Independent
Investigation of Overlake
Christian Church
Final Report and
Recommendations
September 28, 2023
I. Introduction
Leadership at Overlake Christian Church (OCC) engaged Godly Response to Abuse
in the Christian Environment (GRACE) in response to allegations made by a former youth
group member in June of 2022 pertaining to incidents that occurred 2011-2013. The
allegations noted patterns of sexual harassment, coercive or controlling behavior in a
religious context that relied, at least in part, on the alleged perpetrator’s formal or
informal position of pastoral or spiritual leadership. Additionally, the incidents
referenced above can be placed within a deep history of sexual misconduct within the
church dating back to the 1970’s.
This Final Report and Recommendations presents the scope and methodology of
the GRACE process and the investigative team’s findings, analysis, and proposed
recommendations. These include GRACE assessments regarding OCC’s response,
protocols, and culture.
Overlake and its leadership should be encouraged that they initiated an
independent, third-party investigation into the difficult issues covered in this report. That
decision was a critical first step in understanding their own story. “Independent
investigations are the primary way of legitimately addressing allegations of past abuse
while also investigating and assessing the organization’s knowledge of the abuse and if
and how it responded to it.”
1
As OCC reflects on its own journey and plans for the future, the account of Josiah in
2 Chronicles 34 can provide inspiration. This narrative illustrates a people who held a
special place in God's heart, grappling with the repercussions of their ancestors'
transgressions and how those actions had shaped their culture and faith. The deliberate
yet persistent efforts of leaders without extensive experience, advisors with limited
knowledge, and unexpected individuals who spoke God's truth during a time of crisis
altered the course of an entire nation. In today's context, followers of Jesus can find solace
in this example and humbly join forces with God to restore the goodness that has been
compromised.
The emphasis placed by Overlake on acknowledging the challenges faced in gospel
work within environments characterized by power imbalances deserves recognition.
Furthermore, the dedication of the leadership to engage with the intricate nature of
vulnerability in its various manifestations should be highly praised. In a Sunday service that
1
GRACE. (n.d.). Independent investigations. Retrieved [June 20, 2023], from
https://www.netgrace.org/independent-investigations
3
GRACE investigators attended in early 2023 one leader shared, “The work of peace is
holding the dignity of someone else.”
2
In the midst of a challenging period, GRACE's prayers
are with OCC, as they navigate the path towards peace by wholeheartedly embracing
repentance and striving for restoration, specifically in addressing the instances where
human dignity within the church has been compromised. GRACE encourages them to
recognize their own vulnerability and weaknesses, finding solace in the fact that their
Savior willingly sacrificed Himself, even to the point of death, as a testament to His love for
those who are wounded. Let us remember that God's most profound works were
accomplished when Jesus exhibited utmost vulnerability and transparency. May God's
presence, comfort, and guidance be with OCC as they follow the example set by Jesus.
II. Methodology
GRACE’s assessment was limited to the scope defined in the Engagement
Agreement and conducted using semi-structured qualitative interviews of 21 individuals, a
survey with 239 responses and qualitative content analysis of collected relevant
documents. The below section provides a summary of the scope and methodology.
A. Scope
As per the Engagement Agreement with OCC, “GRACE shall investigate allegations
from June 2022, specifically:
Allegations made by former youth group student at Overlake Church of behavioral
misconduct by former Overlake Church youth group leader toward that youth group
student. As part of the investigation, GRACE shall seek to determine if there are additional
alleged victims.
Investigate whether and when Overlake Church had any knowledge of the
allegation, and if so, how the organizational culture of Overlake Church impacted the way
Overlake Church responded to the allegation. This includes assessing: what information
Overlake Church received; when Overlake Church received such information; what
Overlake Church did and should have done with said information, including its response to
the allegation; and how Overlake Church response compares to best practices, Scriptural
values, and SAMHSA’s Six Principles of Trauma-Informed Practice. As part of this
investigation and assessment, GRACE may assess the existing safety protocols related to
behavioral misconduct and reporting, the administrative environment and community
2
Common Hymnal. James. Service on March 5, 2023.
