We are all implicated subjects

In the mid-nineties, a man called Gordon Collins complained to Martyn Smith about “manipulation, control and dishonesty” perpetrated by Vineyard church leader Alan Scott. Martyn Smith was a senior leader Vineyard leader, who ran “Vineyard Christian Fellowship Manchester”. Martyn Smith reportedly shut the conversation down. Almost thirty years later, with significantly more power and platform, that same Alan Scott has been accused of spiritually abusive and bullying leadership and stealing the first ever Vineyard church from the Vineyard movement. Pete Greig resigned from the Anaheim Vineyard Board over the situation, stating that Alan Scott (and his wife Kathryn) “have served faithfully and fruitfully within Vineyard for decades and are truly people who listen diligently to the Lord and simply seek to obey.”

In 2008, Martyn Smith and his wife Linda handed over the leadership of Manchester Vineyard (as it had become known) to his son Phil Smith and his wife Sarah. This was the same year that Ben Cooley co-found anti-trafficking organisation, Hope for Justice (also based in Manchester).

In 2018, co-founder of anti-trafficking organisation Hope for Justice Ben Cooley and his friends Gareth Russell and Tom (not sure of his last name) launched a podcast “Dear 26 Year Old Me”. Three years later, in 2021 Ben Cooley was fired from Hope for Justice for gross misconduct and left his wife and children to marry Asher Telleen, a woman he’d been having an affair with. At the same time, Phil Smith was removed from leadership at Vinelife Manchester (as it is now known) after having cheating on his wife.

Soon after this, Ben Cooley and Phil Smith sought to launch a funding base for Ben’s new wife’s questionable Ugandan-based charity, Sole Hope. Phil began promoting the charity on social media. The attempted immediate relaunch of both men’s careers didn’t really work, and Ben and Asher Cooley began focussing on their new venture Maxwell and Marie, a business growth and leadership development company.

In his new podcast for Maxwell and Marie, Ben Cooley ponders about how hard it is for men like him who get sacked for misconduct and leave their wives and children for a woman they’ve been having an affair with:

“I feel for leaders…I hadn’t learnt the art of self-care… If I’m really honest I think leadership is broken in our society because we elevate leaders to a point where they can’t be vulnerable. We love shooting our wounded don’t we? We just love it. We love tearing them down, we love the whole scandal of it and all that, but we created that. Because now a leader that gets elevated on social media, or elevated on a platform, gets tens of thousands of people that attend their congregation or church or like their movement or whatever… they can’t talk about their vulnerability. Where do they go? …That bit crumbles, and then it becomes public and then what? We tear them down and we say the 99.999% of things that you did good is now forgotten and we’re just going to focus on the 0.1%. You are officially cancelled. Boom. You’re out of here! I think we should be a kinder society.”

Rather than attending to kindness for society as a whole, I guess Ben Cooley’s wife and children might have been grateful if he could have focussed his attention on being kinder to them. I’m sure Ben Cooley’s colleagues left with the havoc wreaked by his gross misconduct would have been grateful if he could have been kinder and less, you know, gross misconduct-y in his workplace. But then that narrative would require him to step up and take responsiblity, which is something he’s yet to think is important.

Ben Cooley’s fellow podcaster from his previous podcast, Gareth Russell, now runs Jersey Road PR, a Christian public relations company who are currently running crisis comms for Soul Survivor. Earlier this week, Gareth made his company’s crisis communications course for churches freely available.

Justin Humphreys is CEO of the UK’s leading Christian safeguarding charity ThirtyOne:Eight. A day after Gareth posted Jersey Road PR’s free course on Twitter, Justin endorsed it and promoted it on his Twitter account, “This is a great resource for churches. Don’t wait for the crisis. Do all you can to prevent it and be ready to respond well to it if/when it happens…” In the most recent issue of ThirtyOne:Eight’s magazine “Caring Together” (April 2023, p.26-27), Jersey Road PR have written an article advising churches on how to “predict, prevent and prepare” for a comms crisis.

This feels about as appropriate as the CEO of the NSPCC promoting the company that has been brought in to manage the crisis comms at ITV after Phillip’s Phillip Schofield’s “unwise but not illegal” relationship while married, with a man he met “when he was a teenager”. This hasn’t happened. And it never would.

On challenging Justin’s promotion of the for-profit PR company responsible for Soul Survivor’s crisis comms, Justin shared on Twitter with me THIS from Jersey Road PR which assures us that they are committed to safeguarding, complete with links to a guest blog Justin has written for Jersey Road PR about safeguarding. Justin’s follow up tweet assured me, “I apologise if I have caused any upset or confusion in my comments. My intention is always to help.”

There is no world in which for-profit PR companies (no matter how Christian) should be in formal or informal partnerships with safeguarding charities. Their missions, their remits, their roles are completely different, and if they’re both doing their jobs properly, they will at times be in serious conflict. This is indicated in Jersey Road PR’s free resource that Justin is endorsing. Their flow chart on page 43 of THIS workbook categorises negative social media users as “trolls”, “ragers”, “misguided”, or “negative experience”. That may make sense when dealing with someone who’s bought a hoover that doesn’t work, but it’s certainly not appropriate for dealing with precious human beings who have been abused and failed and are now expressing their hurt in the only place they may feel safe, on social media.

I found myself blocked by Justin after I responded to his tweet HERE and HERE by saying, “To help who? Because promoting that resource helps Jersey Road & it helps churches do PR, but it’s doesn’t help victims.It’s not upset or confusion that is the issue. As far as I can see, it seems to be more about poor judgement & a lack of strategic capacity to know what your role is and what it isn’t. But I guess maybe I’d just be considered a “rager” in the Jersey Road.”

The evangelical world is very small, but there is significant power, status and resources available within it for those who hold leadership positions. A shared faith can lead to extremely blurred boundaries. The brief overview above of some of the interconnections between men in leadership who have harmed others is a current and very live demonstration of this. These leaders presume shared intentions and mission (furthering the Gospel), they’re buddies meeting up for coffee or drinks or food, doing life together. They end up in the same events and spaces.

As people become senior leaders in their organisations, they are rarely surrounded by people who robustly challenge them. Certainly, in the middle-class, male-dominated enclaves of most senior leadership spaces, there is a lot of back-patting and keeness to be part of the Inner Ring (as CS Lewis called it). Without realising it, these individuals become surrounded by sycophants who applaud them for all the worthy and important things they do and say. They fail to cultivate systems where they will be challenged. Though if Ben Cooley is to be believed, it’s the poor leaders who are “unable to be vulnerable”. Those with power make active choices to build certain cultures and surround themselves with certain kinds of people, particularly given they do most of the hiring.

These blurred boundaries, coupled with significant power create a culture that is ripe for power misuse. As we are learning from Soul Survivor; for decades it was known that there were issues, Mike Pilavachi having special interns he was taking on glamorous speaking trips; reports of him massaging young men; a culture where everyone was silenced and Mike’s charismatic gifting free to reek untold trauma on so many.

It’s an established fact that abuse is bad. No one disagrees. Even abusers. And the reason they agree that abuse is bad is because they don’t see themselves as an abuser. Instead, they are entitled to do what they do; because that woman was asking for it with her clothes or her eyes or her words; because he’s only practising his massage skills; because his son needed to be punished because he was out of order; because his wife shouldn’t answer him back and she knows when she doesn’t keep the kids quiet it winds him up;. He thinks those men who are wife-beaters should get the death penalty, and those men who rape children should be castrated. But what he did wasn’t rape, because the little girl he raped wanted him to do it. He just knows she did.

Every church agrees abuse is bad. Each charity employee knows bullying is wrong. None of them would ever collude with a bully. Even those who collude with the bullying. Even those who silence the abused. Because when their colleague is bullying, it’s not bullying, the bullied individual is mistaken. It’s just that the boss is so passionate and really the bullied individual does seem rather over-sensitive and if the bullied individual is a woman she’s probably rather emotional.

Abuse is that bad thing that happens over there with those people who have nothing to do with me. Harvey Weinstein goes to prison because, she said and she said and she said and she said and she said and she said and he was no longer young and charming and so we all hated him and cheered when he went to prison. But Johnny Depp is charming and basically a funny pirate and we relate to him in all those films and so even though he said he wanted to set fire to Amber Heard and rape her corpse, Amber Heard is both too emotional and not emotional enough and so we hate her and cheer when he’s suing her for defamation.

The reason we can all agree that abuse is bad is because there’s never any abuse near us. We can put abusers in the Bad Place. But what about when the abuser is my friend, my collague, my church leader, my boss, the leader of that ministry that will lend me credibility, power, status? Well then, I can’t put them in the Bad Place. Instead I minimise their behaviour, I deny it, I blame it on all sorts of meaningful things. He’s gifted, it’s just his way, he’s doesn’t mean it, he’s got mental health problems, it’s probably that the person who’s disclosed this stuff is misunderstanding what’s gone on.

In THIS article about trauma expert Judith Herman’s new book “Truth and Repair”, she makes explicit what most of us who’ve been abused know, that the pain of being failed by our community can be just as unbearable as the abuse we were subjected to. We can put the abuser in the Bad Place. The abuser knew what they were doing. The abuser selfishly placed themselves above us. We can’t put our family members, church family, colleagues, friends or others in the Bad Place because we know that are capable of compassion and care for us. They haven’t destroyed their humanity by abusing us, raping us, bullying us, emotionally decimating us, spiritually controlling us. They’re the people who are regular, ordinary people. They’re not even badly intentioned.

And yet… They disbelieved us. They continue to socialise with the abuser. They diminished our pain. They silenced us. They stood in the way of us being heard. They allow the abuser to continue to ruin other lives. Their betrayal ruins us and means that nowhere and noone is safe. And they do all that without even realising what they are doing.

The article explains, “Herman suggests that “bystander” is too benign a description for such ancillary figures. Instead, she borrows the term “implicated subjects” from the scholar Michael Rothberg, who has argued that almost all of us contribute to or benefit from structural injustice, and so almost none of us is innocent of implication.”

