The issues at Eastview Christian Church crowed the headlines in 2023. What began in 2016 as allegations of sexual misconduct of the senior pastor’s son, who was asked by the senior pastor to terminate his pastoral position at the church. Seven years rolled around until the potential sexual abuse and cover-up bubbled to the surface and church leaders called for an independent investigation. A legal team was hired by the church under protest of the senior pastor; and three months later, the senior pastor resigned. His profile is still listed on the Eastview Christian Church website. (https://eastview.church/aboutus/history) The report from the independent investigation indicated ‘it is more likely than not’ that sexual abuse, nepotism and clergy cover-up occurred. I am thankful that the elders of Eastview Christian Church sought after truth, regardless of pressure from the senior pastor. I appreciate the leadership’s role in advocating for the victims/survivors of the abuse that occurred as stated in the findings of the legal team’s reporting. I still contend that it is not enough to allow the abusers to simply resign. What is the remedy for passing the perpetrators from one church to the next?
From the book:
“Pastor Baker faced allegations of ‘abusive power dynamic and cover-up by church leadership.’ Pastor Baker’s son left his position at the church first in 2016. The allegations initially against him reportedly involved “inappropriate sexual behavior, misconduct, and abuse, and that church leaders (including Mike Baker and the elders) were accused of covering it up.
Baker lost the argument to fore-go a third-party investigation, and the church hired a Chicago-based law firm for a 3-month period. The move to dig deeper into the allegations supposedly
precipitated Baker’s resignation. The attorney performing the research set up a way victims could speak to the investigator without going through church leadership or the church elders. Elders began the hiring process to bring on a Victim Advocate staff member and promised transparent reporting to the congregation. The search for truth began in March 2023, and the law firm submitted its report to the elder leadership team on June 4, 2023. Mike Baker resigned the month prior to when the report came out.” (Taylor, Joy S., Clergy Cover-up Does It Work?, Lily of the Valley Publishing Service, 2024, Indiana, pp. 41-42.)
Clergy Cover-up is available on Amazon.
https://business.amazon.com/abredir/author/joystaylor
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