4
culture of Overlake Church, and how such may impact matters relating to behavioral
misconduct within the organization.
Assess and chronicle the organizational culture of Overlake Church related to and
following previous allegations of behavioral misconduct. For purposes of this Independent
Investigation and Assessment, GRACE will not attempt to explore all allegations of
behavioral misconduct in the history of Overlake Church, and GRACE will not attempt to
establish credibility of previously made allegations. For purposes of this Independent
Investigation and Assessment, allegations are assumed to be credible. As part of this
assessment, GRACE will assess what information Overlake Church received; what Overlake
Church did and should have done with said information, including its response to the
allegations; and how Overlake Church’s response compares to best practices, Scriptural
values, and SAMHSA’s Six Principles of Trauma-Informed Practice.”
B. Witness Interviews, Documentation, and Investigation
Limitations
GRACE conducted a review of relevant church policies, historical documents, and
communications on-site for fifteen hours from March 4-6, 2023. Investigators also attended
Sunday services on March 5, 2023. Twenty-one individuals with potentially relevant
knowledge to the scope of this investigation agreed to speak with GRACE as part of the
assessment. Nearly twenty hours of interviews were recorded and 508 pages were
transcribed. A thirty question survey was distributed to an email list of over 4,000
addresses. Two hundred and thirty-nine individuals responded to the survey, providing an
additional nine hundred pages of data that the investigators reviewed. This survey is
summarized in Appendix A. Every investigation and assessment process has limitations,
and OCC is no different. Overlake’s founder, a notable perpetrator of sexual misconduct, is
deceased, and many individuals who held authority at that time have left the church.
In this report, GRACE has named those who have been convicted of criminal activity
as well as those who are public figures and are already identified in media or other publicly
available materials. GRACE also named the lead pastor or pastors during OCC’s history as a
benchmark that may aid the reader in understanding OCC’s history. GRACE did not name
the youth group leader who was the subject of the investigation due to unique
circumstances and risk factors that were discussed with OCC. GRACE did not name others
identified in documents or witness statements as having engaged in sexual misconduct
because it was not within the scope to investigate other allegations but to utilize these
documents and statements in the hope of understanding the culture at OCC which has
contributed to sexual misconduct. Moreover, some of these prior cases were previously
investigated and prior investigators were in a better position to gauge the credibility of
5
witnesses and other evidence. In anticipation of OCC releasing the report publicly, GRACE
also wanted to limit the possibility of harassment or other misconduct directed toward
anyone referenced in this document.
However, GRACE did work with OCC in reporting or otherwise making authorities
aware of past allegations and to take other precautions to protect those who may be
endangered by those no longer at OCC but who are still alive and whose past
transgressions could be repeated elsewhere. Specifically, GRACE investigators in
partnership with Overlake staff made two reports to local law enforcement of concerns
related to possible indecent liberties of an adult male on church property in 2009 and a
disclosure of child abuses made to an Overlake volunteer not involving adult members or
staff in 2018 or 2019. At GRACE's request, OCC also contacted law enforcement concerning
a missionary OCC financially supported who was fired for alleged sexual misconduct in the
1990s. Going forward, if any party OCC is aware of who engaged in sexual misconduct were
to work with youth, the leadership should be vigilant in warning other ministries of
potential dangers.
III. Individual A and allegations of misconduct
Warning: this section of the report describes explicit conduct and speech and may
be a trigger for those who have endured abuse, harassment, or other trauma. Readers who
may have difficulties reading the content should be careful and wish to speak with a
professional prior to reading the report. We also encourage parents and caregivers to read
the report first before allowing youth who may be interested in the report to review it.
GRACE believes this level of detail is necessary to understand the seriousness of
what transpired at OCC, to rebut any contention the conduct was simply roughhousing
among boys, to assist readers in understanding the decision of OCC to report this conduct
to the authorities as well as request an independent investigation, and to make sure the
voice of those who courageously shared their experiences is fully heard. Detailing the
behavior also aids in applying peer-reviewed research on grooming to assess the level of
risk associated with the conduct.