We are all Implicated Subjects. Rather than abuse being something over there, it’s something we are all implicated in and as such, we must remain vigilant to the potential to collude with abusers. As communities our baseline assumption must be that we have abusers among us and that we all have a tendency to towards prioritising the abuser rather than the victim. It’s not an easy thing to consider, given that we all theoretically think Abuse Is Bad. But that is only because we rename and reframe the abuse we come across as Not Abuse. It’s the sleight of hand we don’t even realise we’re doing, the magic trick that relieves us of responsibility or concern. And it ruins the lives of those who are being abused.

If we are all Implicated Subjects and we must regularly ask ourselves, where is power misuse taking place in my life/workplace/church/family at the moment? Where are the places I need to be vigilant to my own tendencies towards turning abuse into Not Abuse? How can I surround myself with people who will tell me when I am wrong?

A dear friend of mine was recently in a work context where she began asking the important and difficult questions. She was fobbed off and dismissed. They saw her as a threat. But she wasn’t a threat. She was a gift to them. She would have made their analysis better, she would have improved the project. If they’d listened to her.

Do we treat as a gift the people who tell us when we are wrong? Or do we see them as a threat and then label them a rager or a troll or an unhappy customer? Of course there are people who are simply angry or whose intentions in challenging us are not good, but if we don’t work out ways to discern between well-intentioned, qualified challenge and challenge that is ill-intentioned, we will miss out on that gift. And we will be poorer for it.

Some people saw my challenge of Justin endorsing Jersey Road and challenged me. They asserted that Justin is a great person, that he shouldn’t be written off. But what is curious is that I never said he was a bad person and I never said he should be written off. I’m sure he’s a wonderful person and know he does great work with ThirtyOne:Eight.

If we are all Implicated Subjects then we all have the potential to mess up. And if, when we mess up (as an implicated subject, not as a perpetrator) we are immediately cancelled and sacked, the culture won’t ever change. In fact, we’ll simply reinforce it. Those who watch someone being sacked for making one mistake don’t see that and think “Oh I’ll do better”. They see it and think, “I’ll stay quieter”. And then they continue on exactly as before.

Messing up is inevitable. But we can build a culture where it is normal and healthy to challenge people when they mess up. When a mistake is made publicly, is challenged robustly in public and the person being challenged recognises they’ve messed up and acknowledges that, it models to everyone what building a healthy culture looks like. It’s not about rubbishing the person who messed up, it’s certainly not about saying that their organisation must never do any work ever again. But it is an opportunity for growth and transformation. THIS book on Radical Candor may be a helpful resource if you want consider challenge can be a Very Good Thing.

For too long, Christian culture has misused theology about going to someone privately to allow those with power to go unchallenged. As the founder of the US Soul Survivor mentioned, after he raised issues about Mike Pilavachi he assumed something had been done but he didn’t know, because all of the challenge is done behind the scenes. Nobody is following it up and, certainly, nobody is demanding that these issues are dealt with visibly and transparently.

We’ve seen some of the videos, like THIS one, coming out of Soul Survivor where Mike Pilavachi behaved unkindly. What would it have looked like for someone to stand up and said, “Look Mike, that’s not okay. You should not speak to people like that, can we take a moment and pause.” What if these issues had been immediately challenged publicly. What kinds of transformation and important models of leadership could have been developed if public challenge had been welcomed and modelled?

The ongoing UCCF investigation is a “perfect” example of a lack of visibility. There is no public knowledge of what the accusations are. Once reports are done they will only be shared with those who have been accused of doing harm, not even with those who have said they have been harmed, and certainly not with the public. It’s all going on behind closed doors, with as little light and air getting to it as possible. Thanks for Tanya Marlow for THIS Twitter thread about the situation.

What would it mean to fling back the doors and be honest about what has been alleged at UCCF? Who would be harmed by that? Certainly, those with the power would not like it very much. But what if doing that enabled change to come? Culture to be examined? Why should these things be done privately when those accused are public figures who, when they do good things, the doors are always flung wide.

As we welcome challenge and as we offer challenge, we model that to others. Those observing, when in their own workplaces, churches or ministry contexts will have a sort of “blueprint” for knowing whether their leaders are trustworthy by whether they model that same welcome of challenge and seeking to do better when they mess up. In doing this well, we can move away from the tendency to presume everyone is either 100% bad or 100% good, when we are all flawed and failed and we all mess up. It also means that when someone is perpetrating significant harm we can see that sooner, stop it sooner and avoid them being colluded with.

We have so far to go. But we’re only going to make any progress if we drastically change our approach. Those of us with platforms, power and profile must not simply reluctantly accept challenge; we must actively welcome it. Each of us must recognise our tendency to be an Implicated Subject and put so very many safeguards in place to vigilantly guard against such harmfulness.

Guest Post: Dear Pete Greig

On 19th May, Pete Greig (founder of 24-7 Prayer) wrote a Facebook post reflecting on the situations of abuse within evangelical Christianity. Rather than focus on those who have been harmed, Greig was keen to defend church leaders and requested his followers comment on the post celebrating faithful leaders they know. This post came not long after he extricated himself from the Anaheim Vineyard situation, with a statement which while likely giving him splinters from sitting on the proverbial fence, managed to insist that Alan Scott (now credibly accused of spiritually abusing a dozen people) and his wife Kathryn are “people who listen diligently to the Lord and simply seek to obey.” Last year, Greig’s organsiation 24-7 Prayer had their own abuse situation (detailed in THIS blog). Greig has yet to make an explicit statement on the Soul Survivor statement.

Within the various comments objecting to Greig’s Facebook post was one from Tony Brooks, which summed up a lot of what was wrong with Greig’s approach. I asked Tony if he could send me a “blog ready” version of his comment for a guest blog and he kindly did. Although Greig has now deleted the post, I feel that the approach Tony has taken is really helpful in enabling others to see what it wrong with posts which focus on leaders, in a crisis of abusive leadership.

Pete,

I read your post yesterday which had been shared by a friend and was rather troubled by it. I understand why people feel like they need to say this stuff but I really don’t think it’s helpful for the people that have been at the sharp end of it all. Especially as many evangelicals and the evangelical church has a habit of minimising the affects and reality of spiritual abuse.

There are lots of lumps underneath a lot of rugs.

Not every rug, of course that’s obvious – I don’t think that needs pointing out. In the same way that every policeman in the Met hasn’t raped a woman, but some have, so lots of church communities and leaders are not toxic. But some are. They really are.

Furthermore can you begin to imagine what it might feel like for someone that has been very seriously spiritually abused, gaslit and victim blamed to read a post like this? How might those lads (some now grown men) feel reading this that were allegedly asked by Pilavachi to strip down to their pants and have a massage on his bed? Would they feel heard by this post or would they feel like it’s minimising their abuse? I think they might think it is minimising, especially as a victim of abuse is more than likely to blame themselves and have others blaming them too.

When it’s someone that is ‘God’s anointed’, (the one that tells you what God is saying) perpetrating the abuse it’s extremely harmful and is what sets this apart from other types of abuse. I would have much more respect for you Pete if you just held your hands up and said there’s a massive problem and we all need to deal with it. That’s what I think the message should be. That’s what victims need to hear. They don’t need to hear ‘we’re not all bad’.

Especially as it’s unlikely that many victims would, if asked, say every element of the church is corrupt and all leaders are abusive. Perhaps a better line would be:

‘At this time across the evangelical church we need to examine ourselves, our theology, systems and our structures. We need to root out everything that creates environments where abuse can happen and we need to be brutal and ruthless with those things so there is no room for this kind of systematic abuse of power.

And we will put the needs and voices of victims at the heart of everything we do until we learn and change our theology, systems, behaviours, structures and communities. I am going to use this platform and the influence I have to share our churches journey to understand and deal with this problem.’

Why are you worried about people being disillusioned and disappointed?

That’s exactly what people should be feeling. They should feel remorse, regret, anger, frustration and be disturbed by it enough that they have the courage to face up to it and deal with it. I totally get why you would post this especially trying to encourage people that are working hard in what they do to care for people and their communities. But right now they are not the priority as they are not the victims. Not to say their roles aren’t difficult, challenging and stressful or that they don’t need support.

I don’t follow you so I don’t know what else you have said about all of this. What I do know is that you have nearly 35,000 people following you on Facebook and this is the only post I have seen anyone share about spiritual abuse. This is the post I am seeing evangelical Christians share.

I’ve not seen any posts from influential leaders being shared being honest about spiritual abuse and saying what they are going to do about it and encouraging others to do the same. You have encouraged your 35,000 followers (and the thousands that will read it from sharing) not to face the challenge of abuse in churches but to celebrate leaders.

At best that feels to me like a missed opportunity. At worst it seems somewhat irresponsible. Of course I appreciate your intent in this post but I think perhaps its a bit misplaced. I hope you can prayerfully reflect on and consider some of these points. Some of these Nomad podcasts may be a good place to start, with some very nuanced and thoughtful consideration of the issues:

Surviving Spiritual Abuses with Joy Brooks and Justin Marsh HERE.
Freedom from Unhealthy Religious Systems with Joy Brooks HERE.
Jemimah, Joy and Jezebel HERE.
Stories of Deconstructing Faith with Olivia Jackson HERE.
And THIS is my friend Olivia’s book, “Un)Certain: A Collective Memoir of Deconstructing Faith”.

I would encourage everyone, especially those that hold a position of power in evangelical spaces to pause, take time and do some research before sharing their thoughts on such a difficult topic on social media or from their pulpits.Please be assured – I have no issues with thanking and supporting people. That’s an important part of life, living and community. I think that celebrating leaders is not the thing to be doing right now. Particularly when there is so little attention being drawn to the reality of spiritual abuse and how churches and people with lots of influence are going to be working to understand it and deal with it.

That’s the piece of work that needs doing now.

This is especially as it seems to me the evangelical church has little (or no) understanding at all about power dynamics. It doesn’t understand how its theology supports and creates environments where abuse can happen, where abusers can thrive and even be defended for their behaviour as ‘the Lord’s anointed’. And Pete, trust me, I am not having a go at you in anyway. I’m just a bit confused about another aspect of your post.

