaland is it Happening at Asbury? Korean Church Stops Independent Investigation into Sexual 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. transform: translateY(445%); The KCP ruled only on the sexual assault allegation, calling it sexual harassment. They determined that Chung was guilty but has done enough for restoration to ministry. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-horizontal-volume-total { 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. CFC had been regularly updating the church on GRACEs investigation. top: 19px; But a vote on the matter failed to achieve the necessary two-thirds majority, meaning Chung remains a minister, WBEZ reported. While this was happening, the report states, Chung was exercising nearly Godlike authority to pressure his victim and various others whod learned about the incident to stay silent. The audit report isnt linked to any of the online church leadership updates. font-size: 13px WebPastor Min Chung (@pminchung) Instagram photos and videos pminchung 119 posts 1,287 followers 21 following Pastor Min Chung This Account is Private Already follow For investigators at GRACE, CFCs decision to terminate the assessment is a highly unusual move. We grieve the subtle undertones of misogyny that have been present in our churches and have contributed to unbiblical hierarchies and unhealthy power structures. 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). .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-controls .mejs-horizontal-volume-slider .mejs-horizontal-volume-total, Ministry Watch 2022 All rights reserved. The motion requires two-thirds vote. (Illinois defines criminal sexual assault as using force or threat or force, and the defendant knows the victim is unable to give knowing consent.). 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. The Austin-area congregation declared itself open to LGBTQ persons on staff and that the church building would be available to host same-sex wedding ceremonies. During that time, he pastored the church, served on several ministry boards, and taught at the seminary. tricked into sending Asian Texans drivers licenses to fraud scheme, Everything Everywhere All at Once nearly sweeps SAG Awards, Elon Musk uses Asians in defense of Dilbert creators remarks about Black people, Michelle Yeoh wins SAG Award for best actress. 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. One was a claim from many years ago of inappropriate touch with an adult woman. 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. On July 13, the KCP met to discuss a complaint about the ruling filed by a group of pastors who wanted the group to remove Chung from the ministry. 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. The congregation also sought to evaluate the health of the church through The Center Consulting Group (CCG). The decision to return Chung to ministry may be appealed to the Standing Judicial Commission of the PCAs General Assembly. Covenant Fellowship Church in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, whose previous pastor Min Joshua Chung (left) resigned last year following abuse allegations, has It affects your identity, making you want to hide parts or even all of yourself. The Council believes sexual sin against a member of the congregation and failure to properly confess or be held accountable are reasons to disqualify a pastor/elder from office. We prefer to style these with the main accent color of our theme */ Chung continued to speak elsewhere during this time. Anne Rhee (not her real name) recalled when she began to kiss a male friend from church. Several CFC Survivors came forward to tell their stories on an Instagram account, @letters_from_rahab. 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. As James 3 warns us, teachers will be judged more strictly. . } /* Progress and audio bar background */ color: #888888; We judge that his relationship with God is restored as we consider the grace of God. background-color: rgba(219, 78, 136, 0.075); left: 0; Bryan Chapell, the PCAs stated clerk, confirmed to WBEZ in a statement that the discipline matter has been concluded by the SJC. The woman pastor at the center of the Southern Baptist Convention's decision to oust Saddleback Church the California megachurch founded by pastor and best-selling author Rick Warren says she will continue to serve as a ministry leader despite her longstanding ties to the nation's largest font-size: 11px; A July 13 vote narrowly missed that threshold, with 22 in favor of rescinding the decision, 12 against, and one abstaining. What remains is for the regional body that originally adjudicated the case to respond about procedural steps needing correction for the future.. He received disciplinary measures that included temporary leave from the pulpit and acknowledgment of previous personal acts of piety as self-imposed discipline. CFC also hired The Center Consulting Group to conduct surveys and evaluate the health of the church. Powered by Church Plant Media He was in his own words his neighborhood's "all-purpose Asian" and did not feel he had a culture of his own. While we do not want to minimize the importance of seeking justice on earth, we want to encourage you with the reminder that it is God who has the final say. The woman, a former CFC member, said she was sexually assaulted by a leader in the churchnot Chungand reported the incident to a pastor. As the leaders of CFC, we repent and acknowledge our failings and the many ways that we need to change.. Ultimately my hope is to discover who God truly is, beyond the God that CFC represented.. Nothing was ever followed up on with me. The sermon was maligned by many Protestants and praised by many Catholics, A sexual assault victim who wished to remain anonymous, but whose identity TRR confirmed, said that CFCs culture discouraged reporting sexual assault to police. Park said when she confronted Chung, he said had a dream in which God showed him that he was a lampstand for his generation, and that he should keep preaching as part of his healing. 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). Another woman reported to Chung that she had been raped repeatedly. Chung was also an adjunct professor at Urbana Theological Seminary from 2005 to 2018. 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. . SOLA Network, a digital platform and conference including Asian American pastors from all over the country, recently broke ties with Chung. He said in a statement to WBEZ that the presbytery is currently working with CFC and is discussing whether to receive the congregation into our jurisdiction. 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. 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