Originally published in Church Leaders
Weeks after placing Ben Armstrong, its prophetic ministry director, on administrative leave, Bethel Church announced that an independent investigator will look into sexual abuse allegations made against him.
In addition, the Charismatic megachurch based in Redding, California, said it will use a “third-party expert to review our governance, leadership structure, and culture”.
Noting that the church is in a “season” that requires “sobriety and care”, Bethel wrote: “We want to ensure we have established clear accountability structures, prioritised the safety of all those engaging with Bethel, and upheld the standards that Scripture calls our leadership and culture to reflect.”
As Church Leaders reported, Bethel placed Armstrong on leave in February after a woman publicly accused the church’s prophetic ministry director of sexually abusing her. The previous month, senior leaders at Bethel admitted they had made “grievous mistakes” by failing to warn people about allegations against prophetic minister Shawn Bolz.
Bethel Church is internationally known for its Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM), as well as for popular worship songs from Bethel Music.
Bethel Church: We don’t take people’s pain ‘lightly’
In its announcement about “third-party involvement” at the church, Bethel leaders said they would share with congregants what “concrete next steps for [that will] look like in the coming weeks”.
Saying that “accountability isn’t just right, but necessary”, the church assured its 11 000 members that it doesn’t take “the pain that those who have spoken up are experiencing lightly”. Taking time to handle the process thoroughly “matters deeply to us”, said Bethel leaders, “but more importantly, to the heart of God”.
For the independent investigation into Ben Armstrong, Bethel is turning to Sintra Group Investigations, a California-based firm that uses “trauma-informed investigative protocols”.
Earlier this year, a woman identified as Sarah alleged that in 2008 and 2009, when she was a 23-year-old Bethel intern and BSSM student, Armstrong groomed and sexually assaulted her. She recounted the crossing of emotional and physical boundaries, claiming that Armstrong did so under the guise of being a “spiritual father” to her.
Armstrong, a married father of three, previously framed his relationship with Sarah as a consensual affair.
In a February statement, Bethel Church said Sarah’s account “would’ve taken place prior to a known moral failure [by Armstrong] in 2009, for which Ben publicly repented, was removed from ministry, and walked through a multi-year healing and restoration process”. That process, according to the church, “bore the fruit of repentance, which is still evident today”.
Bethel said it would revisit its “previous process, not only to speak to current allegations but also to add strength to how we pastor going forward.” The church now has a “more informed understanding of appropriate interactions and relationships between leaders and congregants,” it said, “and the power dynamics and resulting responsibilities that may factor into these interactions”.
According to reports, at the time of Armstrong’s 2009 removal from ministry, Bethel characterised his moral failure as a consensual affair with a colleague.
Bethel Church has ‘ongoing conversation’ about allegations
In its April 2 statement about pursuing third-party assistance, Bethel Church noted: “We have been in ongoing conversation with and listening to members of our community — including those who have been impacted, current and former students, staff, and trusted outside voices.”
Church leadership reminded congregants they can use its Safe Church platform to anonymously “report concerns about harmful or inappropriate conduct—including by senior leaders.” Third-party provider Mitratech receives and processes the submissions for Bethel, assuring that reports can’t be “altered or edited in any way”.
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