You wrote about people quietly getting on with things but then listed a load of people with enormous platforms. Like, really big ones. Whoppers even! One of these was Tim Keller. I know it’s sad for many that he’s passed away but oh boy does he have a life littered with facilitating spaces that are rife with abuse, as shown HERE. And of course you mention Nicky Gumbel who was very much entwined with Mike and Soul Survivor. THIS video where he praises him on a number of occasions now feels pretty dreadful. I find it hard to believe that Nicky and others around him will not have at some point come across what Mike was doing or at the very least got wind of it. Maybe they didn’t but this is hard to watch now.And then there is THIS account of the culture and ‘values’ at Soul Survivor that is absolutely stomach churning. How does Nicky Gumbel, who you celebrate as a great and humble leader, not know about the toxicity of the culture Pilavachi curated?:

I have also been advised from a friend that the Bishop Stephen Croft, bishop of Oxford and formerly of Sheffield, (along with Sentamu, who has now had his licence revoked, while Croft remains in place) did nothing when Matthew Ineson complained that a vicar had raped him as a child, has a son, Andy Croft – who is senior pastor at Soul Survivor. Please, please take some time to read THIS article.

Again, I cannot see how we should be celebrating leaders at this time. At the very least some consideration of the stories and lives of victims and a cursory glance at the reams of evidence of systemic abuse and cover ups would illustrate that celebrating leaders is not in anyway the priority. Again Pete, I am not having a go, I am just asking for some active evidence-based reflection followed by action.

Yours, in hope,

Tony Brooks

The Soul Survivor Situation – A Timeline

I thought it would be useful to include a timeline of the Soul Survivor situation, for those wanting to get a sense of what has taken place and to provide a record as the situation continues to unfold. If there are reports, articles, social media posts or anything else you think should be added to this timeline, please leave a comment and I’ll add them to the timeline.

LAST UPDATED: 20th June | 22:04

Week 68 (16th – 22nd June)

20th June – Synod (the Church of England’s national council meeting) papers were published including THIS paper from Rev. Robert Thompson who will be presenting a motion at Synod on 7th July regarding the need for a properly independent review into the Soul Survivor situation. Those who might want to support Rev. Thompson’s motion at synod can email me (befreeuk [at] gmail [dot] com] to find out more about how.

Week 57 (28th April – 4th May)

28th April – Swedish Christian newspaper Dagen published THIS article (link is for an English translation) by Frida Park, “Let the light shine on the unhealthy”.

Week 56 (21st – 27th April)

27th April – Surviving Church published THIS blog, “Mike Pilavachi and Soul Survivor: Opening a can of worms”.

25th April – Tim Gough posted THIS video interview with me as part of the Grove Book launch of The Leadership Trap.

24th April – Premier Christianity report HERE that former Soul Survivor pastor, Andy Croft, will be taking an Associate Pastor role at St Paul’s and St George’s church in Edinburgh.

24th April – Angela Tilby published THIS article in the Church Times, “Soul Survivor proves point of institutional Church”.

22nd April – I published THIS blog, “The Man Behind the Curtain”.

Week 55 (14th – 20th April)

19th April – Christopher Landau published THIS blog “What is the place of charismatic theology after Mike Pilavachi?” Ali Wilkin published THIS Twitter thread regarding this blog and similar posts which are drawing parallels between Jean Vanier and Mike Pilavachi.

16th April – Tim Wyatt has published THIS article “And there was light?” about the Redmans’ documentary.

16th April – Youth Alpha has edited Mike Pilavachi’s last name out of their Holy Spirit Youth Alpha video. I tweeted about it HERE.

16th April – I published THIS guest post from two people who were we directly harmed by Mike Pilavachi and were part of the Soul Survivor investigation; “Overturn The Tables”.

15th April – Surviving Church published THIS post “Church Leadership and Safeguarding” after the Let There Be Light film.

15th April – Dan and Susie Leafe published THIS post on the Anglican Futures blog “”That’s just Mike”: Reflections on abuse in the evangelical Anglican context”

15th April – Ali Wilkin published THIS post ““That’s Just Mike”: How Abusers Weave Culture, Complicity, Silence & Fear Into Patterns of Abuse”.

14th April – Rob Merchant posted THIS Twitter thread about writing to the Forfeiture Committee to request Mike Pilavachi’s MBE be revoked.

Week 54 (7th – 13th April)

13th April – Ali Wilkin posted THIS, “Jesus’s Message to Abusers (Holy Trinity Brompton Take Note)”.

13th April – Olivia McCabe published THIS post “The Sound of Silence”.

11th April – Becca McGowan posted THIS on Twitter reflecting on some of the harmful responses to the Soul Survivor situation.

11th April – The Telegraph’s Gabriella Swerling reported on Twitter that the Church of England have said that. “We can confirm that the investigation into the concerns raised relating to Bishop Graham Cray, for failing to pass on information in the Mike Pilavachi case has concluded and under House of Bishops guidance, appropriate risk management steps are being taken. We cannot say anymore at this stage.”

11th April – Christopher Landau posted THIS short Twitter thread about charismatic theology in light of Mike Pilavachi’s abuse.

11th April – Ali Wilkin posted THIS blog, “Let There Be Light? But Premier Christianity Just Closed the Curtains.”

10th April – Joy Eggerichs Reed posted THIS on her Substack “Wolf in Shepherd’s Clothing”.

10th April – Hannah Johnston posted THIS Facebook post reflection about her experiences as Soul Survivor.

10th April – Helen King published THIS blog, “Surviving Soul Survivor”.

10th April – Premier Christianity published THIS article by HTB’s Archie Coates, which apart from trying to garner sympathy for church leaders in an article by someone who has provided NO leadership around the Soul Survivor situation, was basically a barely veiled attempt to whitewash HTB’s culpability while “on the inside [HTB] is full of…everything unclean” (Matthew 23:27).

10th April – Olivia McCabe has published her Soul Survivor story of spiritual abuse HERE.

9th April – Jon Kuhrt published THIS post “‘Let there be Light’: Matt & Beth Redman on Mike Pilavachi”.

9th April – The Premier Soul Survivors podcast released an interview with Matt and Beth Redman HERE.

9th April – The Telegraph report HERE on Tim and Pete Hughes’ statement about Mike Pilavachi abusing them.

9th April – Tim Hughes and his brother Pete Hughes made a statement on Instragram sharing that they had both been abused by Mike Pilavachi. The post can be found HERE and a screenshot is available HERE.

9th April – Matt and Beth Redman were interviewed on the radio lunchtime Jeremy Vine show, followed by a phone-in. Listen HERE from 12:37.

9th April – Matt and Beth Redman launched Let There Be Light HERE, a film about how Mike Pilavachi abused them and others within Soul Survivor.

9th April – The Telegraph published THIS article, “Christian singer Matt Redman reveals details of Soul Survivor’s Mike Pilavachi abuse for the first time” about Matt and Beth Redman speaking out about the abuse Mike Pilavachi subjected them to.

8th April – Premier Christianity published THIS article “‘I’ve forgiven Mike, but this is about accountability’: Matt and Beth Redman speak out on abuse they experienced at Soul Survivor”.

Week 51 (17th – 23rd March)

23rd March – Augustine Tanner-Ihm and Jonny Masters published THIS post, “Mike Pilavachi: The Elephant in the Room”.

22nd March – Premier released Episode 4 of their Soul Survivors podcast HERE.

Week 48 (25th February – 2nd March)

28th February – New Wine announce HERE that they have asked Fiona Scolding KC to review their relationship with Mike Pilavachi.

Week 47 (18th – 24th February)

23rd Febraury – Premier Christianity released episode 3 of their podcast Soul Survivors HERE.

Week 44 (28th January – 3rd February)

2nd February – Premier Christianity released episode 2 of their podcast Soul Survivors HERE, it focusses on Soul Survivor’s Soul 61 gap year programme.

31st January – The Telegraph published THIS article about how “Mike Pilavachi has been let off with a ‘slap on the wrist'”.

Week 42 (14th – 20th January)

19th January – Premier Christianity published THIS article “New inquiry finds Mike Pilavachi ‘fell short of that expected of a priest’” which includes a quote from the “woman at the centre of the “vulnerable person” at the centre of the CDM investigation: “Having cooperated with the Church of England throughout the investigation into Mike Pilavachi, I am devastated by the outcome of the CDM process. “It is not proportionate to the harm I have experienced at the hands of Mike Pilavachi and Soul Survivor, and the impact this has had on my life. “While I am truly grateful for the sensitivity and support of the diocesan and national safeguarding teams, this outcome leaves me questioning why I came forward, and whether the Church of England is a safe place for me.” Also included is a comment from the Lead Bishop for Safeguarding insisting that the CDM processes needed to change.

18th January – A statement was released by the Church of England into an investigation done regarding Mike Pilavachi’s conduct after ordination, related to his “verbal interactions with a vulnerable person”. It was decided that “Mr Pilavachi’s conduct had fallen short of that expected of a priest in the Church of England”, but the Bishop has decided no further action should be taken. The statement can be read HERE.

Week 41 (7th – 13th January)

8th January – Premier Christianity’s printed magazine included an article about their new Soul Survivors podcast. See HERE.

Week 40 (31st Decemeber – 6th January)

4th January – Mention of Soul Survivor employing crisis PR lawyer Jonathan Coad in the lastest Private Eye News HERE.

1st January – The first episode of Premier Christianity’s Soul Survivors podcast was released HERE.

Week 39 (24th – 30th December)

27th December – Previous Soul 61 student, Katie Brookfield was interviewed on the Fresh Asthetic podcast HERE.

Week 38 (17th – 23rd December)

21st December – James Heywood published THIS final post “Was there a hidden motive behind Mike Pilavachi’s choice of interns?”

Week 36 (3rd – 9th December)

3rd December – Premier Christianity published THIS article “I’m still healing from what happened at Soul Survivor”.

Week 35 (26th November – 2nd December)

26th November – The Telegraph published THIS article “Soul Survivor victims fear Mike Pilavachi review could protect his ‘enablers’”

Week 34 (19th – 25th November)

23rd November – Soul Survivor Watford announced HERE that Andy Croft is returning to ministry after being suspended, but that he will no longer be leading Soul Survivor Watford.

