Dozens of Illinois, CHAMPAIGN Plans have resumed for a carbon dioxide pipeline in Illinois after a brief delay. I have the privilege of living near a large population of Korean Americans, both Christian and otherwise. They were also concerned that other victims may exist, she said. 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. Chung was also an adjunct professor at Urbana Theological Seminary from 2005 to 2018. .mytheme-mejs-container.mejs-container, Biblical discipline, especially of a pastor or elder in ordained office, cannot be conducted in solitude by the offender. AsAmNews is a community of users interested in reading, learning and commenting on news, events, people & issues in the Asian Americans and Pacific Islander communities. Great! .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-embed, A vote by the Presbyterian oversight group on July 13 to remove Chung as a minister failed to get the necessary 2/3 vote. 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. Chung had no interest in moving back to the weekend and attempted to get CBS to buy her out of the rest of her contract, valued around $2 million with less than a Zimmerman didnt answer calls or emails to comment on his relationship with Chung. Chung discouraged her from reporting the incident to police. 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. } 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. /* Player background */ All rights reserved.Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. left: 0; Join our weekly TGIF newsletter and receive recent articles and fresh resources from the web. Dr. Min J. Chung is the founding and lead pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church, an 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). Commissioners for the Presbyterian Church in America approved a motion to leave the National Association of Evangelicals on Wednesday at the PCAs, The Presbyterian Church in Americas (PCA) highest ecclesiastical court is taking over a case allegedly mishandled by an Indiana presbytery, a letter, The Rev. Korean Christians have had such a tremendous and positive impact over the last few decades on local communities and believers, its difficult to overstate. 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. To donate, click here. Esther Yoon-Ji Kang is a reporter for WBEZs Race, Class and Communities desk. Park is part of a group that last year brought to light allegations of sexual and spiritual abuse at Covenant Fellowship Church (CFC), a predominantly Asian American church near the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Chung showed Minari to his parents around Thanksgiving 2019, a couple of months before its Sundance premiere. Hi. 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 CFC came under fire last summer for its alleged mishandling of sexual misconduct by church founder and former head pastor Min Joshua Chung. For almost 20 years, Chung kept the alleged sexual assault from church leaders and his wife, Park said. The report doesnt offer explicit details of the incident, but states that the touching was in a way that could be constituted as sexual assault under Illinois law. Pastor Kim confirmed the churchs decision with TRR but did not give a reason. As of May 27, 2021, Covenant Fellowship Church (CFC) has terminated its formal relationship with Min Chung. background-color: rgba(219, 78, 136, 0.075); } Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. Several CFC Survivors came forward to tell their stories on an Instagram account, @letters_from_rahab. For many years, Chung had been a council member and a writer for their site. . The cost has been high for the whistleblowers, said Amy Han, one of the whistleblowers who submitted the report. As a whistleblower, its traumatic as well, because there are so many places of pain and injustice along the way, Park said. 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. To Pergamum: Do Not Compromise | Revelation 2:12-17 (Pastor Min Chung) That is the message of Esther Lius book Shame: Being Known and Loved. 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. 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. 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. Web1215 W. Lambert Rd. .grecaptcha-badge { The audit report isnt linked to any of the online church leadership updates. 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.. 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. 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. Almost every day of the week, they try to recruit people, Ma said. Influencing the emerging generation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. /* Reduce height of the progress and audio bars */ 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). 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). Keep in touch with Julie and get updates in your inbox! Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. We judge that his relationship with God is restored as we consider the grace of God. Weve lost our reputations. We see this is the third article this month youve found worth reading. We continue to seek the Lord for His leading in this season of ministry.. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-controls .mejs-time-rail .mejs-time-total { Eventually, Ashton was removed along with Angel Chen in episode 9 because she didnt live up to the judges expectations. Chung continued to speak elsewhere during this time. 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. Women in many Korean churches are told to be submissive, former CFC members said. For the sake of the churchs purity and healing, we desire for there to be a thorough, fair, and independent investigation completed regarding the incident and the aftermath. } The congregation also sought to evaluate the health of the church through The Center Consulting Group (CCG). Covenant Fellowship Church in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, whose previous pastor Min Joshua Chung (left) resigned last year following abuse allegations, has 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. 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). /*Custom svg icon height fix*/ Notify me of follow-up comments by email. height: 3px; I really did not see this coming, she said. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-controls .mejs-time-rail .mejs-time-current { 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). Meanwhile, Chung maintains a presence and continues to attend KCP meetings, according to sources. Its time that we simply say enough is enough and no -longer co-sign this terrible plight that impacts people generationally. However, nine elders objected to the decision and asked for Chung's suspension. Please consider interning, joining our staff, or submitting a story or making a contribution. AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. font-size: 13px 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. 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. 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. Later, the victim called a friend and told her what Chung had done. He is the ultimate judge who will make right all wrongs and the one who will both save and destroy. The report also recommended that the church hire a third-party auditor to address some members financial concerns, though the Center didnt think there were financial irregularities.. 