Matt Chandler, the lead pastor at the Village Church in Flower Mound, about 30 miles northwest of Dallas, told his congregation on Sundaythe move was prompted by what thechurchs leaders called inappropriate messages between the pair. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. In 2002, he became pastor of First Baptist Church of Highland Village, now called The Village Church. Global Senior Pastor Brian Houston speaks on stage during the Hillsong Atlanta grand opening at Hillsong Atlanta on June 06, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. "We would like to advise you that Pastor Brian Houston has resigned as Global Senior Pastor of Hillsong Church, and the board has accepted his resignation," the board said in a Wednesday statement. Moss stated that the church bylaws available on the churchs website proscribe their senior pastor search process moving forward. At the end of 2023, I will step down as senior pastor of Brentwood Baptist Church, said Glenn following his Sunday sermon. With all of the documentaries, scandals, articles, accusations and the churchs subsequent management of these attacks its become too difficult to lead and grow a young Church in this environment.. Brian Houston, Australian pastor and co-founder of international megachurch Hillsong, announced on Sunday that he will be stepping down from his pastoral duties for The Arizona megachurchCentral Christian Church (CCC), which has five locations in the Phoenix area announced the termination of Lead Student Pastor and Associate Preaching Pastor Caleb Baker at a church service posted on Feb. 13. Brian has said there was no sexual activity, but he was in the room for 40 minutes, Dooley said. "Acts 29 prioritizes personal integrity and holds our leaders to a high standard of conduct. Later, on February 25th, the Elders met with Mike. An Australian court charged Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. The elders decided the initial results, completed in January 2023, were not thorough enough, and requested a second, more detailed audit, looking at workplace culture and HR policies. Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS. Then and now the Elders believe that for the health of our church, a third-party involvement is necessary to adequately address allegations. Glenn and his wife, Jeannie, have two sons and became grandparents in recent years. Durch Klicken auf Alle akzeptieren erklren Sie sich damit einverstanden, dass Yahoo und unsere Partner Ihre personenbezogenen Daten verarbeiten und Technologien wie Cookies nutzen, um personalisierte Anzeigen und Inhalte zu zeigen, zur Messung von Anzeigen und Inhalten, um mehr ber die Zielgruppe zu erfahren sowie fr die Entwicklung von Produkten. "And I fell short.". Still there today. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider The actual vote tally was 859 to 12 out of 871 total votes. ***Please sign up forCBN Newslettersand download theCBN News appto ensure you keep receiving the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***. The Asbury Revival Is Over. We have committed to an independent review of our governance structure and processes, it continued. Conservative and evangelical leaders are speaking out after Pastor Matt Chandler took a leave of absence following some questionable behavior online. Would you consider making a tax-deductible donation to help our journalists continue to report the truth and restore the church? They revealed that (he) did not use language appropriate for a pastor, and he did not model a behavior that we expect from him., The statement said his leave of absence is "both disciplinary and developmental, which allows him to focus on growing greater awareness in this area.". As I ingested the information last week and grieved for his family and church, I couldnt help but thinkthis was completely preventable, Yarbrough wrote. We see this is the third article this month youve found worth reading. All told, the pastor or church leaders control the story to cast the confession in a heroic light.". The Acts 29 Board has decided to follow the lead of TVC and ask Matt to step away from his Acts 29 speaking engagements during this time. Pray for him, @KayWarren1, @Saddleback Church, and all their related ministries as they step into this next phase of ministry.". But Jernigan said Baker told him leaders had investigated and concluded it was an unfounded claim. Jernigan said the elder Baker asked him to give Caleb a fresh start, and Jernigan consented. I, and the other leaders of this church, cannot turn a blind eye to this and act as if this didnt happen or that somehow we didnt know, we didnt find out.. Pastor Todd Wagner | Facebook/Watermark Community Church. To contact us or to submit an article, click here. six-month-long extramarital relationship with a church employee. Was a credible profession of faith legally an essential requirement for the function performed by the church employee? Who Will Pay for the SBCs Abuse Reforms Over the Long Term? ", "We cannot be a church where anyone is above the Scriptures and above the high heavenly call into Christ Jesus," Chandler told congregants at a service on Sunday, adding that the report from the elders "revealed something unhealthy in me. No one has said anything, or hinted anything, or pressured me about anything. Popular Ukrainian band Antytila asks Ed Sheeran to perform 11-year-old reads aloud from 'pornographic' book he checked out from library at school board meeting, Mike McCarthy shreds ex-Cowboys coordinator after firing, Influencer refuses to switch business class seats so family can sit together, Family raises 250-pound 'dog' for 2 years then realizes it's a bear, 2023 Billboard Women in Music Awards: Lana Del Ray, Kim Petras, & more, RHOA star Drew Sidora accuses ex Ralph Pittman of cheating, mental abuse, Original Gone With The Wind script reveals secret war over slavery, cut scenes, Kanye West and 'wife' Bianca Censori look surprisingly happy on dinner date. Excuses are made. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Would he still have his position? That same evening, Chandlershared those concerns with his wife, Lauren, and two elders, in an effort to addressthe situation,The Village Church wrote in an Aug. 28 statementon its website. Regrettably? Mike Glenn, senior pastor of Brentwood Baptist Church a prominent multi-site Southern Baptist congregation with about 12,000 members made the announcement on Sunday during a service and a video released the same day. Lindsey Eenigenburg, the church's executive director of administration told USA TODAY on Tuesday that"a strong team of pastors" will preach in his absence. Hillsongs public relations team did not comment further on Houstons resignation when contacted by CNN. 