21st November – Soul Survivor Watford announced the terms of the Scolding Review HERE.

20th November – Youthscape publish their second podcast “Processing Our Collective Grief” HERE, with Kate Middleton about Youth Ministry After Mike Pilavachi.

Week 33 (12th – 18th November)

16th November – Youthscape publish their first podcast “Better Supporting Abuse Victims”, HERE with Justin Humphreys, about Youth Ministry After Mike Pilavachi.

Week 31 (29th October – 4th November)

2nd November – I posted THIS guest post from a woman who reported her experiences with Mike Pilavachi to investigators.

2nd November – James Heywood published THIS post raising questions about the relationship between Tearfund and Soul Survivor, particularly David Westlake’s involvement.

Week 30 (22nd – 28th October)

26th October – Paul Johnston posted THIS Twitter thread about the Youthscape article.

25th October – Youthscape published THIS article “Youth ministry after Mike Pilavachi; How do we process, learn and begin to move on?” James Heywood posted THIS Twitter thread about the Youthscape article. I posted THIS Twitter thread about the Youthscape article.

24th October – Article by Matt Broomfield, who attended Soul Survivor but it no longer a Christian wrote for Unherd HERE, “Reverend Pilavachi’s irresistible charisma; my faith left me with an awful, gnawing hollowness”.

Week 29 (15th – 21st October)

20th October – Premier Christianity’s podcast “Soul Survivors” trailer became live on their website. You can listen to the trailer HERE and Spotify HERE.

17th October – James Heywood posted THIS blog “Following the money – part 4: a £200,000 transfer of staff and a mystery £20,000“.

Week 27 (1st – 7th October)

2nd October – Jame Heywood posted THIS blog “Uncovered: conflicts of interest in Soul Survivor’s £100,000 in donations to XLP”.

Week 26 (24th – 30th September)

27th September – Premier NexGen published THIS article by Andy Peck, “

25th September – Premier Christianity reports HERE that “Mike Pilavachi could face ban on working with children following DBS referral”.

24th September – I published THIS blog, “Soul Survivor and Those Who Cannot Remember the Past” about some of the many organisations and individuls who were connected with Mike Pilavachi and Soul Survivor.

24th September – The Telegraph published THIS article “Soul Survivor’s ‘spontaneous applause’ for disgraced Mike Pilavachi”

24th September – South West London Vineyard’s sermon was about Mike Pilavachi and spiritual abuse. The sermon can be found HERE and a transcription of some of it can be found HERE.

Week 25 (17th – 23rd September)

22nd September – Jon Kuhrt published THIS blog, “The key to preventing leadership scandals”.

20th September – Premier Christianity published THIS article “Investigation finds Mike Pilavachi ‘used spiritual authority to control people’. What happens now?”

20th September – Private Eye reports (see via THIS tweet) that Mike Pilavachi is “said to be house-hunting in South Africa.”

19th September – The Church Times publish THIS article about New Wine announcing a review into their relationship with Soul Survivor.

19th September – The Watford Observer published THIS article stating that a “Herts Police spokesperson has confirmed there is no criminal investigation [into Mike Pilavachi] at present”.

18th September – Premier Christianity pulished THIS article by Jane Chevous “The silence from Christian leaders on Mike Pilavachi is hurting victims”.

Week 24 (10th – 16th September)

15th September – Cross Section, the Evangelical Alliance’s podcast, included discussion of the Soul Survivor situation.

16th September – Neil Bennetts, who previously led worship at New Wine, wrote THIS Facebook post reflecting on New Wine’s statement.

16th September – David Bunce posted THIS, “Pilavachi, systems, apples and orchards”.

15th September – The Telegraph HERE report that, “Victims say Soul Survivor vicar was ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ who should lose MBE”.

15th September – New Wine posted THIS new statement apologising for their 13th September statement. They stated, “We fully recognise that this statement caused great pain, disappointment, and confusion. We deeply regret that the statement implied we were trying to minimise the relationship between New Wine and Mike Pilavachi. We are profoundly sorry.” However, their statement did not include any details of New Wine’s relationship with Mike Pilavachi.

15th September – Danny Webster (Director of Advocacy for the Evangelical Alliance) posted THIS blog about the situation.

14th September – The Telegraph published THIS article about Andy Croft’s apology regarding Soul Survivor.

14th September – THIS Church Times article was published about Andy Croft’s statement on the situation and also tracing the links between Soul Survivor and New Wine.

13th September – James Heywood published THIS thread evidencing the close relationship between New Wine and Soul Survivor.

13th September – New Wine published THIS statement across their social media accounts. While the statement acknowledgement the pain Mike PIlavachi has caused, their statement sought to minimise the relationship New Wine had with Soul Survivor and Mike Pilavachi.

13th September – Premier Christianity published THIS article about Andy Croft’s involvement in the Soul Survivor situation, including a statement from Andy Croft to say, “I am very sorry that my actions have contributed in any way to the pain others are experiencing. The last seven months have been extremely difficult for all those involved as they have come to terms with the damage caused by Mike Pilavachi’s abuse over many years and I want to pay my own tribute to the courage of those who have come forward. I also have to acknowledge that I have been deeply affected personally by Mike’s behaviour.  I cannot comment further at this point because of ongoing processes but will at some point, I hope, be able to make a much fuller statement.”

12th September – Phil Whittall posted THIS blog “This has something to do with me”.

11th September – Living Leaders posted THIS statement about the situation.

Week 23 (3rd – 9th September)

9th September – A new Mumsnet thread was started HERE about Soul Survivor and Mike Pilavachi.

8th September – Telegraph piece published HERE stresses concerns by those abused by Mike Pilavachi that the findings will not be made public from the investigation substantiating allegations against Pilavachi.

8th September – Youth for Christ made THIS statement about the situation that throughout fails to mention Mike Pilavachi by name.

7th September – Premier published THIS article about the situation.

7th September – BBC article HERE published about the situation.

7th September – Statement posted HERE from New Frontiers about the situation.

7th September – Relationship Mission Sphere of New Frontiers posted THIS statement about the investigation findings, without once using the term “abuse”.

7th September – Evangelical Alliance CEO, Gav Calver, posted THIS statement about the findings of the investigation.

6th September – Soul Survivor Watford released THIS statement about the findings of the investigation. They say they are “deeply sorry to all those people who have been victims of spiritual, emotional and psychological abuse, physical wrestling and massage under Mike’s leadership. There has been a systematic pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour. We are saddened that these behaviours happened in a context that should have provided safety and spiritual support. We are committed to learning lessons from what has happened and to put in place further practices and procedures that will seek to ensure this kind of behaviour does not happen in the future.” They also announced they have commissioned an independent review to be led by Fiona Scolding KC.

6th September – A statement was released by the Church of England HERE stating that “concerns substantiated in Mike Pilavachi investigation”. They confirmed that “an abuse of power relating to his ministry, and spiritual abuse; described in guidance as ‘a form of emotional and psychological abuse characterised by a systematic pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour in a religious context’. It was concluded that he used his spiritual authority to control people and that his coercive and controlling behaviour led to inappropriate relationships, the physical wrestling of youths and massaging of young male interns.” Mike Pilavachi will be subject to Clergy Disciplinary Measures, Andy Croft (Soul Survivor Watford Senior Pastor) remains suspended and Ali Martin (another Soul Survivor Watford Senior Leader) has been reinstated. An unnamed former senior Church of England leader is also being investigated.

4th September – James Heywood posts THIS part 3 blog about Soul Survivor’s finances.

Week 22 (27th August – 2nd September)

1st September – I posted THIS guest blog from Phil Duncalfe about the relationship between New Frontiers and Mike Pilavachi.

29th August – Premier report HERE that UCCF have apologised for how long their investigation into two of their male senior leaders is taking.

Week 21 (20th – 26th August)

25th August – James Heywood posted THIS blog as a part 2 on Soul Survivor’s finances.

20th August – James Heywood posted THIS blog about Soul Survivor finances.

Week 20 (13th – 19th August)

18th August – Probably unrelated to Soul Survivor, but within the same evangelical charismatic circles, Pioneer Trust state HERE that they have launched an independent investigation into their late foudner Gerald Coates’ behaviour.

15th August – A report was published HERE about a man who was a youth worker in the 1980s/90s in Terry Virgo’s church who is being tried for abusing young men and boys while a youth worker at the church. The report states that at least one victim was advised by church leaders not to report to the police.

Week 19 (6th – 12th August)

11th August – James Heywood posted THIS blog entitled “Who paid for the Mike Pilavachi interns?”

Week 18 (30th July – 5th August)

5th August – The Telegraph report HERE that Bishop Graham Cray is being investigated regarding his handling of reports about Mike PIlavachi.

4th August – Mads Davies writes HERE for Christianity about the Soul Survivor situation.

3rd August – James Heywood has published THIS blog about Pete Grieg in the context of Mike Pilavachi and Soul Survivor.

31st July – The Telegraph report HERE that the Charity Commission are investigating large donations made to Sou61 by Malaysian business tycoon Tan Sri (Sir) Francis Yeoh.

Week 17 (23rd – 29th July)

26th July – James Heywood posted THIS post asking further questions about a number of large donations to Soul 61.

Week 16 (16th – 22nd July)

18th July – Phillip Duncalfe posted THIS blog reflecting on Terry Virgo’s support of Mike Pilavachi.

18th July – James Heywood posted THIS blog raising questions about large donations made to Soul61 which were “to be used at the discretion of Mike Pilavachi.”

17th July – The Telegraph posted THIS article about comments made by Terry Virgo and J John in support of Mike Pilavachi.

16th July – Tim Hinkling, who worked at Soul Survivor Watford until 2020, has posted THIS Twitter thread about his experiences at the church.

16th July – The “This Hope” facebook page wrote THIS post about the Soul Survivor situation.

16th July – I wrote THIS article about Terry Virgo’s apology.

