All videos and transcripts are available on our website. There are 300+ professionals named "Min Chung", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. It affects your identity, making you want to hide parts or even all of yourself. Hi. Pastor Chung holds a Korean-American identity. Also, any comments with profanity, name-calling, and/or a nasty tone will be deleted. We prefer to style these with the main accent color of our theme */ Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. In one instance, Chung assaulted a woman in the back seat of a car in 2001, the report alleges. 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. 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. TRR reached out to Min Chung for comment, but he did not respond. To make a donation,click here. font-size: 10px We acknowledge that this was wrong., Kim said the woman had forgiven Chung long ago.. Opinion: What is Revivaland is it Happening at Asbury? 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.. 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. The woman, a former CFC member, said she was sexually assaulted by a leader in the churchnot Chungand reported the incident to a pastor. 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. 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. height: 90px; Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. Joshua Generation, commonly called J-Gen, a ministry for high schoolers that Chung founded, also severed ties with Chung. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-embed body { In May 2021, CFC cut ties with Chung. Pastoral leadership is an immense privilege, not a right. 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. For investigators at GRACE, CFCs decision to terminate the assessment is a highly unusual move. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time-handle-content { .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-embed, And I say that as someone who believes the Bible clearly uses language from both spectra, not just one or the other. The friend urged the victim to tell Chung she hadnt consented to his touch. 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. But lay leaders and congregants began leaving the church in recent years, which was also a registered student organization at UICU. . 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. 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. But its especially disappointing because now theyve shown that they do have the tools and resources to make better decisions.. We lost our church family and community, she 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.. But now were not really given that chance.. 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. These include the SOLA Network, a group of Asian American pastors, and the Joshua Generation, a high school ministry that the minister also founded. Opinion: What is Revivaland is it Happening at Asbury? 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. He received disciplinary measures that included temporary leave from the pulpit and acknowledgment of previous personal acts of piety as self-imposed discipline. 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.. Marco Morante was eliminated in episode 8, Military, since the judges werent impressed by his outfit with a military motif. Unfortunately, GRACE has been informed by CFC that they are terminating the assessment, an update linked on GRACEs website stated. /*Custom svg icon height fix*/ And women are taught to protect men, even when the men are doing something wrong or hurting the women, said former member June Pinyo. WBEZ confirmed with Justin Coverstone, the stated clerk of the Presbytery of Northern Illinois, that CFC was in the process of joining that regional body as of early September. 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.. Great! 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. Leaving the case to be resolved by a higher jurisdiction. A July 13 vote narrowly missed that threshold, with 22 in favor of rescinding the decision, 12 against, and one abstaining. As the leaders of CFC, we repent and acknowledge our failings and the many ways that we need to change.. 2nd Peter 1 : 2 ~ 3, by pastor Minho Chung Singer said any organizations that back out do so because they dont understand the nature of an independent assessment or investigation. WebDr. Chungs church reckoned him to have an especially high place of anointing, making him untouchable when he does wrong, said Dan Lee, another whistleblower in the report. Shame is worse than embarrassment. Web[130609] On the knowledge of God. 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.. position: absolute; Its a moment of reckoning for the Korean American church, former CFC member June Pinyo said. The timing of thisso close to the finish of the assessmenthas raised a lot of questions and suspicion among former members, said Pinyo. [Churches and presbyteries] are not trained to look into [abuse], Langberg said. We remind him to abide by the BCO (Book of Church Order), and we believe that he should return to ministry.. Get Your Domain Names Here! .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-controls .mejs-time-rail .mejs-time-current { Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. Keep in touch with Julie and get updates in your inbox! 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). 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 discouraged her from reporting the incident to police. 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. Another day, theres basketball. CFC, located in Champaign-Urbana, hired GRACE to evaluate the churchs practices, policies and culture for risks relating to emotional and spiritual abuse, after many in the Asian American community called for reform. We extend an invitation to worship with us if you are ever in the Champaign area.. 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. For us, Pastor Min is more than just a gifted pastor and teacher. