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). WebTHE RADIO SHOW WILL BE LIVE! Why do you think youre staying for so long? . Copyright 2023 Christianity Daily. Although banned from preaching at CFC by the Korean Central Presbytery in which he was Photo: Illustration by Andjela Padejski, Photo by Manuel Martinez/WBEZ News, Move over, Bruce Willis: NASA crashed into an asteroid to test planetary defense, Students protest University of Illinois investments related to fossil fuels. .grecaptcha-badge { visibility: hidden; } height: auto; As the leaders of CFC, we repent and acknowledge our failings and the many ways that we need to change.. They also ruled that the period when Chung wasnt preaching at CFC was enough discipline for his sin. 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. content: ''; The churchs website says that as of July 2021, CFC is under the leadership of Reverend KJ Kim and a lay oversight board and is in the process of particularizing or becoming a fully organized church with the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). 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.. 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. Minister accused of sexual misconduct remains ordained, Meet Todd Gloria the first AAPI Mayor for San Diego, Arrest made in vandalism of Philadelphia mosque, Marvel unveils plans for AAPI Heritage Month stories, Woman accused of lying about her ethnicity resigns from diversity position, Govt. A couple of other organizations have also severed their associations with the CFC founder. Also, any comments with profanity, name-calling, and/or a nasty tone will be deleted. position: absolute; In our previous meetings, they had acknowledged that [Chungs case was] within the scope, so Im not certain why that changed.. 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. 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. 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. 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 Susie An covers education for WBEZ. height: 3px; The decision came before an investigation by WBEZ of Pastor Min Joshua Chung of the Covenant Fellowship Church on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. 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. Some former CFC members told TRR they believe CFC leaders have lost their way. In light of this information, on August 15, 2020, the SOLA Council asked Min to resign his position and removed all of Mins content from the SOLA website. For almost 20 years, Chung kept the alleged sexual assault from church leaders and his wife, Park said. 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The congregation also sought to evaluate the health of the church through The Center Consulting Group (CCG). Many people were waiting to see what came out of this and then what their response would be to that, Pinyo said. 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. The sermon was maligned by many Protestants and praised by many Catholics, He experienced his childhood in America and went to James B. Conant High School. We recognize that some have suffered, often silently, because of our church, states CFCs letter. People close to the woman said she didnt wish to speak to TRR. Ive been very hesitant for some while about getting really committed and really involved and back to serving with a church, but I feel like my appetite is coming back, he said. He was in his own words his neighborhood's "all-purpose Asian" and did not feel he had a culture of his own. The report states that 62 percent of those surveyed consider CFC to have a works-based culture. The church has been legalistic, the CCG reported, and has lacked transparency and accountability. This story has been updated to clarify CFCs relationship with regional and national presbytery associations. But a vote on the matter failed to achieve the necessary two-thirds majority, meaning Chung remains a minister, WBEZ reported. Web1215 W. Lambert Rd. In May 2021, CFC cut ties with Chung. To make a donation,click here. Theres a picnic. } Join our weekly TGIF newsletter and receive recent articles and fresh resources from the web. Pastor KJ Kim acknowledged that Chung has been accused of a pattern of abusing his authority. We remind him to abide by the BCO (Book of Church Order), and we believe that he should return to ministry," Sungwoo Nam of KCP stated. Conversations about sex, including consent, are taboo. 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.. Dr. Min J. Chung is the founding and lead pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church, an Meanwhile, Chung maintains a presence and continues to attend KCP meetings, according to sources. to conduct a third-party investigation. The lawsuit alleges that the property at 19150 Woodward Ave. is dilapidated and a public nuisance, and orders Pastor Marvin It is because we believe in the power and sanctity of the gospel that we are publishing this statement. Several CFC Survivors came forward to tell their stories on an Instagram account, @letters_from_rahab. The woman pastor at the center of the Southern Baptist Convention's decision to oust Saddleback Church the California WebMonths ago, we worked it out for Pastor Min Chung to be with us this weekend. The CCG called the allegations against Min Chung an inappropriate moral failure between Min Chung and a woman. We at the SOLA Network respect and believe in the due processes of member denominations; we encourage the work that our PCA brothers are pursuing to bring the appropriate denominational actions for proper discipline. 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. On January 17, 1990, the couple welcomed their first child, Tucker Stephenson. Former members of Covenant Fellowship Church say Chungs abuse is part of a larger pattern of abuse and silencing at CFC and affiliated ministries. . It was another missed opportunity, Amy Han said. LeCroy said victims of abuse, who cannot get redress via the means provided by the church or denomination, can take to various means to seek justice. Sometimes weve lost purpose and direction. WBEZ Chicagoalso uncovered about an Instagram account created last May which grew to become a platform for sexual assault survivors, exposing the abuses that have been happening in the church for almost thirty years. CFC came under fire last summer for its alleged mishandling of sexual misconduct by church founder and former head pastor Min Joshua Chung. Wade Morris, Popular Baptist Youth Speaker, Dies After COVID-19 Hospitalization. It also alleges that Chung urged a woman not to go to police when she sought his counsel after being sexually assaulted by another church member. For investigators at GRACE, CFCs decision to terminate the assessment is a highly unusual move. We grieve that this incident will cause many to experience confusion and lose trust in their pastors and elders. 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. Korean Church Stops Independent Investigation into Sexual 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. But TRR said that the ruling may still be appealed to the Standing Judicial Commission of the PCA's General Assembly. One of those associate pastors was KJ Kim, the new head pastor of CFC. 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). Chung preached messages urging congregants to submit to leaders and forgive them and calling victims to forgive their abusers. 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. Keep in touch with Julie and get updates in your inbox! 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. padding: 1px; Our King Jesus, in his incarnation, wept at the suffering of man and in his full glory he will wipe away every tear as he welcomes us into eternity. Anne Rhee (not her real name) recalled when she began to kiss a male friend from church. It was very much like, Why do you think you got into this relationship? The timing of thisso close to the finish of the assessmenthas raised a lot of questions and suspicion among former members, said Pinyo. After troubling times during the Depression, he was able to open a grocery store in an African-American neighborhood. He said, Your parents are well-respected members of their church, your fathers an elder [at their church], Rhee recalled. Amid rumors of sexual misconduct, Chung announced in the summer of 2019 that he would transition out of the head pastor role and that a team of associate pastors would take over. 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Pastor KJ shows no signs of remorse, shows no sign of pastoral care, only concerned with keeping us quiet.. Though the assessment is nearly complete, the termination by CFC effectively halts our work at this time. .elementor-widget .elementor-icon-list-icon svg { 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.. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time-handle-content { .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-controls .mejs-time-rail .mejs-time-loaded { 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. 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. 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. It went terribly, according to the report. 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 gave a couple of examples [of bias], which were tenuous at best, Singer said. 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. [ of bias ], which were tenuous at best, Singer said Standing Judicial Commission of assessmenthas... 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