Week 15 (9th – 15th July)

15th July – John Ellis, musician who previously played guitar at Soul Survivor in the 1990s and founded band Tree63 posted THIS blog about his time at Soul Survivor and his reflections on Matt Redman’s recent statement.

15th July – The Telegraph published THIS article about the Soul Survivor situation, “The abuse scandal tearing Christianity apart“.

14th July – Terry Virgo (founder of New Frontiers) has issued a statement on Twitter (HERE) and Facebook (HERE) about his public support for Mike Pilavachi.

14th July – The Telegraph reports HERE that the “‘toothless’ Soul Survivor abuse investigation has no power to punish” Mike Pilavachi. They have found that the NST investigation can only recommend Mike Pilavachi be seen by a psychologist and/or that clergy disciplinary measures (CDM) be instigated. And that any CDM can only consider any issues since 2012, when Mike Pilavachi was ordained.

14th July – Christy Wimber has posted an Instagram video about the Soul Survivor situation HERE.

13th July – Telegraph journalist Gabriella Swerling reports HERE that Soul Survivor have responded to Matt Redman’s statement by saying “We are grateful to Matt and Beth Redman for their openness and honesty. We recognise how painful it has been for the Redman family, and for all those who have contributed to the NST investigation – they have all displayed great courage in coming forward and we are taking their reports very seriously. As a church we are committed to the ongoing process and in addition an independent and robust review of our own culture, leadership and governance.”

13th July – Matt Redman released a statement on Twitter (HERE) and on Facebook (HERE) saying that he has “experienced first-hand the harmful behaviours that have been described” about Mike Pilavachi and that Pilavachi’s resignation statement has compelled him to speak out. The Telegraph has published an article about his statement HERE.

11th July – I published THIS blog about Mike Pilavachi’s resignation posts and support for him from national Christian leaders JJohn and Terry Virgo.

11th July – The Telegraph publish THIS piece about Mike Pilavachi with a comment from David Gate, who has disclosed how he was harmed by Mike Pilavachi.

11th July – Mike Pilavachi posted a statement on his Instagram (an account that he has made private) and Facebook pages resigning as Associate Pastor of Soul Survivor. Premier reported on the story HERE.

Week 14 (2nd – 8th July)

2nd July – Causeway Cost Vineyard church posted THIS update on the Alan Scott investigation, mentioned earlier in this timeline and in THIS post.

Week 13 (25th June – 1st July)

1st July – Chris Bullivant posted THIS blog about his experiences working at Soul Survivor in the mid-noughties.

Week 12 (18th – 24th June)

24th June – The Telegraph reports HERE that “Soul Survivor is urging Christians to “keep praying” for Mike Pilavachi and to send “lovely” cards to support its pastors suspended over allegations they failed to act on claims of his abuse.”

21st June – The Church of England announced they were sacking two (of three) members of their Independent Safeguarding Board. These sacked members (Jasvinder Sanghera and Steve Reeves) stated they had been given less than one hour notice before this was announced to the public, with them stating on social media that no plans for survivor support had been made n advance of the announcement.

18th June – Rosemary Gomes was on THIS podcast talking about the Soul Survivor situatio. Rosemary recently joined Synod in the house of laity, works as a clinical psychologist and is a stand up comedian in my spare time.

Week 11 (11th – 17th June)

16th June – The Telegraph published an article HERE about the Bishop of St Albans response to a question at Diocesan Synod about the Soul Suvrvivor situation.

14th June – In advance of the Diocesan Synod on 17th June, the Bishop of St Albans (Rt. Revd Dr Alan Smith) provided response to the question asked on 13th June. The response HERE suggested that the Church of England’s current safeguarding processes would mean that the Bishop could be disciplined if he support an independent investigation.

13th June – Lay Chair of St Albans Diocese, Peter Adams, submitted a question to St Albans Diocesan Synod for the Bishop of St Albans to answer. It requested the Boshop to work with the National Safeguarading Team to set up an independent investigation.

12th June – Comment on Thinking Anglicans post HERE from Anthony Archer about Soul Suvrvivors report and accounts rarely mentioning safeguarding and indicating a lack of clear boundaries between trustees and those paid to work in the organisation.

Week 10 (4th – 10th June)

10th June – Paul Johnston posted THIS Twitter thread about how difficult it is for those who have historically had significant involvement at Soul Survivor Watford and/or the festival.

9th June – Ali Martin and Andy Croft resigned as Directors of Soul 61 (see HERE on Companies House). Andy Croft is currently still a Director of Soul Survivor (see HERE). Ali Martin resigned as a Director at Soul Survivor in 2020.

9th June – General Synod member Jayne Ozanne had a letter published (found HERE) in the Telegraph about the Soul Survivor situation.

9th June – Bishop Graham Cray’s profile HERE was removed from London School of Theology’s website and it appears he has been removed from their trustee webpage HERE. On 4th June (see below) it became apparent that Cray may have historically known information about the Soul Survivor situation.

9th June – James Heywood noted on Twitter HERE that the Soul Survivor statement (dated 8th March) had been updated to say that “the Bishop of St Albans had requested that Andy Croft voluntarily withdraw from any ministry until the investigation is concluded”. This seems to suggest that any work/ministry Andy Croft could do that sits outside of a Church of England context should not be undertaken.

8th June – A new event due to take place for church leaders, Gathered, which included MIke Betts (New Frontiers), Marcus Honeysett (Living Leadership), and Mike PIlavachi. They made THIS statement about their decision to postpone the event in the context of the allegations against Mike Pilavachi.

8th June – Croydon Vineyard published THIS article entitled “Helping to navigate the news about Mike Pilavachi“.

8th June – Soul Survivor announced HERE that they have suspended Andy Croft and Ali Martin, the two most Soul Survivor Watford senior leaders. It explains that their suspensions were a result of “information submitted to the investigation relates to concerns over the handling of allegations that were raised before the NST investigation began”.

8th June – Academic and worship leader Dr Mark Porter wrote THIS article for the Church Times; “Soul Survivor scandal ‘has left me questioning a faith journey I cherish’”.

8th June – THIS article “Soul Survivor: From a big tent to the heart of parish churches” was published by the Church Times.

8th June – THIS article was published by the Church Times “Concerns about Canon Mike Pilavachi ‘were voiced’ in 2004”.

7th June – The Telegraph published THIS article, “More than 100 people have come forward to accuse…Mike Pilavachi of abuse”.

4th June – Surviving Church published THIS article by Gilo about the current Lead Safeguarding Bishop with brief mention of the Soul Survivor situation.

4th June – The Times published THIS article, “Soul Survivor Watford “”Church knew for 19 years of Soul Survivor pastor’s ‘teen massages’”. Chris Bullivant (previous Soul Survivor staff member) quoted in the article tweeted HERE to say that Bishop Graham Cray, Soul Survivor Chair knew about Mike Pilavachi’s behaviour in 2004 and did nothing.

Week 9 (28th May – 3rd June)

29th May – Dr W Elliot Bulmer tweeted HERE a video from the Soul Survivor 2022 worship conference. He said, “In light of recent allegations, it’s hard to watch the first minute of this video (and many others like it) and not pick up on a very weird vibe. I’m not saying that proves anything. Only that we should listen to people when they say who they really are.”

26th May – Amongst a broader opnion piece, AN Wilson’s Times article HERE question Justin Welby’s moral authority in light of his involvement with Soul Survivor and the Iwerne Trust (where John Smyth abused boys).

Week 8 (21st – 27th May)

27th May – I posted THIS blog “We are all implicated subjects” about wider Christian culture and safeguarding.

26th May – The Responding to the Storm webinar and resources is now live HERE.

25th May – Vineyard UK and Ireland posted their safeguarding statement on Facebook HERE and on their website HERE.

24th May – Justin Humphreys, the CEO of ThirtyOne:Eight the UK’s main Christian safeguarding charity shared a resource on Twitter HERE promoting Jersey Road PR’s crisis communications course with the comment “This is a great resource for churches. Don’t wait for the crisis. Do all you can to prevent it and be ready to respond well to it if/when it happens…” Jersey Road PR are running crisis communications for Soul Survivor. It is unclear how ThirtyOne:Eight see this as an appropriate approach for their CEO to take.

24th May – Long-term close friend of Mike Pilavachi, J John still hasn’t said anything publicly about the Soul Survivor situation, but today posted a blog HERE entitled “People of Lies”. Within the blog he says, “often we don’t face the truth of who we are and what we’ve done, simply because we don’t want to take responsibility for it”.

24th May – The Church Times reports HERE that “The Church of England’s Independent Safeguarding Board has served the Archbishops’ Council with a formal dispute resolution notice, saying that the Council is continuing to frustrate its work and threaten its independence, while failing to put survivors first.”

24th May – Jenny Rowbory published THIS blog, “What happens to our own faith when Christians turn out to be abusers.”

24th May – Dave Meldrum posted THIS blog, “The Power and the Damage Done”.

24th May – Third Sector published THIS article headlined “Charity apologises for failing to suspend founder over ‘inappropriate massages'”.

23rd May – Julie Roys published THIS article about Mike Pilavachi being suspended.

23rd May – Pete Greig seems to have deleted his misjudged post. I posted THIS Guest Blog from Tony Brooks responding to Pete Greig’s perspective that this is the time to focus on good leaders, rather than raising issues of abuse.

22nd May – Long-term close friend of Mike Pilavachi, Canon J John has yet to publicly say anything about the Soul Survivor situation, however he tweet HERE a video about the ways we can ruin someone’s reputation by using the word “but”.

22nd May – Luke Larner posted his reflections about the Soul Survivor situation on his blog HERE.

22nd May – Chris Bullivant shared on Twitter HERE “Tim Hughes told me in 2004 that Mike Pilavachi was massaging an intern. I reported this to then Executive Director Liz Biddulph who just said “Pft.””

22nd May – Church Times article HERE about Mike Pilavachi being suspended.

22nd May – Christian Post article HERE about Mike Pilavachi being suspended.

21st May – Dr Beverley Friend wrote THIS heartbreaking blog post about her experiences at Soul Survivor, working as their Marketing Manager from early 2001 until late 2004.