3
Finally, boys and men experience trauma differently than
girls and often don’t recognize conduct as abusive until much later in their lives This delay
in recognizing trauma may increase the risk for medical and mental health challenges.
4
As
this report makes clear, these dynamics are present in this case. If there are others at OCC
who experienced similar conduct, GRACE hopes these details will aid them in processing
their own experiences and seeking appropriate care.
4
See notes 34-44 and accompanying text.
3
See notes 90-95 and accompanying text.
6
On June 23, 2022, a former student of Overlake Christian Church (OCC), hereinafter
identified as “Individual A,” the reporting victim, met with senior pastor Pat Swanson to
report a series of harmful experiences that took place when he was a minor during the
years 2011-2013. In particular, the former student reported a pattern of behavior he
described as grooming from a former adult youth leader. The student provided a written
summary of the misconduct to accompany his report.
5
Pat Swanson shared this with Neely McQueen, the other senior pastor, as well as
the board chair and human resources. He requested that the matter be addressed at the
next elder’s board meeting and suggested OCC would need outside guidance from “an
organization like GRACE” to determine how best to proceed.
6
The elder board approved retaining GRACE to conduct an investigation of the
reported misconduct as well as assess a history of sexual misconduct and, in some cases,
criminal behavior at OCC in the hope of learning from this history and moving the church
toward healing and a future where the risk of abuse is lessened. However, given a backlog
of cases, the investigation and assessment could not begin until January 2023.
Prior to beginning the investigation, GRACE confirmed with OCC that the allegations
had been reported to the appropriate authorities and that these professionals had chosen
not to investigate. In assessing the allegations, GRACE reviewed the correspondence
between Individual A and the senior leaders and board chair. GRACE also reviewed the
written summary from Individual A. On March 3, 2023, GRACE interviewed Individual A via
Zoom. The interview was recorded, transcribed, and sent to the student for review and any
additions or corrections.
The allegations can be placed in three different categories: the touching of intimate
parts of the body; sexually explicit speech; nudity and indecent activities. The age
difference between Individual A and the former youth leader is approximately 4 years and
10 months. The conduct in question took place while the student was a minor in middle
and high school and the leader was an adult.
Touching of intimate parts of the body
Individual A states the youth leader “would often grab/touch my butt in a way that
felt violating to me. I would ask him, sometimes quite earnestly, to stop doing that, and he
6
E-mail dated June 23, 2022.
5
The written summary is dated June 24, 2022, and the student provided additional edits on February
21, 2023.
7
would often continue to do so. I became stressed whenever he’d be following me in
hallways or staircases, because he’d often grab me quite hard and wouldn’t listen when I’d
beg him to stop. I remember him sometimes grabbing me so hard that his fingers would go
up into my (clothed) butt cheeks.”
7
In GRACE's interview with the former student, he stated the youth leader would
make a sound when grabbing the buttocks as if the conduct was “meant to provide a jolt”
or a “shock.”
8
In describing the impact of the conduct, the victim stated “I would feel stress
anytime he was behind me in the hallway, behind me in the stairs. I think I even remember
asking him to walk in front of me at some point because I didn’t trust that he would actually
pay attention to what I was saying.”
9
Although the behavior eventually stopped, “even when
it wouldn’t happen, he [former youth leader] might make a joke about me being nervous,
walking in front of me and make the similar sound or something like that without grabbing
my butt.”
10
The victim does not recall the youth leader ever apologizing for the
misconduct.
11
The former student also reported an incident in which “I was sitting on a chair (he
was house sitting for a family in the church) and he [the former youth leader] swung his key
lanyard quite hard and hit me in the groin, completely unprovoked.”
12
In an interview the
reporting victim described the lanyard as being “fairly long” with a number of keys and that
his genitals were struck with the keys.
