EGN NEWS DESK
Worship chief Tim Hughes and his brother Pete, lead pastor at King’s X Church in London, have stated they skilled wrestling and massages below the management of Mike Pilavachi.
The brothers joined the Soul Survivor motion based by Pilavachi whereas nonetheless of their teenagers and Tim later grew to become one among its worship pastors.
Pilavachi was investigated by the Church of England’s National Safeguarding Team and compelled to step down after various folks got here ahead final 12 months to allege inappropriate behaviour. The NST later concluded that considerations had been substantiated.
The brothers confirmed that that they had spoken to the NST and an unbiased evaluation being led by Fiona Scolding KC, and felt that it was now the suitable time to share their experiences extra broadly.
They stated that Pilavachi had been a mentor and “non secular father determine” to them, and that the journey to therapeutic had been “extraordinarily painful”.
“His affect, funding and instructing in our lives had been vital,” they stated.
“However, very similar to others, we additionally each skilled what we now know to be psychological and non secular abuse by the hands of Mike Pilavachi.
“Whilst below his management we additionally skilled the wrestling and massages which were nicely documented.
“These occasions have brought about years of ache and confusion. Over the final 20 years, we have each been on journeys of therapeutic from the abuse we skilled, via counselling, prayer ministry and a means of acknowledging the abuse and selecting to forgive.”
The brothers stated they confronted Pilavachi in 2004 and reported their considerations to the Soul Survivor management however they had been “not taken significantly”. They left the motion quickly after.
They concluded their assertion by saying they hoped for “a second of therapeutic and restoration”, and that the Church would “study from the errors made to ensure that the Church to be a protected atmosphere the place everybody can flourish and thrive”.
Their joint assertion was prompted by the discharge this week of ‘Let There Be Light’, a documentary by worship chief Matt Redman wherein he says that below Pilavachi, he “was subjected to vital emotional, non secular and bodily abuse in a scenario that I did not know the right way to get out of”.
“I’ve spent years making an attempt to heal from that point. I’ve forgiven Mike, however I nonetheless really feel the influence at present,” stated Redman.
