Bethel Church senior leaders apologised on Sunday for their “mistakes and failures” in the way they handled allegations that prominent prophetic minister Shawn Bolz had sexually harassed members of his staff and used social media to fabricate words of knowledge.
In a letter to their congregation in Redding, California, USA, released on Sunday, Pastors Bill Johnson, Kris Vallotton and Dan Farrelly, say they, together with Danny Silk, take responsibility for failing to properly “bring discipline, closure or clear and timely communication regarding the gravity of our concerns with Shawn Bolz.”
Their apology letter and apologies each of them made at Bethel church services on Sunday morning, followed widespread criticism of the influential Charismatic church since Bible teacher Mike Winger released an almost 6-hours-long investigative video in which he accuses Bethel of covering up serious issues around Bolz, to the detriment of his alleged victims and ministries that they failed to warn. In their letter the Bethel leaders acknowledge that Bolz “was someone we platformed to preach and prophesy in our house and with our teams on many occasions up until 2019”.
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You can view Bethel’s full apology letter here and here you can view one of last Sunday’s services at which the leaders apologised to the congregation.
In their letter, the Bethel pastors say while they are not responsible for Bolz’s sin” they “are responsible for our sins, actions, and inactions after the fact”.
“The truth is, we have hurt and scared people because we did not tell the truth enough, early enough, long enough, or loud enough, and this is a just criticism. Our hearts are grieved, and embarrassed. When we sin or mess up publicly as we have, it’s important to take responsibility publicly, to listen as people share their frustration, sadness, fears, and corrections.”
The leaders express special thanks to Bethel ministry school alumni whose “communication and agitation 18 months ago, and since” – “and subsequently other national voices” — who drew their attention to the need to “finally and appropriately addressing the Shawn Bolz scandal. “They were calling us to live up to what we taught them: calling out the gold in us,” says the letter
They say they recognise that their apology is “not the end of this process” but “the beginning of making things right as we move to increased accountability and transformation”.
Kris Valloton senior associate leader at Bethel says in the letter that he has had a “change of perspective” since his Sunday evening message on January 18, which “lacked compassion and awareness”.
“I’m writing with a repentant heart today,” he says. He states that after deciding to cut ties with Bolz over concerns about him, despite his denials of wrongdoing, Bethel leaders communicated to ministry friends who platformed Bolz. But they failed to tell their church and the wider community. “That was wrong”
“And so now, I specifically want to apologise to victims of Shawn: those who experienced Shawn’s inappropriate and sexually harassing culture, and those who struggled to process or made life decisions as a result of prophetic words that they’d received. I am very sorry.”
Johnson, senior leader at Bethel, says he was at fault for his response to the initial accusations that were brought to them. “Kris and Danny were both willing to bring correction in this, and I was the one who slowed things down. My great strength, and in this instance weakness, is that I believe in people when they don’t deserve it. But in this situation, it became unsanctified mercy.”
He says as a result of his inaction “more people were affected, and additional injuries in the prophetic and trauma in Shawn’s own team took place.”
Johnson also says he is deeply sorry that he added to victims’ trauma when he promoted Bolz and a book of his on TBN after he had spoken to a member of Bolz’s team who had spoken to him about trauma he had suffered through Bolz’s behaviour.
“I pray that with the wisdom of our entire team, we will hear from the Lord and create a new and healthier culture,” he says.
The letter also addresses measures the church says it is taking to improve on accountability, confrontation, communication, abuse prevention and support of victims of any kind of abuse in their church environment.
Responding on X, Winger says he was impressed by the Bethel leaders’ openness and accountability but he still has “some significant concerns”. He says he is praying about a “good way forward”.
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