13
The former student described the pain as so severe
that he “doubled over” and when he went to the bathroom “I was genuinely wondering if I
would see blood.”
14
Unlike the grabbing of the buttocks, the former student did recall the
leader apologizing for this incident, saying something to the effect of “Yeah. Sorry, I hurt
you.”
To put this conduct in context, the former student said that in his youth group there
was a practice of “sack tapping” in which students would use their hand to strike/tap the
testicles of others and that this practice was “fairly common.”
15
The youth leader was
present when “sack tapping” occurred and the student didn’t recall him ever objecting or
15
Id. at 14.
14
Id. at 13.
13
Id. at 13, 15.
12
Id. at 10.
11
Id. at 11.
10
Id. at 11.
9
Id.
8
Transcript, p. 10.
7
Written statement from victim, dated June 24, 2022, final edits February 21, 2023.
8
correcting the youth he was in charge of.
16
According to the former student, the youth
leader “in many ways acted like a peer.”
17
Sexually explicit speech
The former student related a number of sexually explicit statements from the youth
leader. For instance, the former student remembered the youth leader “telling me that he
didn’t want to get tattoos or didn’t want his wife to get tattoos (I can’t remember which)
because the porn that he had used to watch featured tattooed people.”
18
The youth leader
also told the student that sex was “messier” than he expected and provided graphic visual
and sensory details of sexual activities with his wife.
19
During the summer that the student was about to enter his junior year of high
school, the youth leader called him while on his honeymoon and said “I just had sex and
thought about you.”
20
The youth leader also messaged this student and another student “in
the middle of the night” of his wedding night and related how he “did the deed” and used
his “chowder cannon.”
21
As will be discussed later in this report, the student said that this
sort of explicit sexual talk was “pretty common [in] Overlake’s culture” but that the youth
leader “definitely crossed the line pretty clearly in what he would share.”
22
Nudity and indecent activities
The student also said that “nudity was a fairly common thing in group hangouts,
student nudity or his nudity” and recalled walking around in the leader’s apartment in his
underwear and the leader commented something to the effect “put those huge balls
away.”
23
He recalled an incident golfing in which the leader said words to the effect “One
rule I’ve played with is if you can’t hit the ball past the lady’s tee, then you have to play the
rest of the hole with your penis out.”
24
24
Id.
23
Transcript, p. 18.
22
Transcript, p. 16.
21
Id.
20
The written summary is dated June 24, 2022, and the student provided additional edits on
February 21, 2023.
19
Transcript, p. 16.
18
The written summary is dated June 24, 2022, and the student provided additional edits on
February 21, 2023.
17
Id. at 14.
16
Id. at 14-15.
9
Although there is no allegation of playing golf with a penis exposed, there was an
incident in which the leader came out of a shower at the OCC locker room and said “Hey,
it’s my wedding day, check to make sure I’m shaved well” and one of the youth present, a
high schooler, did agree to check.
25
The former student told GRACE that pastors and others
were present “but because it was normalized they didn’t say ‘Hey, that’s weird.’ It was just
kind of like ‘We’re all peers and we’re all joking about these things, not thinking that there
are minors in the room.”
26
Also on the night before the leader’s wedding, he (the group
leader) slept nude in a bed with the former student sleeping on the floor.
On another occasion, Individual A and one of his peers (who was also interviewed
and corroborated the incident) reported that they were on the way to the youth leader’s
house to hang out. When they got there, “it took several minutes for him to answer the
door. When he did, he made it obvious that we interrupted him and [his wife] having sex.
This wasn’t accidental, since we had talked on the phone and told him we were on our way
(about 10-15 minute drive).”
