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). She says he then began to force himself on her and pull his pants down until she pushed him off and ran into the bathroom, locking the door until he left. 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. Min Chung is the founding and senior pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church Rev. In one instance, Chung assaulted a woman in the back seat of a car in 2001, the report alleges. CFC has begun posting Leadership Updates on its website. To Thyatira: Hold Fast What You Have Until I Come | Revelation 2:18-29 (Pastor Min Chung) joe 2019.02.19 43. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-horizontal-volume-total { 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. What remains is for the regional body that originally adjudicated the case to respond about procedural steps needing correction for the future.. 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. 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. Mayor Lori Lightfoot was handed a stunning defeat, the first time in 40 years a sitting mayor was not reelected. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time { He kept this information hidden for nearly 20 years from his wife, his church leaders, and other leaders outside the church. Charles Zimmerman has been a speaker at One In Love, which Chung founded, and theyve both been main speakers at Global Kingdom Young Adult Missions Festival, where Chung was a board member. But the way to combat shame isnt to fix yourself or cover your misdeedsit is to be truly known and loved. Opinion: What is Revivaland is it Happening at Asbury? After that, he was 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. The gospel is good news for all sinners; in the blood of Christ, all can find forgiveness and redemption. Posted on: Feb 04, 2023 User login The friend urged the victim to tell Chung she hadnt consented to his touch. Because of the trust that had been damaged and the pain that had been caused, he said, the church board voted unanimously May 27 to separate from Chung. Serving with a denomination as a District Leader I saw leaders shuffled to different churches who were related to significant people in the denomination who continued to act our inappropiately on women and it was imply ignored or excused. Former church members expressed dismay over CFCs apparent about-face. Though disappointed, the whistleblowers said that they were not surprised with KCP's ruling, citing the environment at CFC where Chung leads and the congregation's high regard for the minister. 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 victim was suicidal and traumatized by her initial and continuous interaction with Pastor Min, the friend stated in testimony included in the report. Not every religious leader is trained in handling the needs of sexual assault victims They should assist with reporting to the appropriate authorities and seek referrals to the victim services and professional counseling services!!! Websigns of too much calcium in tomato plants. Follow her on Twitter @estheryjkang. 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. } Powered by Church Plant Media Toll free: (866) 364-9980, Florida Youth Pastor Arrested for Attempting Sex with Teen Student, Cedarvilles Plan to Save Anthony Moore Abandoned its Students and Moore, Missouri Church Leaves Presbyterian Church in America Over LGBT Issues, Archbishop Resigns from Anglican Church of Canada over Sexual Misconduct, Cedarville Reinstates President White After Misconduct Investigation. 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. Pastor Kim did not respond to a TRR inquiry about the audit. (The version of the report released to TRR referenced and summarized the texts instead in the interest of the victims privacy.) But a vote on the matter failed to achieve the necessary two-thirds majority, meaning Chung remains a minister, WBEZ reported. Check out our new Instagram account. But after receiving the findings and recommendations from its investigation team, the KCP decided to restore Chung to his post. She is convinced she would have been raped if he could. 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). 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. 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. Chung turned over leadership of the church he founded in 2019 to a team of associate pastors, according to Ministry Watch. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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.. One was a claim from many years ago of inappropriate touch with an adult woman. Growing up in San Francisco, Yep felt alienated. Pastor Min is the founding and lead pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church, a large church in Champaign. WBEZ uncovered multiple other allegations against CFC, including pastors at the church making sexual comments to teen girls, church officials brushing off women who were sexually assaulted who went to them for help, and an overall culture that diminished women. 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. In May, CFC severed ties with Chung and hired Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (G.R.A.C.E.) Chung didnt respond when The Roys Report tried to reach him for comment. The Roys Report seeks to foster thoughtful and respectful dialogue. 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. But Chung is subject to the PCAs Book of Church Order because of his PCA ordination, KJ Kim told TRR. He experienced his childhood in America and went to James B. Conant High School. Former members of Covenant Fellowship Church (CFC) of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, where Chung pastored, say the whole church system breeds abuse. } After troubling times during the Depression, he was able to open a grocery store in an African-American neighborhood. WebMonths ago, we worked it out for Pastor Min Chung to be with us this weekend. Great! The church consists of predominantly a Korean American congregation. The motion to rescind the KCP decision needed a two-thirds vote in favor. Join with thousands of others to keep this important public media-based resource available to all. Pete Singer, GRACEs executive director, called the cancellation very rare, adding he is aware of just one other organization that has done the same. And I say that as someone who believes the Bible clearly uses language from both spectra, not just one or the other. 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. 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. 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. Rhee told WBEZ she reported the incident to Pastor Chung. Singer said any organizations that back out do so because they dont understand the nature of an independent assessment or investigation. Sean Park, who said he experienced hazing and burnout at CFC, said hes finding his way to a healthy relationship with God. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-controls .mejs-time-rail .mejs-time-current { .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time-hovered, A couple of other organizations have also severed their associations with the CFC founder. Many have called into question the biblical sufficiency of these measures, and the SOLA Network also expresses strong concern regarding the decision of the KCP. Were an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. Even though many doubt that enough change has happened, some are finding healing beyond CFC. 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. 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. In October, the church board released a nine-page report from the CCG. Leaving the case to be resolved by a higher jurisdiction. It was another missed opportunity, Amy Han said. 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.. The presbytery is a ruling body of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), the denomination that ordained Chung. We, as a collective voice of Asian American leaders, implore Min Chung to cease all public ministry at least until a new investigation is conducted and proper Would you consider making a tax-deductible donation to help our journalists continue to report the truth and restore the church? 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. 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. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-controls .mejs-time-rail .mejs-time-total { Gave $3 Million Grant for Reconstruction of Historic First Baptist Church in Williamsburg. We know this may cause pain for many people, and we deeply regret that CFC has chosen this path.. Join our weekly TGIF newsletter and receive recent articles and fresh resources from the web. We lost our church family and community, she said. top: 19px; But TRR said that the ruling may still be appealed to the Standing Judicial Commission of the PCA's General Assembly. However, the gospel also demonstrates that mercy is not given at the expense of justice and vice versa. WebLearning to Groan in the Holy Spirit | Romans 8:13-16, 26-27 (Pastor Min Chung) [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. Zimmerman didnt answer calls or emails to comment on his relationship with Chung. In addition, CFC vowed to be clear and transparent with members by providing regular updates on the probe on its website. To donate, click here. Front-runner for Oscar. "MC (Min Chung) is anointed by God, God only exists at CFC and there is no other place like CFC. 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. It went terribly, according to the report. The church also hired The Center Consulting Group (CCG) to assess problems at CFC and offer solutions. CFC separated from Chung on May 27 and has contracted a third-party investigation into his conduct. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-embed, The KCP which consists of several pastors who were close with Chung had determined that he had been restored to God, as well as the woman. The regional presbytery also determined no additional disciplinary steps were needed for Chung other than what the church had already instituted. Get new articles and breaking news delivered to your inbox. The Council in particular, as men in pastoral leadership of Asian American churches, want to offer an apology. How Can the Church Support Asian American Women? 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. /* Player controls */ 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. Kim did not respond to a request for comment on these claims against him. 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). He is the ultimate judge who will make right all wrongs and the one who will both save and destroy. Many times, I thought I lost my own understanding in God. However, theres nothing on CFCs website about CFCs recent decision to terminate GRACE. 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. height: 3px; In May 2021, CFC cut ties with Chung. 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. 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