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time { However, a senior consultant at Center Consulting has ties with Chung. Min Chung is the founding and senior pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church Rev. This story has been updated to clarify CFCs relationship with regional and national presbytery associations. 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. The Roys Report seeks to foster thoughtful and respectful dialogue. 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. We grieve the subtle undertones of misogyny that have been present in our churches and have contributed to unbiblical hierarchies and unhealthy power structures. 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. On December 4, 2022, CFC became a particular church within the Presbytery of Kim also alluded to the KCP investigation. } If they found out, they would be devastated and you know how people talk, and I wouldnt want them to have to go through that. . Influencing the emerging generation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We see this is the third article this month youve found worth reading. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-controls, Last August, shortly after the WBEZ report was published, the same group of pastors from the KCP appealed the case, which went to the PCAs Standing Judicial Commission (SJC), a quasi-judicial body of sorts, according to several sources. Langberg helped an ad interim committee of the PCA write a new report on domestic and sexual abuse in churches. Why do you think youre staying for so long? . 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. visibility: hidden; In addition to the alleged sexual assault, the report lists several other allegations against Chung. height: auto; 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. We judge that his relationship with God is restored as we consider the grace of God. Pastor KJ shows no signs of remorse, shows no sign of pastoral care, only concerned with keeping us quiet.. More than a dozen former CFC members, leaders, and volunteers came forward to TRR. 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 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). 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. Mayor Lori Lightfoot was handed a stunning defeat, the first time in 40 years a sitting mayor was not reelected. Eventually, that group reconsidered and completed the assessment. The SOLA Network exists to influence the emerging generation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Sorry, the underlying pathology of people who act out this way takes more than a few of your cronies to meet at some hotel resort and call that Restoration. Furthermore, what is actually done to assist the victims and their families through this process? Theres such a pressure put on women to be pure going into marriage, but then we create this environment in the church where its kind of ripe for abuse, and for women to stay silent when there is some kind of assault, Pinyo said. Get new articles and breaking news delivered to your inbox. And calls for reform are spreading through the Korean-American community, even as whistleblowers fear retaliation. Rebecca Hopkins is a journalist based in Colorado. While the perfect judgment of God awaits us all, human judgments must be made to reflect His. } Former members of Covenant Fellowship Church (CFC) of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, where Chung pastored, say the whole church system breeds abuse. Im tired, said Tim Ma, who previously served on the CFC worship team. Biblical discipline, especially of a pastor or elder in ordained office, cannot be conducted in solitude by the offender. 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 victim was terrified and did whatever she was told, the report states. He is the ultimate judge who will make right all wrongs and the one who will both save and destroy. 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. top: 0; Women in many Korean churches are told to be submissive, former CFC members said. .wp-caption img { } He cited an example in the Bible, in the book of Luke, where Jesus tells the story of a woman and an unjust judge. Theres a side of me thats like, no, Im not gonna give another ounce of my energy and time to this, and then theres this other side of me thats just so upset at the injustice of it all, that people still dont have the truth., Miryung Fontijn, another member of the allegation group, said she was shocked by the GRACE termination. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time-loaded, 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 Go to our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. She said, Its very important for churches to understand theyre killing themselves, and they dont look anything like the God they say they serve. They also ruled that the period when Chung wasnt preaching at CFC was enough discipline for his sin. Toward that end, the site requires that people use their full name when commenting. They described various experiences of mistreatment by an unhealthy leadership culture over a couple of decades. A year later, the group of 14 whistleblowers submitted their report to the PCAs Korean Central Presbytery and called for the KCP to investigate Chung, arguing CFC associate pastors had failed to discipline him, said Park. WebTHE RADIO SHOW WILL BE LIVE! figcaption.wp-caption-text { He also referred WBEZ to Tim LeCroy, a pastor who chaired the PCAs committee that wrote the domestic and sexual abuse report. WebAs of July 2021, CFC came under the leadership of Reverend KJ Kim and a lay oversight board. 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. Whistleblowers say theyre disappointed, but not surprised, with the ruling. Pastor Kim confirmed the churchs decision with TRR but did not give a reason. 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. 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. Save and destroy staying what happened to pastor min chung so long but he did not respond of Jesus Christ our and... Even as whistleblowers fear retaliation respect the privacy of those involved and due the. 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