27
The power differential between the group leader and individual A
When asked to explain the power dynamics in his relationship with the group
leader, Individual A said the group leader “worked at a church, he preached, he was older
than me, four years or five. Doesn’t feel old to adults, but to high schoolers, it feels like
you’re a grownup, right? Like if you’re four years or five years older, you know more, you
have more power. And so in a very real way, I thought, ‘Well, if [I] don’t confess…’ Let’s say I
don’t confess my sins [to the group leader], there’s this whole classic clergy dynamic going
on where it’s like ‘Something’s wrong between me and God if I’m not honest about [it] with
him.’ ”
Individual A would say to himself that the “[group leader] has his idiosyncrasies and
his quirks, but he’s probably right, and I probably need to do that.’ And then a lot of it is just
as a minor, in a lot of ways, you depend on the people over you to know what to do and
what’s appropriate and what’s inappropriate. And so I assumed this nudity, this joking,
[these] conversations must be fine because here he is in a higher role than I am, older,
more along in his ministry career or something. And so, ‘I must be able to feel comfortable
with this because here he is feeling comfortable with it too.’”
28
The impact of the group leader’s conduct on Individual A
28
Transcript, p. 23.
27
The written summary is dated June 24, 2022, and the student provided additional edits on
February 21, 2023.
26
Transcript, p. 20.
25
Transcript, p. 16, 20.
10
In his written summary, Individual A states: “This behavior has affected me. It has
hung over me…it made me feel powerless in the moment and confused in the aftermath. In
the MeToo movement, I’d often think ‘huh, that doesn’t sound too different than what I
experienced with [the group leader]…Part of initiating this conversation was to finally name
what it is that I experienced instead of keeping it murky and vague. The other part was to
ensure that I did my part to keep kids and students safe in the future.” When asked to
elaborate on this, Individual A told GRACE:
The biggest thing, and I'm grateful I'm not crying during this meeting, but the
biggest thing... So you might not sense it, is that it does bring me a lot of
shame when I look back at it, and especially before I fully articulated that it
was problematic. It was always just kind of like a, “Ooh, that was weird,” kind
of, “don't think about it” kind of thing. Now, having named it as wrong, a lot of
the teeth of shame are out now. But that was a big thing. And I also think I
have empathy on middle school and high school me who was really
struggling with things like purity and temptation and thinking how much
more that kind of dose of shame, inappropriate talk, inappropriate touch,
inappropriate situations were adding fuel to the fire of something that I
didn't really heal until a couple years later, when I was able to actually name,
“I feel shame,” or, “I feel unworthy.”
And that was what took the fangs out of temptation for me too, was coming
to a healthy self-conception and naming the ways that I feel unvaluable or
unworthy or shameful, addressing it specifically in myself and then saying,
"Here are the values that I have. Here's what I bring to the table. Here are my
motives." And that completely changed my mindset…But I think, ‘Man, in
middle school and high school, I was looking for help.’ And what I got was not
helpful from [the group leader]. I appreciate the community, I appreciate the
connection, and yet, man, I can't think of a worse way to help someone lead
a life of virtue and of beauty than of giving them this kind of shame. So that's
something I walk with.
Interviews with other former students
GRACE interviewed several former students who knew Individual A and the youth
leader in question. These interviews are summarized below.
Individual B
11
Individual B is also a former student who said he had “nothing but fond memories”
of his time at OCC and his involvement with youth group.
29
While sexuality “wasn’t spoken
about more than a couple of times a year” from the sermon stage, “it was definitely more of
a topic in small groups.”
30
With respect to the youth leader in question he said his teachings
on sexuality were “don’t have sex before marriage, porn’s bad, masturbation is bad. Those
are the three things the church believes, and [the youth leader] definitely reached onto us
and expected of us.”
31
He said the boys did share their struggles with these issues with the
youth leader and “that’s a pretty normal thing in the church, honestly.”
32
He said the youth leader did speak about his own sexuality in the context of his
marriage and “how great sex is in marriage” but not graphic details. He said he couldn’t
recall any incident of anyone being struck in the genitals with lanyards but that it “probably”
happened.
33
He didn’t recall nudity other than “changing at a youth camp or something like
that” but couldn’t recall if the youth leader was part of it.