21st May – Sunday Times article published HERE about Mike Pilavachi being suspended after being asked to explain why he had met with Dan Goodwright, a young male worship leader of the church (the article includes a photograph of the two of them together).

Week 7 (14th – 20th May)

20th May – Robert Thompson and Martin Sewell announce via THIS tweet that they are pushing Synod to vote on a private members’ motion that the Soul Survivor situation should taken place, conducted by an independent King’s Counsel (these are barristers or solicitor advocates who have been recognised for excellence in advocacy).

20th May – John Chambers tweets HERE to say “Was a member of [Soul Survivor] church 2002~07. Knew about (some) of what was going on. Spoke to the diocese about it.”

20th May – Watford Observer article published HERE about Mike Pilavachi being suspended.

20th May – From the Soul Survivor Watford statements on this date, it emerged that Soul Survivor have hired Gareth Russel and Jersey Road PR to do their comms regarding this situation (the end of the statement says “For press enquiries please contact Gareth Russell”).

20th May – First social media posts from Soul Survivor Watford about the situation on Twitter HERE and on Facebook HERE and on Instagram HERE. Soul Survivor’s wider social media (for their wider work, not solely the church at Watford) also posted the same posts on Twitter HERE and on Instagram HERE.

20th May – Soul Survivor Watford announce HERE that they have suspended Mike Pilavachi. They state that, “It has become clear that this more decisive action should have been made earlier and we have acted to correct this now.”

20th May – South West London Vineyard church post THIS blog about spiritual abuse.

19th May – Pete Greig makes a highly ill-judged Facebook post HERE about how many great leaders there are. THIS FB post from Neil Bennetts and the comments on it explain some of why it was misjudged. THIS tweet includes most of a comment from Tony Brooks on Greig’s post and THIS thread from Mark Hewerdine articulates why asking people to list great leaders is potentially harmful.

19th May – Local magazine “Watford News” has Mike Pilavachi as their cover story (found HERE).

18th May – A webinar I’d organised (advertised HERE) took place to provide a safe space for discussions about some of the responses people may have had to the situation. A recording of the webinar will be made available in due course.

18th May – Premier Christianity published THIS article explaining the Church of England’s safeguarding crisis.

17th May – Bishop of Oxford Stephen Croft, he father of Soul Survivor Watford’s Senior Pastor Andy Croft, states HERE he will not resign after a lessons learned review established he had failed at safeguarding.

17th May – The Religion Media Centre published THIS article explaining the situation.

17th May – THIS post about the Archbishop’s statement and the wider situation was published by the Church Times.

17th May – Eddie Green posted THIS article with three ideas of ways to proceed for charismatic churches in light of the Soul Survivor situation.

16th May – The Telegraph published THIS article about the Archbishop’s statement with a quote from a victim calling for a fully independent investigation.

16th May – Bishop of Plymouth, James Grier made a statement HERE on Twitter and on Facebook about the situation, acknowledging his longtime involvement in Soul Survivor festivals and Soul Devon.

16th May – Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, made a statement HERE about the situation. Nicky Gumbel retweets this statement, but has yet to say anything about the situation himself.

15th May – Sam Howson tweeted a video HERE about his experiences 25 years ago at Soul Survivor.

15th May – The Watford Observer published THIS article that the “police are ‘monitoring’ Mike Pilavachi investigation.

15th May – David Gate tweeted HERE that HTB Church employee Matthew Rayner (his LinkedIn describes him as a “Course Coordinator”) was direct messaging him “questioning why [he] needed to speak to the ‘secular press’ and telling [him] to ‘do better’ just a day after I shared my experiences as a child with Mike Pilavachi.” Soon after, Matthew Rayner’s Twitter account was deleted. HTB and/or Nicky Gumbel have yet to make a statement about the situation.

14th May – Dave Jones, who worked as a Pastor at Soul Survivor shared on his Facebook HERE that the last month had “reignited the pain of working under Mike; pain that I had spent years trying to suppress”. In the post he says he has reported to the investigation and encourages others to do so as well.

14th May – David Gate shares his story of being mistreated by Mike Pilavachi while a worship leader at Soul Survivor with the Sunday Times HERE.

13th May – Reported in the Telegraph HERE, some of those who have disclosed being harmed by Mike Pilavachi released a statement demanding an independent investigation, saying they cannot trust the current investigation. Represented by specialist church abuse lawyer Richard Scorer, the full statement can be read on Richard’s Twitter account HERE,

Week 6 (7th – 13th May)

12th May – Premier Christianity publish an opinion piece from Tim Wyatt HERE suggesting that media reporting of the situation evidencing poor religious literacy by secular media.

12th May – The Telegaph reports HERE comments from whistleblower, Soul Survivor US founder, Paul Martin. He states issues related to Mike Pilavachi massaging young men in were known about by Soul Survivor leadership as early as 2000 and further reports made about this in 2004. A video of this story can be found HERE. This story was then covered HERE by the Daily Beast.

11th May – A lessons learned review (reported HERE) finds that several Bishops (including Archbishop of York, John Sentamu) failed to respond to a vicar raping a 16-year-old boy. The victim, Rev Matt Ineson, waived his right to anonymity and refused to engage in the review due to the process not having enough independence and not being allowed involved in the review’s terms of reference. One of the Bishops found to have failed is Stephen Croft, the father of Soul Survivor Senior Pastor Andy Croft.

10th May – Companies House receive Termination of Appointment of MP for WORD AND WORSHIP TRUST, actual date on certificate is 06/04/2023. The registered address for this Charity is Integrity Music Ltd.

10th May – Nazarene Theological College make a statement HERE about the situation.

10th May – Fresh Streams leadership network make a statement on Twitter HERE about the situation.

10th May – Northern Baptist Association make a statement on Twitter HERE about the situation.

9th May – Lucy Sixsmith publised THIS blog about “Soul Survivor, safeguarding, and toxic vulnerability”.

9th May – Youthscape publish THIS article with their reflections about the situation and share the relationships they (and their staff and Board) have with Soul Survivor.

8th May – Jon Kuhrt published THIS article on “Inspiration versus Integrity” about the situation.

7th May – Suzi Stock shares her experiences of being at Soul Survivor Watford on Facebook HERE.

7th May – Matthew Drapper posted a video HERE of Mike Pilavachi being unpleasant to a keyboard player at Soul Survivor. The keyboard player involved responded on May 10th HERE to say the video showed “fun and banter” and that Pilavachi was “not being malicious).

7th May – James Heywood posted THIS blog about the conflicts of interest and complex line management structures at Soul Survivor.

Week 5 (30th April – 6th May)

5th May – Vineyard UK and Ireland posted THIS statement.

5th May – Patrick Regan (previously of XLP and now running Kintsugi Hope) wrote THIS Facebook post.

5th May – Helen Paynter published THIS blog with the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence.

5th May – New Wine publish THIS statement (it’s dated 10th May, but was reported by Premier on 5th May).

5th May – Mike Pilavachi’s Instagram account was made private.

4th May – Julie Roys publishes an article HERE about the situation and Matt Redman’s statement.

4th May – South West Youth Ministry release a statement HERE on Twitter announcing they have suspended Mike Pilavachi as a Patron of their work.

4th May – Church Times publish THIS article about the situation.

4th May – Becca McGowan, who was part of Soul Survivor for a long time made comments on Twitter HERE.

4th May – Katie Brookfield did a Twitter thread HERE about her experiences on the Soul Survivor internship.

4th May – David Gate, who was part of the Soul Survivor worship team, wrote about his experiences on Twitter HERE.

4th May – Rachel Gardner tweeted HERE about the situation.

3rd May – Youthscape tweet HERE about the situation.

3rd May – Companies House receive Termination of Appointment of MP for LIV (UK), actual date on certificate is 26/04/2023.

3rd May – I publish THIS blog about those who are late to making a statement about the sitation.

3rd May – Tim and Pete Hughes release a statement HERE about the situation.

3rd May – Hope Lindsay Plumb, who was for years part of the Soul Survivor festival worship team shared her experiences HERE of being on the team.

3rd May – Mind and Soul UK publish THIS article to provide resources and support to those struggling with the situation.

3rd May – Individuals who have reported to the investigation wrote THIS open letter to UK Evangelical leaders.

2nd May – Matt Redman, Soul Survivor co-founder and globally known worship leader releases THIS statement about the situation.

2nd May – Dr Krish Kandiah tweeted HERE about the situation.

2nd May – The Telegraph publish THIS article about the allegations no longer being non-recent and include comments from alleged victims about their concern with the National Safeguarding Team and Soul Survivor: “They constantly try to control the narrative and minimise until they are backed in a corner. Then they simply reword their statements to try and control a different aspect of the information!”

2nd May – Soul Survivor and the Church of England update their statements to assert that the issues being raised are current and no longer categorised as “non-recent”.

1st May – I published THIS blog about the Telegraph report and the 30th April Soul Survivor church service.

1st May – The Telegraph publish THIS longer article about the allegations made against Mike Pilavachi and Soul Survivor.

1st May – The Telegraph publish THIS article detailing allegations that Mike Pilavachi exhibited“toxic behaviour” and “horrible cruelty and obsession” with certain young men, and that this was an “open secret”. They published THIS video with details from the article.

1st – 2nd May – The HTB Leadership Conference ran with no mention of the Soul Survivor situation.

30th April – Soul Survivor’s church service includes a statement read out by Andy Croft and comments by Tim Lomax of St Albans diocese (the statements can be found in THIS blog).

30th April – The Times published THIS article entitled “He ran the ‘Christian Glastonbury’. Then the questions started.”

Week 4 (23rd – 29th April)

28th April – James Heywood notices on Twitter HERE that Mike Pilavachi has deleted his Twitter account and that HERE the Soul61 Twitter acount has been deleted.

28th April – Spring Harvest update their statement HERE to ensure readers know it is about Mike Pilavachi.

27th April – Spring Harvest publish THIS statement about the situation, without any mention of either Soul Survivor or Mike Pilavachi.

26th April – Mind and Soul UK publish THIS statement about the situation.

24th April – James Heywood posted THIS blog about two different internship schemes running out of Soul Survivor.