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Though the assessment is nearly complete, the termination by CFC effectively halts our work at this time. It requires public forms of accountability and repentance. .wp-caption p.wp-caption-text { . 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. Join with thousands of others to keep this important public media-based resource available to all. The victim was suicidal and traumatized by her initial and continuous interaction with Pastor Min, the friend stated in testimony included in the report. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-controls .mejs-horizontal-volume-slider .mejs-horizontal-volume-total, In February of 2019, Park said she reported the matter to Kim and urged him to allow a third-party investigation, but Kim refused. Pete Singer, GRACEs executive director, called the cancellation very rare, adding he is aware of just one other organization that has done the same. Find more resources and videos here. We remind him to abide by the BCO (Book of Church Order), and we believe that he should return to ministry.. 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. border: 0 none; 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). He received disciplinary measures that included temporary leave from the pulpit and acknowledgment of previous personal acts of piety as self-imposed discipline. 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. CFC also hired The Center Consulting Group to conduct surveys and evaluate the health of the church. 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). 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.. They gave a couple of examples [of bias], which were tenuous at best, Singer said. 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. More than a dozen former CFC members, leaders, and volunteers came forward to TRR. You have entered an incorrect email address! 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. WebDr. 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. 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. What Happened To Marco From Next In Fashion? The church consists of predominantly a Korean American congregation. z-index: 1; Sources at GRACE told WBEZ that the group had conducted interviews with more than 40 former and present CFC members, many of whom spent hours talking about their experiences. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-embed body { /* Progress and audio bars */ How Can the Church Support Asian American Women? We prefer to style these with the main accent color of our theme */ Access to MinistryWatch content is free. Also, any comments with profanity, name-calling, and/or a nasty tone will be deleted. 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. He kept this information hidden for nearly 20 years from his wife, his church leaders, and other leaders outside the church. Web[130609] On the knowledge of God. Another day, theres basketball. CFC has already disassociated with Chung on May 27 and hired the services of Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment(GRACE) to investigate the pastor. Pastor KJ shows no signs of remorse, shows no sign of pastoral care, only concerned with keeping us quiet.. Chung founded the church in 1990 on the University of Illinois-Champaign Urbana (UICU) campus and welcomed students to join. Im tired, said Tim Ma, who previously served on the CFC worship team. The Council in particular, as men in pastoral leadership of Asian American churches, want to offer an apology. Frank Barker, whose 4,000-member Briarwood Presbyterian Church grew from a Birmingham, Alabama, storefront before he helped found the conservative Presbyterian. Kim also alluded to the KCP investigation. 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. top: 19px; Wade Morris, Popular Baptist Youth Speaker, Dies After COVID-19 Hospitalization. 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. } How Tragic. 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. Nothing was put in place, to my knowledge, to keep me safe from him. The SOLA Network exists to influence the emerging generation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 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. He also said that, for sexual harassment of a member of the congregation, the KCP should have dealt Chung a suspension of a period of years, and perhaps even defrocked him. 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. It was just like, Why, why did we do this all in vain? Park said. This is so disheartening. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. Anne Stych is a writer in Charlotte, North Carolina. 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. There was never a feeling that this should be reported.. 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. He experienced his childhood in America and went to James B. Conant High School. 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. 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. Some people are just too far gone and need a wake-up call.. .elementor-widget .elementor-icon-list-icon svg { The SOLA Network, for the gospel-centric reason outlined in the introduction, feels it is necessary to articulate that: We grieve the fact that ministers of the gospel, those who are to represent Christ himself, have sinned against their own sheep, denied the biblical call to repentance, and failed to seek justice. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-controls .mejs-time-rail .mejs-time-loaded { Singer said any organizations that back out do so because they dont understand the nature of an independent assessment or investigation. 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. 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. Many people were waiting to see what came out of this and then what their response would be to that, Pinyo said. A few months later, a group of pastors dissatisfied with the presbyterys April 2021 determination filed a complaint in an effort to indefinitely suspend Chung from ministry. 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 []. .jet-smart-listing__post-title:after { 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. J-Gen canceled its summer retreats to grieve and reflect.. We extend an invitation to worship with us if you are ever in the Champaign area.. Go to our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Even though many doubt that enough change has happened, some are finding healing beyond CFC. } 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. Front-runner for Oscar. 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. The Roys Report seeks to foster thoughtful and respectful dialogue. To donate, click here. visibility: hidden; Ministry Watch 2022 All rights reserved. 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.. background-image: url("images/mejs-controls-dark.svg"); CFC added that while the CFC Oversight Board would see the survey ahead of time and GRACE would accept input, GRACE would make final decisions on which survey questions to include. While the perfect judgment of God awaits us all, human judgments must be made to reflect His. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time-buffering, Chung turned over leadership of the church he founded in 2019 to a team of associate pastors, according to Ministry Watch. Email:[emailprotected] Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. It was another missed opportunity, Amy Han said.
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