34
He said the youth leader
“genuinely loved us” but “was maybe too harsh on us at times” and while he was “kind of a
goof” who “did some dumb stuff every once in a while” he “overall had a good heart and
was a good guy.”
35
He recalled “roughhousing” among the group but not of a sexual nature or anything
that “crossed any serious lines.”
36
When asked to rate the youth leader’s professionalism,
Individual B described it as “average.”
37
With respect to Individual A, the student who
brought to OCC’s attention allegations of misconduct, this witness said “I have no reason to
doubt his [Individual A’s] integrity or credibility.”
38
Individual C
Individual C was also in the youth group under the leader in question. He said that
sexuality was a “big topic” in the small group
39
but that “looking in hindsight,” the youth
leader’s discussion “feels icky.”
40
Specifically, the youth group leader “would tell us how
40
Id.
39
Transcript, p. 5.
38
Transcript, p. 20.
37
Transcript, p. 27.
36
Id.
35
Transcript, p. 18.
34
Transcript, p. 22.
33
Transcript, p. 21.
32
Id.
31
Transcript, p. 19.
30
Id at. 8.
29
Transcript, p. 5.
12
hard his struggle was with porn and masturbation. He would tell us about when he did get
married, some of the sexual acts he would perform” and these details “felt pretty graphic.”
41
“In the moment,” Individual C informed GRACE, “I was excited because I was like, hey,
someone I trust is sharing these intimate details with me.”
42
In hindsight, though, “it doesn’t
feel good to know what your youth leader is doing with his wife or the type of porn he likes
to look at when he does struggle with that or the thoughts that run through his head or
things like that. It just felt weird.”
43
Individual C confirmed he was with Individual A when they went to the youth group
leader’s house shortly after the group leader had sex with his wife. He said that he and
Individual A called the group leader and said words to the effect “Hey, we’re coming over.
We’ll be there in about 10 or 15 minutes” and that the youth group leader replied “Great,
cool. Awesome. Feel free to come over.”
44
When they arrived, it took some time before the
youth group leader answered the door and when he did “it was very apparent they were
just having sex. I mean, he was covered in a little bit of sweat. He felt not totally out of
breath, but it was very much post-sex. And we just felt it was very weird. And I remember
him [the youth group leader] telling us that’s what just happened.”
45
Individual C also corroborated that the youth group leader sent texts to students in
his group about losing his virginity on the night of his wedding.
46
Individual C also recalled
the youth group leader telling the group “he can’t wait for us to have sex because it’s going
to be so awesome and he can’t wait to hear about it.”
47
Individual C also said that he and other youth went streaking and that the youth
group leader participated in this activity. He recalled at least two times the youth leader
went streaking nude with the boys and a “couple other times, where I think he didn’t
participate, but I think he was the person who drove us there, or we all got into his car and,
I think, went to that location.”
48
Individual C said there were times in the youth group where
the boys would touch butts and there was “wrestling that then turned into dry humping”
and that the youth group leader participated in these activities.
49
With respect to the
touching of butts, Individual C said there was “a lot of times” the youth group leader “would
come up and surprise us and grab us by the butt, or I think just pinch our butt when we
49
Id. at 7.
48
Id at 7.
47
Id at 7.
46
Id. at 7.
45
Id at 6.
44
Id. at 6.
43
Id. at 5.
42
Id. at 5.
41
Transcript, p. 5.
13
weren’t looking or anything like that, just to, again, scare us, just to tease us a little bit” and
“then we’d probably turn around and do it to one of our friends as well.”
50
With respect to the dry humping, he said “if someone was just sitting there either on
their phone or they’re gaming or we needed to distract them, but we’d kind of just go over
and dog pile them and then all just hump them like a dog would. And it was just a funny
thing between us friends…And then looking back on it, I go, yeah, [the group leader] was
also a part of that…he very much participated in that.”
