Worship chief Tim Hughes and his brother Pete, senior pastor at King's X Church in London, stated they skilled wrestling and massages led by Mike Pilavachi.
The brothers joined the Soul Survivor motion based by Pilavachi after they have been nonetheless of their teenagers, and Tim later turned considered one of its worship pastors.
Pilavachi was investigated by the Church of England's Nationwide Safeguarding Crew and compelled to face down after various individuals got here ahead final yr alleging inappropriate behaviour. The NST later concluded that the considerations have been effectively based.
The brothers confirmed they’d spoken to the NST and the impartial evaluation led by Fiona Scolding KC and felt now was the precise time to share their expertise extra broadly.
They stated that Pilavachi was a mentor and “non secular father” to them and that the highway to restoration was “extraordinarily painful”.
“His affect, funding and studying in our lives has been important,” they stated.
“Nonetheless, like others, we additionally each skilled what we now know to be psychological and non secular abuse by the hands of Mike Pilavachi.
“Underneath his steerage, we additionally skilled well-documented wrestling and massages.
“These occasions have brought on years of ache and confusion. Over the previous 20 years we have now each been on a journey of therapeutic from the abuse we skilled by means of counseling, prayer ministry and the method of acknowledging the abuse and selecting to forgive.”
The brothers stated they confronted Pilavachi in 2004 and raised their considerations with Soul Survivor administration, however “they weren't taken severely.” They left the motion quickly after.
They ended their assertion by saying they hoped for a “second of therapeutic and renewal” and that the church would “study from the errors it has made to be a protected surroundings the place everybody can flourish and flourish.”
Their joint assertion was prompted by the discharge of the documentary “Let There Be Mild” this week by worship chief Matt Redman, wherein he says that beneath Pilavachi, “I used to be subjected to important emotional, non secular and bodily abuse in a scenario the place I didn't know the right way to get out of it. “
“I spent years making an attempt to heal from that point. I forgave Mike, however I nonetheless really feel the affect to at the present time,” Redman stated.