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! (Source: Facebook)], it occurred to me that these leaders perhaps believe that theyre much like rock stars and act as if they were. new! We would like to advise you that Pastor Brian Houston has resigned as Global Senior Pastor of Hillsong Church, and the board has accepted his resignation, the church said in a statement. Following Colliers resignation, Phil Dooley who has taken over for former head and founder of Hillsong Brian Houston, 68 uploaded a video giving Collier the churchs blessing. Texas megachurch pastor Matt Chandler steps down after DMs with woman 'crossed a line' Natalie Neysa Alund USA TODAY 0:00 0:57 A Texas megachurch The elders, the statement continues,then commissioned an independent law firm to conduct a review of Chandler'smessaging history across social media platforms, his cellphone and his email. But it takes a lot of hard work, time, and money to do what we do. Get Charisma's best content delivered right to your inbox! Matt Chandler, a lead pastor at a Texas megachurch, is taking a leave of absence after inappropriate DMs. Meanwhile, Dave Miller, Senior Pastor of Southern Hills Baptist Church in Sioux City, Iowa wrote in Christianity Today pastors confessing their sin should not be applauded. Stay informed with the latest from CBN News delivered to your inbox. This is my decision, he said. Following this discovery, Houston "agreed to take specific action including stepping down from leadership for a period. The blame gets shifted to someone else. My greatest reason for stepping down as Pastor of Hillsong Atlanta is probably not a secret to any of you. Chandler's decision to step down is both being applauded and criticized. People composing official statements need to be more careful about their use of adverbs. However, unfortunately he failed to take all of the agreed steps, which resulted in further action being taken by the board in late 2021. Joey Moss, chairman of the churchs board of trustees, affirmed that Glenn and the board have planned the transition over the past year. The full story isn't told. "My wife knew about it. North Texas megachurch pastor Matt Chandler announced Sunday he will step down from preaching and teaching because of an in appropriate online relationship with a woman. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. One son, Mikey, has a credibly alleged history of domestic abuse where the abused wife was ignored when seeking help from the mother-in-law and was further removed from church ministry when she called her husband out for his behavior. Yarbrough alleged on her Facebook account last week that Baker engaged in inappropriate sexual relationships with multiple women at ECC in 2016. "The elders have decided, and I think they're rightthat my inability to see this for what it was revealed something not right, something unhealthy, in me," Chandler said. "Brian has said there was no sexual activity, but he was in the room for 40 minutes. On Tuesday, Feb, 28, Jernigan posted a statement on CCCs website, saying that Mike Baker, a longtime friend, told him of an accusation made against Caleb. In thestatement recorded and shared to the churchs website, the pastor explained that a few months back, a woman approached him in the churchs foyer with concerns about how I was (direct messaging)on Instagram with a friend of hers., I didnt think I had done anything wrong in that, Chandler, 48,toldthe congregation. Matt Chandler, the lead pastor at the Village Church in Flower Mound, Tex., appeared to fight back tears as he told his congregation on Sunday that he was taking a Would you consider making a tax-deductible donation to help our journalists continue to report the truth and restore the church? Hillsong announced this week that its founder, Brian Houston, has resigned from the church amid allegations of inappropriate behavior towards two women. In November 2020, Mr. Houston fired Carl Lentz, the head pastor of ", "The Word of God holds me to a certain standard," Chandler added. ), The combination of these most recent allegations by ECC former staff and the news of Caleb Bakers admitted affair with a staff member of Central Church in Phoenix, Arizona, have reinforced to the Elders that it is best to continue forward with the independent third-party audit, the statement said. ", A post shared by Lauren Chandler (@laurenchandler). He claimed that in 2016, trustworthy staff members looked into sexual allegations against Caleb but resolved it wasnt possible to know if the allegations were true. The organization released a statement to USA TODAY on Tuesday: "The elders of The Village Church decided that Matts leave of absence would be from teaching and preaching. A couple days later, in a crazy turn of events, Caleb was offered a job in Arizona, Mike Baker said. Discovery Company. The church thanked her.". ", "After listening to his statement to the congregation, my educated guess is that there is much more to this story not in a good way," he added. Jernigan also is asking anyone else at CCC whos been harmed by Caleb to come forward. The Village Church (TVC) leader agreed to step down for a period of time after voluntarily disclosing that he had inappropriate communication with a woman on Instagram who was not his wife. So, there is a level of grace to those who can hide and keep secrets well. My wife knew that, her husband knew that, and yet there were a couple of things that she said that were disorienting to me.. Then in July 2022, a former employee notified the elders of an abusive culture in 2016. At that point, the elders brought in a third party for an audit of the church as a workplace. Submitted by escamp on August 31, 2015 - 3:04pm. But Caleb Bakers father, Mike Baker, was serving as ECC head pastor at the time. He succeeded longtime Brentwood Baptist minister Bill Wilson, who became pastor shortly after the church was founded in 1968. The news comes as bombshell 300-page report released by the Southern Baptist Church found that leaders either dismissed or hid sexual abuse allegations within the 13 million member organization. I find this statement alone to be disturbing. 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