Congregants need to start pushing back on this foolishness. Yet, Gray told The Roys Report that Applegate refused to discipline Courson, and instead kept his sin private. To "avoid substantial injury" to Coy's former employer Calvary Chapel according to the court file. Unbelievable. It does work when it covers all the bases. The chapel's founder, Kent Nottingham, told a local TV station that there'd been no suspicion of abuse and that he was "shocked.". SANTA ANA The Rev. The next year, Santa Ana police investigated the Costa Mesa chapel after a 12-year-old told a staffer that a pastor had been touching her inappropriately. The rock band that usually played raucous hymns to start services was missing. We always heard the lines that basically inferred that this is just a character attack on our family, on the Coursons, so we must be doing something right, Jordan said. Once, in 2005, his family was asked to move to Mexico to help with a church ministry. Lol Well if youre an atheist why are you in church? His son responded, but he never did. Stay up to date with the latest Christian news! Especially your leaders as the Bereans tested the greatest apostle ever lived! In 2005, Coy's church rented out Dolphin Stadium on Easter Sunday and drew more than 20,000 people. Another classic example of spiritual abuse. Even though these didnt pan out, Coughlin said Courson wouldnt apologize. This is not true in my 20+ years of following Jons teaching; I never heard him set dates or claim to be making a prophesy. Courson retired in 2020, but still maintains a radio ministry called Searchlight. On Campus 8:30:00 AM Kids' Church Available. The Deep Strangeness of the Catholic Church's Latest Scandal. John's Great Commission and a Gospel Rhythm for the Church.mp4. Id be ashamed to publish such he said she said. Its embarrassing. I wanted everyone to know and they did. April 6, 2020 6:50 pm A Chicago-area megachurchalready under fire for telling staff to keep a pastor's COVID-19 diagnosis secret and allegedly forcing them to work in unsafe conditionsnow is 43 comments The Roys Report reached out to Jon Courson, Ben Courson, and Applegate for comment, but no one responded. He acually wanted to do it the Bibles way and talk to his accuser and the church refused. Sin not dealt with will ALWAYS be repeated and in bigger ways. Coy says he was never approached by the police about the allegations. Coy, who was never charged with a crime, lay low after leaving Calvary but recently turned up at Boca Raton's Funky Biscuit, where he helps manage the club. This principle certainly does not excuse sin. Police say Thomas has admitted to the abuse (though his criminal trial is pending). Passing your pulpit along to your sons seems to have become fairly common in prosperous megachurches over the last 30-40 years. Also, any comments with profanity, name-calling, and/or a nasty tone will be deleted. They'd already sold their Coral Springs house about six months after he resigned; the settlement divided their substantial remaining assets including a $330,000 Hillsboro Beach condo he still owns and defined custody of their two children. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. "The media ministry of the Active Word that distributes his Bible teachings through radio, television and digital media has also been suspended. This is ridiculous. He shows us because He loves us and His heart is grieved when He sees His blood bought sheep especially His precious daughters dearest to His heart in the blood filled mouths of the wolves ! In your opinion rather than being a saint I would think youd consider Pastors including Jon a con man. Learning to live my life in the way Jesus would if He was me. Amid that legal battle, the movement essentially split in half shortly after Smith's death. Now my life revolves around the Lord, thanks to brother Jon. A Calvary Chapel member named Rodger Thomas was arrested that year and charged with repeatedly molesting a 15-year-old girl at a high school run by the church. But then, in April 2014, he resigned in disgrace after admitting to multiple affairs and a pornography addiction. The in-depth reporting of Jon Coursons sin and the umbilical handling of it decades ago is to give the context of the unbiblical way the sin of Jons son, Ben, is being handled now. But he declines to share the results of the test, which he says was not done for the police. They dont tolerate such things in their alliances with people. Dont get involved with a married man might be a good place for the first no. His ministry was paying his son 20 k a month I hear. all thats left is passive compliance & lax accountability. Coy shocked his flock and made national headlines by walking away from his ministry, selling his house, and divorcing his wife. Get new articles and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Hi. christian culture produces people who are more concerned about their own sinlessness & advancing the gospel than they are about taking a stand on right and wrong and the consequences that bring harm to others. Ushers passed tissue boxes down the rows as his followers wept. They have violated a sacred trust and they have harmed a sheep that belongs to the Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. None of you. He had invited KP Yohannan, the billion dollar conman, to his church where I saw him. It just shows that no one is immune from sinning. The battle is not yours but Gods. Over two decades, Coy had built a small storefront church into Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, a 25,000-member powerhouse that packed Dolphin Stadium for Easter services while Coy hosted everyone from George W. Bush to Benjamin Netanyahu. The most serious claim against Calvary's national church came in 2011, when four men in Idaho filed a federal suit alleging a youth minister named Anthony Iglesias had molested them between 2000 and 2003. He takes in the homeless, he ministers to prostitutes and in the prison. The abuse lasted until she was a teenager, she told the cop. Shouldnt somebody from the church that I had