Wade Morris, Popular Baptist Youth Speaker, Dies After COVID-19 Hospitalization. Theyre a very inclusive, very inviting community. Sean Park, who said he experienced hazing and burnout at CFC, said hes finding his way to a healthy relationship with God. We see this is the third article this month youve found worth reading. Anne Rhee (not her real name) recalled when she began to kiss a male friend from church. Finally, we desire and pray for justice and healing for all past and present survivors of abuse. 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. CFC separated from Chung on May 27 and has contracted a third-party investigation into his conduct. New report reveals how Korean pastor in Chicago fostered 'm } It is because we believe in the power and sanctity of the gospel that we are publishing this statement. /* Current track progress and active audio volume level bar */ 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). 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. 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. into silence those who knew of the incident, the report states. 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. Pastor Min Chung admitted some guilt but faced few consequences. 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. 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. He still preaches as a member in good standing. CFC came under fire last summer for its alleged mishandling of sexual misconduct by church founder and former head pastor Min Joshua Chung. But theres, of course, a lot under the surface as well, he added. 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. Especially in the Korean community, to call out a pastor, youre going against God-given authority.. 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. At the time, the SOLA Council placed trust in the proper processes and authorities of his local church and denomination to conduct an investigation and hold Min Chung accountable. A couple of other organizations have also severed their associations with the CFC founder. } 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. 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. Rebecca Hopkins is a journalist based in Colorado. In May 2021, CFC cut ties with Chung. Covenant Fellowship Church is nondenominational, has no elders, and is not a PCA member. 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). All videos and transcripts are available on our website. Follow her on Twitter @WBEZeducation and @soosieon. WebView the profiles of professionals named "Min Chung" on LinkedIn. . But that system broke down: Oversight entities had limited power and the denominations governing rules proved to be inadequate for addressing the issue of abuse in the church. Chung founded the church in 1990 on the University of Illinois-Champaign Urbana (UICU) campus and welcomed students to join. 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. 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. There are far-reaching consequences to a leaders sins, and as God lovingly and wisely disciplines those he loves, so the church must do the same beginning with her leaders. 217 Today: 217 Today host looks back on time at Illinois Public Media, Plans are back on the table for a carbon pipeline in Illinois, Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson head to Chicago mayoral runoff. A new report appears to implicate Covenant Fellowship Church's former head pastor, Min Joshua Chung, in fostering and creating a misogynistic church environment. 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. But now were not really given that chance.. 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. In April, the Korean Central Presbytery received an eight-page report summarizing its investigative teams findings and recommendations. 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. Nothing was ever followed up on with me. (The version of the report released to TRR referenced and summarized the texts instead in the interest of the victims privacy.) Pete Singer, GRACEs executive director, called the cancellation very rare, adding he is aware of just one other organization that has done the same. Ministry Watch 2022 All rights reserved. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. Opinion: What is Revivaland is it Happening at Asbury? Rebecca Hopkins is a journalist based in Colorado. However, the KCP determined at an April meeting that looked only at the single incident that Chung had been restored to God, as well as the woman, and that that discipline instituted by CFC pastors was found to be sufficient.. They also ruled that the period when Chung wasnt preaching at CFC was enough discipline for his sin. margin: 0; 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. "MC (Min Chung) is anointed by God, God only exists at CFC and there is no other place like CFC. In your pain and in your healing, may you be comforted and strengthened by the presence of Christ, your advocate, your protector, and your savior. 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. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time { The congregation also sought to evaluate the health of the church through The Center Consulting Group (CCG). WebDr. Chung also was accused of covering up sexual abuse committed by a fellow local pastor. In the aftermath, CFC promised to make changes and to be transparent. left: 0; 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. Nine teaching elders protested the KCPs ruling, saying they didnt think Chung was truly repentant, and called for indefinite suspension. We see this is the third article this month youve found worth reading. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. 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. Other whistleblowers said in the report that that isnt true. Another day, theres basketball. Toward that end, the site requires that people use their full name when commenting. 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. An Asian American pastor in Illinois was reinstated to ministry in spite of doubts on his character due to sexual abuse accusations. URBANA For Janet Park, the events of last year feel like a waste of time and energy. How Can the Church Support Asian American Women? } */ He has either founded or served in leadership for several youth and college ministries throughout the country, and was a board member for international missions organization SIM from 2006 to 2019. /* Progress and audio bar background */ Get new articles and breaking news delivered to your inbox. But the way to combat shame isnt to fix yourself or cover your misdeedsit is to be truly known and loved. Growing up in San Francisco, Yep felt alienated. Singer said any organizations that back out do so because they dont understand the nature of an independent assessment or investigation. And in August, CFC hired GRACE. to conduct a third-party investigation. right: 0; 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. .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. 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. There are 300+ professionals named "Min Chung", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. Even the friend in whom the victim confided feared she would be cursed by God if she spoke against Chung. } The SOLA Network exists to influence the emerging generation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Get Your Domain Names Here! He kept this information hidden for nearly 20 years from his wife, his church leaders, and other leaders outside the church. position: absolute; Web1215 W. Lambert Rd. As James 3 warns us, teachers will be judged more strictly. Join with thousands of others to keep this important public media-based resource available to all. Nothing was put in place, to my knowledge, to keep me safe from him. As of May 27, 2021, Covenant Fellowship Church (CFC) has terminated its formal relationship with Min Chung. 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. Join our weekly TGIF newsletter and receive recent articles and fresh resources from the web. 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 Chung Chung Unfortunately, GRACE has been informed by CFC that they are terminating the assessment, an update linked on GRACEs website stated. Chung continued to speak elsewhere during this time. Chung joined the church in 2005 as the minister of missions, taking over a storied tradition of deploying missionaries around the world, said Walter Kim, an 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. Im tired, said Tim Ma, who previously served on the CFC worship team. The victim was suicidal and traumatized by her initial and continuous interaction with Pastor Min, the friend stated in testimony included in the report. Under the previous structure, CFC was an independent church, with just Chung and the associate pastors, as individuals, belonging to the Korean Central Presbytery (KCP), one of the regional bodies within the PCA. 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. margin-top: 18px 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. So they think that they can have some level of control of the process some access to information before they get to the final product, Singer said. Joshua Generation, commonly called J-Gen, a ministry for high schoolers that Chung founded, also severed ties with Chung. Women in many Korean churches are told to be submissive, former CFC members said. Many times, I thought I lost my own understanding in God. The group said that though the was guilty, what he did was already enough for his reinstatement and that his hiatus from preaching was also enough to discipline him for the sin. margin-top: 9px; In September 2019, two other whistleblowers met with Kim as a final step to urge leadership to take proper steps, the report states. The gospel is good news for all sinners; in the blood of Christ, all can find forgiveness and redemption. It is interesting the there were 5-6 million Presbyterians in the 1960s the number now is down to paltry 1.5 Presbyterians in the U.S. 1 Million Liberal (PSUSA) Another promised change was to bring the church under a regional body within the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA), to seek more oversight and accountability for its leaders and members. Find more resources and videos here. However, the gospel also demonstrates that mercy is not given at the expense of justice and vice versa. Another woman reported to Chung that she had been raped repeatedly. 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