23rd April – The Church of England’s Independent Safeguarding Board whistleblow to the national media HERE about the Church of England being hostile and unnecessarily challenging.

Week 3 (16th – 22nd April)

19th April – Soul Survivor Watford publish a new statement (available HERE) saying that “anything that needs to come into the light must come into the light.” I respond to their new statement with THIS blog on 20th April.

19th April – Vice publish THIS article about the Soul Survivor situation.

18th April – James Heywood posted THIS blog about edits to the Soul Survivor Watford website.

Week 2 (9th – 15th April)

14th April – A Mumsnet thread was started about Soul Survivor after the Telegraph article. The thread starts HERE.

14th April – I publish THIS blog reflecting on the ongoing silence about the situation.

12th April – The Telegraph publish THIS article about the Charity Commission investigating the Soul Survivor situation.

11th April – Premier first publish THIS article about the situation. It has been updated as new information has been made available.

10th – 12th April – Spring Harvest took place. Apart from in the Restored seminar at the event, there was no mention of the Soul Survivor situation.

10th April – Surviving Church publish a blog about the situation HERE.

10th April – I publish a suggested statement for organisations HERE.

9th April – Soul Survivor Watford’s Easter Sunday service, one week after their initial announcement was responded to by someone subjecetd to abuse in a different Christian faith context HERE.

Week 1 (2nd- 8th April)

7th April – I published THIS third blog about Holy Saturday and the ongoing silence about the situation.

6th April – I published THIS second blog about the ways silencing were operating.

5th April – My first blog HERE was published about the situation raised concerns about the statements made by Soul Survivor Watford and the Church of England.

4th April – Mike Pilavachi resigned as a Director of Soul Survivor and Soul61. (James Heywood raised this on Twitter HERE on 7th April)

4th April – ThirtyOne:Eight publish THIS article about the siutation.

4th April – The Telegraph publish their first article about the situation HERE with vague details of Mike Pilavachi having taken part in “inappropriate massages” and having “inappropriate intimate relationships” with young people believed to be linked to the Soul61intern scheme.

2nd April – Premier News publish article HERE about the Soul Survivor Watford statement.

2nd April – Soul Survivor Watford and the Church of England issue statements at the Soul Survivor Watford Palm Sunday church service about Mike Pilavachi stepping back for “safeguarding” reasons.

Previous to Soul Survivor Statement

31st March 2023 – David Saunderson resigned as a Director of Soul61 (this can be found on Companies House HERE). David Saunderson became a Director of Soul61 for in July 2011. David has been a Director of the Lambeth Trust (this can be found on Companies House HERE). The Lambeth Trust supports the work and mission of present and former Archbishops of Canterbury (as described on the Charity Commission HERE).

Soul Survivor and Those Who Are Late to the Conversation

We are seeing increasing numbers of evangelical leaders and organisations speak out about the Mike Pilavachi situation. For those who have been following my blogs for the last month, you’ll know I’ve been vocal about the silence, pleading with those with influence to speak out. The Telegraph publishing details of what Soul Survivor termed “safeguarding issues” seems to have broken through people’s assumptions that this was likely about a vague administrative error or perhaps a few disgruntled former Christians reframing perfectly innocent prayer practices as something nefarious.

It seems that what people were not envisaging when Soul Survivor announced Mike Pilavachi stepping back for “safeguarding issues” was that these issues would involve stories of young men being “encouraged to receive full-body oil massages in their underwear in [Mike Pilavachi’s] bedroom, and vigorous wrestling matches that could last as long as 20 minutes at a time – sometimes in church.” Certainly, they were not envisaging behaviour of “horrible cruelty and obsession”. Or that Mike Pilavachi would sometimes “pay for young men to be massaged at parlours. It is alleged that he specifically did this in Thailand.”

It seems no one considered that there would be a suggestion of young men being targeted in their vulnerability, “Often they would come from a broken home, or had a traumatic childhood. They were good-looking, athletic and all of a similar age, around 18 to 22.” Or that those who had reported safeguarding issues would describe, “We went up to his bedroom where he invited me to strip down to whatever felt comfortable, but suggested my underwear. I’d ended up lying on his bed in my boxers, receiving a full body massage with oils under dim lighting, which I simply couldn’t enjoy. I was 18 or 19 at the time and Mike was in his 40s.”

I’m sure no one expected the female partners of young men targeted to say, “It was like [Mike Pilavachi]hated me, I could feel it in every interaction I would have with him…when I say silent treatment I mean totally erasing us and looking at us with total hate, and this could go on for weeks or even months.” I’m sure they didn’t anticipate the wider culture within the organisation would be described as colluding with this abuse, “People were suffering, yet no one within the organisation would help. If we said anything it got repeated back to Mike and the punishments got worse. I saw this cycle happen to other interns over and over and I believe the leaders and trustees who looked the other way and did nothing caused this.”

Although I have been vocally demanding silence be broken for over four weeks, for those only just feeling compelled to speak out, I am keen that you have confidence that your delay not held against you. This situation does require for each person to do some serious soul searching about why they could not believe the situation was serious, until (like Thomas demanded of Jesus), these horrendously hurt individuals ripped open their pain and bared their wounds in a national newspaper so we can see that, yes, it really is very bad.

I do think that some of the responsibility for this lays with the initial statements from Soul Survivor and the Church of England (I critiqued them HERE). The ambiguous terminology of “safeguarding” and an insistence on the situation being neither a legal matter nor a clergy disciplinary matter inferred it couldn’t be too serious. The caveat of the allegations being “non-recent” and “a considerable time ago” suggested these incidents were in some distant past (probably before safeguarding was such a big deal). And there were the repeated ways that these initial statements silenced (which I wrote about HERE). It seems that all of these obfuscating tactics worked. Most people presumed the issues were minor and nothing to really worry about.

As a safeguarding expert and as someone who has seen weasel words used repeatedly to obfuscate, minimise, deny and blame, it was possible to see through the statements made and recognise that someone like Mike Pilavachi does not step back unless there are extremely serious concerns. Unfortunately, Christian culture is abysmal at safeguarding. Particularly when the person in question is someone we have a personal investment in.

Our community is in collective shock. THIS article from Mind and Soul is excellent in offering some ideas for processing the distress. While I hope every single Christian leader speaks out meaningfully about this situation; centring those who have been hurt (as some of those who have been hurt requested HERE), I think that this situation invites every single one of us to deep reflection.

Is the desire for leaders to speak out driven by a commitment to the hurting, or by a need for someone to tell us what we should do next? Are we waiting for someone to tell us what to do or are we waiting for those with power to tell us that this stuff matters to them? Because these are different things.

Part of the reason Mike Pilavachi held such power is that evangelical culture has a tendency towards relying on human heroes rather than Jesus. I know for some people, the Christian faith was long ago lost to you, maybe because of toxic teaching, power misuse or other ways Christians damaged you. I genuinely would be dead without Jesus, and only make it through each day in the strength and grace of the God in Whom I live and move and have my being. For those of us with a Christian faith, it is faith in a living God, a God who can meet us in our questions.

Evangelical culture shies away from pain (as I mentioned HERE on Holy Saturday). We have a culture which hands out glasses of spiritual milk and expects it to sustain us when we need proper food. I certainly want every individual with influence to speak out so that those who have been hurt know they matter. Even if they are late to the conversation, I hope we can all offer them grace to be part of this conversation. Certainly many people arrive here later than they could have.

As we proceed from this place, we must go beyond the neatly packaged messages of a faith which has no space for discomfort and (perhaps reluctantly) accept the struggle described by Phyllis Trible:

“We struggle mightily, only to be wounded. But yet we hold on, seeking a blessing: the healing of wounds and the restoration of health. If the blessing comes—and we dare not claim assurance—it does not come on our terms. Indeed, as we leave the land of terror, we limp.”

Other blogs about this situation:

Guest Post: An open letter to Evangelical leaders in the UK

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

This post has been written by three people. Two are individuals who have reported their experiences with Mike Pilavachi to investigators, one is an individual who was abused within a different Christian context.

Dear UK Evangelical Leaders,

Over the past 30 years, numerous high profile individuals and organisations, not least the Church of England, have given Mike Pilavachi a platform, publicly endorsing his ministry and securing his status as one of the most influential British Evangelical leaders of our time.

The far-reaching influence of Soul Survivor ministries is unquestionable. Over the duration of its existence, the festival was an instrumental part of the journey of faith for a whole generation of Christians. Beyond these major annual events, the influence of Soul Survivor was extended through its local events, its publishing and music label, and its gap year and leadership training programmes. Mike Pilavachi was at the heart of all of this.

As news of the allegations against Mike Pilavachi spreads, it is beginning to shatter a generation, and will no doubt lead many to a point of spiritual crisis. For us, and for thousands like us, it is a devastating blow. Few Evangelical leaders seem to be publicly offering solace, support, or advice about what to do when the man they have publicly endorsed and celebrated falls, crushing young people’s (and older people’s) lives and faith in the process.

Now in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, many of those who grew up attending the festivals have been left reeling from this news. Some will be hearing of these allegations for the first time; others – ourselves included – will be involved much more closely than we would like to be. For many of us, though, some of our most formative faith experiences are connected to Soul Survivor and are now having to be reframed in light of these allegations. It is truly overwhelming.

It has raised complex questions for so many of us:

How can we reconcile the tangible experiences of God we had at Soul Survivor festivals with this news?
Could Mike Pilavachi have been a conduit for God and abusive at the same time?
If we cannot trust someone who God seems to have used mightily, who can we trust?

Also hard to take on board has been that the allegations are not simply about one individual’s abuse of power. They are about an institution’s abuse of power as well. As revealed in the Telegraph, Mike Pilavachi’s behaviour was allegedly an “open secret”. We can personally attest to the truth of this statement.

Whether we like it or not, in his position of authority, Mike Pilavachi is for many a representative of the Church. As such, his behaviour affects perceptions of it. When allegations are brought against leaders with this much power, institutional responses really matter.