given my entire life to, shouldnt they have come after me to help? Munro, a native of Scotland and in his mid-60s, has been Calvary's senior pastor since 2006. That's not good enough, critics say. Gray said the woman told him about a months-long relationship with Courson, which involved kissing in the church office and at least one encounter in a hotel room. As his star rose and his congregation grew into the tens of thousands, the Sun Sentinel solicited weekly faith columns written by Coy. Thats not saying it strong enough these behaviors are abhorrent to them. Coy's flock, which had followed him for decades as the church became Florida's largest, was devastated. I just chose for things to be done differently, but it felt right. I am not suggesting throwing stones, but again, there were no innocent parties. The fallen pastors and leaders include famous men like Ted Haggard, one of many anti-gay activitists caught being gay, and Tony Alamo, who was sentenced to 175 years in prison for pedophilia and marrying an eight-year-old girl. Tracked down at the bar on a recent weeknight, the well-dressed ex-pastor looks no different from the days when he preached to thousands of followers. Gray said he urged Applegate leaders to follow I Timothy 5:19-20, which instructs church leaders to expose sinning elders. To donate, click here. He claims his record as pastor at Calvary Chapel was unblemished by sexual harassment or molestation claims. Let talks about your problems. I think part of it is a misunderstanding and misapplication of grace, and an end-justifies-the-means happy-go-lucky attitude. 8 Quartz Hill. That doesnt mean that there isnt forgiveness and some other ministry opportunity, but they cant be pastors. The only side that we should take is the side of the Lord (*as the angel told Joshua in Joshua 5:13-14). In 2003, John Flores, a pastor at Smith's flagship in Costa Mesa, was arrested for having sex with the 15-year-old daughter of another pastor. Without a comprehensive policy in place a church is basically sending the message that what one has to report is not welcome. Two groups formed after Pete Nelson resigned in February as senior pastor of the 14,000-member Calvary of Albuquerque, affiliated with the Calvary Chapel network of 1,300 independent churches . CalvaryPHX is 1 church in 2 locations. His ministry changed my families life, saved my dad, and Jon continues to be an awesome force in this world. In 2004, he even campaigned with Dubya around South Florida. . Jon Courson rubbed me the wrong way. Goodness, uncovering sin from the 1980s is a bit nuts. "She had an experience with God and has found forgiveness" for Coy over his abuse. Some complained anonymously that Smith was "dangerously lax in maintaining standards for sexual morality" among his preachers. That same year, the church found itself in a bizarre scandal centered on a lucrative, 400-station radio network and its head, Idaho-based Pastor Mike Kestler. In his 1973 senior class portrait, his dark hair, parted neatly down the middle, hangs well past his shoulders. And somewhere along the line, Coy slipped right back into his old life. The Church, marriages, families, it left all of us reeling. Thus, Costa Mesa split from the CCA and is now part of the Calvary Chapel Global Network. I was part of Applegate Christian Fellowship when Jon had his first affairs. Sin is sin in Gods Word. Now, witnesses have come forward with allegations that Ben's father, Jon Coursonfounder of Applegate Christian Fellowship near Medford, Oregonhad an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the 1980s. for a job at Calvary Chapel Marin, a 160-member church that . People like Jon and his son Ben will come and go, but Jesus is forever. "But we need to remember it is Jesus Christ who is our leader and not man.". When Smith discovered a grace-based Gospel, she was excited and started talking about it at church. By the end of that harrowing call on August 20, 2015, police knew the accused predator was no ordinary suspect. He is testing us and showing us a test so we can see ourselves moreso than the wolves we allowed to lead us with hearts set upon Pastoral IDOL a worship. you said, These abhorrent behaviors are a result of non-discipleship. Founder of Florida's Biggest Megachurch Accused of Molesting a 4-Year-Old. They ended up locked in dueling lawsuits, with the pastor accusing Calvary's leaders of skimming profits and the Smiths charging that he used his influence running the radio stations to pressure women into sex. By 1986, his church had outgrown the funeral parlor and attracted about 1,200 regulars to an Oakland Park chapel. Try running a dairy farm 24/7 365. "They have been at war ever since.". Pastor Jon has taught me so, so much and he is a big part of my life even though I live too far away to go to church there. She'd never even told her family about the crimes. These religious leaders who fell from grace shocked the world when their crimes and scandals became public. That body recommends candidates for higher legal office to the governor. Welcome to America.. Jon is no Saint! The root of Calvary's problems, critics say, lies in its unique structure. Any kind of suffering, any kind of personal conflictthats the rug we slipped it under, because we would do anything for the expansion of the Gospel.. I will never be thanked for it but that is ok. Pursuing the legal system wasnt the answer for me. ", "I haven't prayed enough for my Pastor Bob and his family," Beth Graber wrote. There were ample cases to make that point. The statement reminded me of the abusively controlling church that I had been involved with earlier. Gray said the Applegate elder told the woman at the meeting that he believed her story, involving lots of private meetings with Courson. Another dedicated Applegate member and daughter of a pastor, Heidi Smith, said she worked for church camps for long hours and little pay, which was typical of Applegate camp staff. A sexual prevention/misconduct policy is written by churches for churches.

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