Prominent Korean-American congregation Covenant Fellowship Church (CFC) in central Illinois has terminated its nearly complete independent investigation into alleged spiritual and emotional abuse at the church, according to Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE). } An Asian American pastor in Illinois was reinstated to ministry in spite of doubts on his character due to sexual abuse accusations. 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. 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CFC also hired The Center Consulting Group to conduct surveys and evaluate the health of the church. 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. left: 0; 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. Brea, CA 92821 | 562.694.2100 2022 Living Hope Community Church. /* Track progress bar background (amount of track fully loaded) To Pergamum: Do Not Compromise | Revelation 2:12-17 (Pastor Min Chung) 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.. The church consists of predominantly a Korean American congregation. The mainline Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) announced this week it will change the way it reports statistical information about the denominations membership to, The pastor of a Baptist church in Virginia is in jail on child sex abuse-related charges, the Washington County (Va.) Sheriffs Office, Steve Morgan, founder and president of a group of 26 evangelical-charismatic churches known as the Network, has been hiding a disqualifying sexual. This story has been updated to clarify CFCs relationship with regional and national presbytery associations. He also referred WBEZ to Tim LeCroy, a pastor who chaired the PCAs committee that wrote the domestic and sexual abuse report. .wp-caption img { Dr. Min J. Chung is the founding and lead pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church, an 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. } 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. Keep in touch with Julie and get updates in your inbox! WebMonths ago, we worked it out for Pastor Min Chung to be with us this weekend. 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. /* Current track progress and active audio volume level bar */ Frank Barker, whose 4,000-member Briarwood Presbyterian Church grew from a Birmingham, Alabama, storefront before he helped found the conservative Presbyterian. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-controls .mejs-horizontal-volume-slider .mejs-horizontal-volume-current, WebView the profiles of professionals named "Min Chung" on LinkedIn. Min Chung is the founding and senior pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church Rev. 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. CFCs main ministry is to the students at the University of Illinois and the church recruits heavily during new student week, said Tim Ma, former CFC member and 2014 Illinois graduate. The motion requires two-thirds vote. Get Your Domain Names Here! Great! What Happened To Marco From Next In Fashion? Last summer, Kim, writing on behalf of the Oversight Board, promised that CFC would release a full report at the conclusion of GRACEs investigation. Almost every day of the week, they try to recruit people, Ma said. As of May 27, 2021, Covenant Fellowship Church (CFC) has terminated its formal relationship with Min Chung. Former CFC member Janet Park said that when she confronted Chung in 2009, he told her that he kept the matter a secret because the victim had insisted on doing so. 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. } The investigation, which began last summer, came after multiple allegations that CFC had silenced and intimidated those who reported sexual misconduct by the churchs former well-known pastor, Min Joshua Chung. CFC would not be given much specific information prior to the release of the final executive summary, CFC reported in September. She bangs on his door all hours of the night until he finally comes and gives her justice, LeCroy explained. Pastor Kim did not respond to a TRR inquiry about the audit. 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. In a situation like this, we believe real accountability, discipline, and repentance are required. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Copyright 2023 Christianity Daily. In October, the church board released a nine-page report from the CCG. 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.. Theres a picnic. Kim did not respond to a request for comment on these claims against him. The lawsuit alleges that the property at 19150 Woodward Ave. is dilapidated and a public nuisance, and orders Pastor Marvin CFC also took steps to join the Presbytery of Northern Illinois and move its pastors credentials from the KCP to the Presbytery of Northern Illinois. In addition to the alleged sexual assault, the report lists several other allegations against Chung. Editors note: This story has been updated to clarify when the KCP received the whistleblowers allegations and to more accurately state certain charges. Though the assessment is nearly complete, the termination by CFC effectively halts our work at this time. However, nine elders objected to the decision and asked for Chung's suspension. Covenant Fellowship Church in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, whose previous pastor Min Joshua Chung (left) resigned last year following abuse allegations, has Powered by Church Plant Media Members didnt feel safe talking to leaders and sometimes felt ostracized, the report said. 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. 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CFC came under fire last summer for its alleged mishandling of sexual misconduct by church founder and former head pastor Min Joshua Chung. .grecaptcha-badge { Chung didnt respond when The Roys Report tried to reach him for comment. 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. 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 6 min read. 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. How Can the Church Support Asian American Women? .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-embed, 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. He cited an example in the Bible, in the book of Luke, where Jesus tells the story of a woman and an unjust judge. A Presbyterian oversight group has determined that the former head pastor of a Korean church near the Champaign-Urbana campus of the University of Illinois can remain an ordained minister despite allegations of sexual misconduct against him and his church. 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. You have entered an incorrect email address! She said, Its very important for churches to understand theyre killing themselves, and they dont look anything like the God they say they serve. 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). One was a claim from many years ago of inappropriate touch with an adult woman. 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. For almost 20 years, Chung kept the alleged sexual assault from church leaders and his wife, Park said. He still preaches as a member in good standing. 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. But the way to combat shame isnt to fix yourself or cover your misdeedsit is to be truly known and loved. } 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, Rev. color: #888888; 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. Even the friend in whom the victim confided feared she would be cursed by God if she spoke against Chung. top: 0; top: 19px; Rhee told WBEZ she reported the incident to Pastor Chung. 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. 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. 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. Leaving the case to be resolved by a higher jurisdiction. Pastor Min Chung admitted some guilt but faced few consequences. [They] are literally re-traumatizing [themselves] by speaking to us, so the least the other side could do would be to hear those pieces of information, Dunn said, adding that current church leaders, including KJ Kim, were the only remaining people GRACE had left to interview. 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). 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. CFCs current senior pastor, KJ Kim, was also accused of aiding in the cover-up of Min Chungs misconduct in a report compiled by a team of whistleblowers. 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. 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. Ultimately my hope is to discover who God truly is, beyond the God that CFC represented.. But Chung is subject to the PCAs Book of Church Order because of his PCA ordination, KJ Kim told TRR. Yet this generations aggrieved version of sexism has taken on a different character from their fathers more traditional version of sexism featuring machoism and strict gender roles., https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/13/opinion/south-koreas-misogyny.html, https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/06/23/young-south-korean-men-hate-liberals-feminists/. Women in many Korean churches are told to be submissive, former CFC members said. .grecaptcha-badge { visibility: hidden; } 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. The treatment and reception of Asians in the broader American society has shaped the theological tendencies of Asian American Christians, ranging from very radical to very conservative theologies and all of these tendencies, even though often at odds with []. 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. Opinion: What is Revivaland is it Happening at Asbury? . fostered a misogynistic environment that included sexual mistreatment and Pinyo told TRR that shes advising her current church leadership on how to be a safe and healthy church that doesnt turn a blind eye to problems. In contrast, a team of whistleblowers have alleged that the incident was sexual assault. The Korean Central Presbytery called it sexual harassment.. Follow her on Twitter @estheryjkang. The woman pastor at the center of the Southern Baptist Convention's decision to oust Saddleback Church the California In one instance, Chung assaulted a woman in the back seat of a car in 2001, the report alleges. .mytheme-mejs-container.mejs-container, Rebecca Hopkins is a journalist based in Colorado. 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. To Thyatira: Hold Fast What You Have Until I Come | Revelation 2:18-29 (Pastor Min Chung) joe 2019.02.19 43. That is the message of Esther Lius book Shame: Being Known and Loved. The report accuses Chung of orchestrating a cover-up of sexual abuse allegations against another Korean-American pastor of a church with close ties to CFC. Toward that end, the site requires that people use their full name when commenting. 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