The silence of Evangelical leaders in the face of these allegations is a problem, particularly for those of us affected by church-related abuse and trauma. This is because the act of silencing is often a key contributor to trauma, and therefore silence from leaders such as yourselves can be re-traumatising for us. As Gender Justice specialist, Natalie Collins (whose website this is) explains, for victims, the silencing connected with trauma might be something that is externally imposed by others: “through being disbelieved, humiliated, threatened, punished or through being met with indifference, institutional failure or minimisation, denial or blame.” Or it might be self-imposed: “we want [trauma] to be manageable and minor, we blame ourselves, we feel unworthy, we doubt anyone cares enough to listen, we are too exhausted/unwell/isolated to speak.” In relation to Mike Pilavachi specifically, some of us have been silenced in this way for more than twenty years.

Silence in the face of these allegations is also a more widespread problem. If you are a Christian leader with a profile, your silence is communicating to a generation in crisis that we are on our own.

But it doesn’t have to be like this. We are looking to you to speak out and help us navigate this situation. We are not trying to vilify you. We realise that it is painful for you, too, to learn that such serious allegations have been brought against someone you may know personally and love deeply. But the reality is, personal relationships aside, you occupy a rare space right now – a space where you could be a voice of hope and healing, as a generation is in turmoil.

If you don’t speak into this situation, sceptics will anyway, and their voices will not be fruitful in fostering healthy dialogue and discipleship. Our question to you, is whether you will choose to be agents of healing or re-traumatisation?

Sincerely,

Soul Survivors and Those Who Are Hurting

If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact Judith Renton, Ian Bowles or Anthony Clarke at the National Safeguarding Team at safeguarding@churchofengland.org or you can call Christian safeguarding organsiation ThirtyOne:Eight on 0303 003 1111 or email them at info@thirtyoneeight.org to get guidance or support with this situation or any other safeguarding concern you have.

Previous blogs:

Scrutinising Soul Survivor

Four weeks after the initial statement from Soul Survivor about Mike Pilavachi stepping back due to safeguarding issues (I critiqued that statement HERE), Soul Survivor’s Andy Croft read out a statement during their Sunday service (available on YouTube HERE).

Andy (for some reason wearing a dog collar) prefaced the statement with an introduction to Tim who he explained has been providing support to Soul Survivor church from the Diocese for many years. He didn’t mention which diocese, Tim’s last name or his Diocesan role (he’s Tim Lomax, Director of Mission and Ministry at the Diocese of St Albans). Andy said he and the rest of the pastors would be at the back after the service in case anyone wanted to speak with them. Andy proceeded to share the following statement:

As most people will know by now, four weeks ago we told you that there was an independent national Church safeguarding investigation into Mike Pilavachi. It’s absolutely right, when allegations have been made, that there is an independent investigation, and it’s appropriate that Mike steps back. We want you to know that we are especially aware of how much those who have come forward have been affected and how much they are suffering, as are all those who are directly involved in this investigation. I want to say, on behalf of the leadership of the church, how much this grieves us.

I also want to acknowledge, also, that for our church family, this is painful. The trustees and the staff of the church have been cooperating fully and completely with this investigation and will continue to do so. We strongly encourage you that if you know anything that you think might be relevant to share it with the national safeguarding team, all the contact details are on the website.

We cannot comment on an ongoing investigation, though we can say that more recent allegations have come to light. We want to underline our commitment to excellence in our present safeguarding practice and culture. We’ll continue to do all that we can to meet the high standards that we are aiming for, and to ensure that Soul Survivor is a safe place for all.

In the meantime, we understand how difficult this is for many of you, and as a pastoral team we are here to support you in anyway that we can. We can also refer you to independent support if this has brought up difficult emotions, and these details are available on our website.

Andy then invited Tim to lead the church in prayer. Tim’s prayer:

Lord, thank You that You are an ever present help in times of trouble. We pray for all those who are deeply affected by this situation having come forward with information. We ask that you will bring them Your healing, Your help and strength in their suffering.

We pray too for all those directly involved in the investigation, including Mike, that they may know Your presence with them every step of the way. We pray for all those who have been part of this church and the festivals over many years. We ask that in their confusion and their questions, You will bring them Your peace as only You can. And for the church of Soul Survivor today, we pray that you will inspire togetherness and love, hope and a shared sense of Your purpose throughout this challenging time.

Lord, would you empower Andy, John and the whole team, and all the trustees, with your wisdom and strength to serve you faithfully and to care for your church and all those who are hurting and in pain. We ask this in Your name, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Tim immediately went on:

And may I just take this opportunity to say please do continue in your support for Andy and John and all the team and all the trustees. You can only imagine how hard and difficult this is, leading through such a difficult time. So please, wrap your loving arms them, support them in your prayers each and every day, and continue faithfully serving Jesus in and around this place, every day.

It is important to say that the latest statement from Soul Survivor is much better than previous statements. They have begun to acknowledge the pain of those who have reported to the investigation. They are also recognising the pain this situation will be causing the church congregation. Their acknowledgement of recent allegations is more sensitive than their previous statement on their website which added a caveat that “whilst it does not appear these recent allegations include physical contact they are no less significant because of that.” This new statement indicates that Soul Survivor are no longer focussed on a “nothing to see here” approach. While it is a deep shame that it has take four weeks to arrive at this point, the pastors making themselves available to the congregation, the shift away from protecting Mike and the acknowledgement of people’s pain is an important shift of direction.

However, Tim’s prayers and comments are troubling.

Before I go on, I should say, some people seem troubled by my critique of the situation. They think I am “whipping up hatred” and that I am “speculating”. Some would prefer me to remain quiet along with the many other Christian leaders and organisations who have yet to say anything publicly about the situation. Some leaders might even say, “we’re not silent, we’re waiting.”

At no point have I speculated on what is being investigated. My focus is on Soul Survivor’s response, and the response of the wider Christian community. As I previously said HERE, “The statements made, the feelings raised and the issues triggered in individuals and communities can be engaged with separately to the initial concerns which led to the statements being made.” Soul Survivor Watford has enjoyed the privileges of being a highly influential church with huge power and financial resources. They have also claimed the status of being a standard bearer in the wider culture. Mike Pilavachi holds a level of power in British evangelicalism which is probably only surpassed by Nicky Gumbel (and, you’d hope, Jesus).

Their responses must be scrutinised and critiqued because everyone is watching. That tiny Baptist church who has a leader accused of safeguarding issues? They’re watching how Soul Survivor handle this and may emulate it. That youth leader whose young person discloses how their vicar dad has been hurting them? They’re watching how Soul Survivor handles this and may take the same approach? Soul Survivor don’t have the luxury of avoiding scrutiny and they really shouldn’t want to. In fact, no one should want them to avoid scrutiny, well, not if they care about safeguarding and those within the church who have been hurt or abused.

Why are Tim’s prayers and comments troubling? Firstly, it will have been incredibly jarring for anyone who has reported concerns to the investigation to hear Mike prayed for straight after they have been prayed for. To place Mike as one of many “directly involved in the investigation” but without any context that differentiates him from the investigators, other church leaders or trustees seems at the very least unwise and at most, obfuscating and harmful.

It is important that anyone who has been hurt feels safe to report to the investigation, and while the investigation remains within the Church of England, it is imperative that anyone representing the wider church (like Tim) is communicating that those who comes forward will be believed, empathised with and that the investigation is safe. In praying for Mike in the way he did, it somewhat undermines such a communication.

It is, perhaps, a good argument for why Soul Survivor should invite an independent organisation to take over the investigation, given that Church of England officers are perhaps likely to say and do things that are counterproductive to ensuring the investigation feels safe to those who may have information. This may not be out of any bad intention, but given that Tim Lomax has supported Soul Survivor over many years, his historic relationship with Mike may make it difficult to get this stuff right for those who may have been harmed.

This is compounded by Tim’s comments after he prayed. He does not finish off by reiterating the need to consider the pain of those who have reported to the investigation. He doesn’t focus on those who have been triggered by the situation due to their own trauma, he focusses his attention on the leaders of Soul Survivor. They are who his heart primarily goes out to. Andy, John, the team and trustees are the ones who are dealing with something barely imaginable, something so difficult and painful.

This is not okay. Those who have reported to the investigation have had to endure four weeks of silence from the wider church and abysmal statements from Soul Survivor. I cannot even imagine what it must have felt like on 2nd April when the Soul Survivor statement came out and there was absolute silence across Christian culture. The national leaders who have rushed to talk of their friend Mike Pilavachi, the youth ministry organisation given millions to support youth workers, the events who platformed him have all remained silent. Four weeks later and a few national leaders have spoken out, notably Rev Dr Kate Coleman, Rev Cham Kaur Mann, Dr Kate Middleton for Mind and Soul and Spring Harvest (whose first statement had to be adjusted after it didn’t mention the situation by name).

Perhaps now the Telegraph has published stories shared by vulnerable men about Mike Pilavachi things will changed. The article sauys they realised “they were part of a “conveyor belt” of young, athletic, attractive men, usually around 18 to 21 from broken homes or with traumatic childhoods who were preyed upon and made to feel “special” by their celibate vicar who they say led them to believe he held the key to their careers, happiness and futures..”

They say that a number of them “were encouraged to receive full-body oil massages in their underwear while being straddled by Rev Canon Pilavachi in his bedroom, as well as vigorous wrestling matches that could last as long as 20 minutes at a time – sometimes in church.”

And that they explain that “they suffered psychological torment as he would shower them with attention and promises of a prestigious life in ministry, travelling the world alongside him to exotic destinations on mission trips, or the chance to preach and play music on stage – only to be “ignored”, “dropped”, “gaslit” and “ghosted”.”

Maybe now, the silence will be broken, these men (and their loved ones) supported and a hugely overdue reckoning will come upon the church.

Let us pray.

God, may your purifying fire burn away all that is not of you in the church. May your love surround those who are devastated and destroyed by what has been done to them. May those who have caused harm and those who have covered this up or colluded with the harm be held to account. And Jesus, once you have overturned the tables and destroyed all that is not of You with Your homemade whip, may Your house be called a house of prayer, and may Your love heal and transform all those who have been wounded. Give courage to the scared, give faith to the decimated and let Your Name be made Holy.