51
In explaining the difference between the touches between his friends and those
involving the youth group leader, Individual C said “when I talk about play between my guy
friends, I think it didn’t feel malicious… It felt like they’re my brothers rather than someone
just, I think being gross and touching your butt…With [the group leader] in the time, I think
it felt playful, but there was also the sense of me that was like, you’re still a grownup. You’re
still very much an adult. You are over 21, you are doing these things to us. It had that tinge
or that thin layer of this feels like a little bit off…And then I think it wasn’t until much later
that I was like, that feels more weird to me now than it did, I think back then. I think
because now I have a greater sense of that age difference and the authority that he had, I
think over all of us.”
52
Individual C described his peers as a “very physical friend group” and that
boundaries felt fluid among his peers but it “felt very different with [the group leader].”
53
He
also said there was a “split era between groups” and that he knows of some “who didn’t
experience it as much as probably me and [Individual A]” and specifically mentioned
Individual B as someone who did not experience this behavior “as aggressive or as frequent
as some of the other guys.”
54
Individual C described the youth group leader as someone who “really cared about
us. He really wanted to make sure that life was going well for us. Just very, very kind.”
55
At
the same time, he said the youth leader “was really manipulative” and “he felt like someone
I could never disappoint, but simultaneously someone who I always disappointed.”
56
Unlike
other pastors at OCC who would respond in a “grace-filled” way to a student who
committed a sexual sin, the group leader had an “almost all or nothing” attitude to the
point where Individual C “felt like, oh, if I looked at porn, if I did anything with a girl, even if I
56
Id. at 11.
55
Id. at 10.
54
Id. at 9.
53
Id at. 9.
52
Id. at 23.
51
Id. at 10.
50
Id at. 9.
14
held hands with somebody, I was going to hell. I mean, he really dialed it up to 11 out of 10,
and with him there was almost no…What’s the word? There’s no leeway with him.”
57
Individual D
Individual D was in a youth group with the youth group leader for approximately 5
years.
58
He described the leader as “very charismatic” and said he was “definitely a mentor
to me.”
59
He said the subject of sexuality came up “relatively frequently” in the youth group
and since the students “wanted to know where the edge was” there were questions such as
“Is it a sin if it’s this way? Is it not a sin if we do like…”
60
He said there was “definitely horsing
around” in the group but said it “would be a stretch to say that it was in a sexual way.”
61
He
did recall an instance of some members of the group streaking and said “chances are [the
group leader] was there, but I don’t remember if he was streaking with us or if he was just
part of the group.”
62
Although he didn’t recall any instances of genitals being struck with a
lanyard he did say there was “sack tapping” which happened at several places, including
church, which involved “just a backhand when somebody is not looking.”
63
Although it was
“mean-spirited a little bit,” the activity “was kind of more of a game than anything.”
64
When
asked if the group leader would participate in that, he said “I would say so.”
65
He was
present the night before the youth group leader’s wedding but had no memory of anyone
sleeping in the room with the leader.
66
He described Individual A as an “admirable person,” a “solid person,” and someone
he looked up to. He said the relationship between the youth group leader and individual A
was “definitely close” but as not close as the relationship he had with the leader.
Nonetheless, he said that he and Individual A “were both kind of teacher’s pets.”
67
In terms of the culture of OCC at the time, he recalled sermons from a “main
worship pastor” which created a “culture of shame” regarding sexuality.
68
He recalled the
worship pastor giving a sermon to the high school students in which he used a roll of duct
68
Id. at 12.
67
Id. at 13.
66
Id. at 10.
65
Id. at 9.
64
Id. at 8.
63
Id. at 8.
62
Id at 7,8.
61
Id. at 7.
60
Id. at 6.
59
Id. at 5.
58
Transcript, p. 4.
57
Id. at 12.
15
tape. The analogy was to put two pieces of duct tape together, sticky side to sticky side but
then put on a different piece of duct tape. As individual D recalls, the “moral of the story is
every time you have intercourse with somebody, you lose a little bit of that stickiness, and
then eventually your relationships aren’t going to work or something like that.”
69
He said
the message to a “bunch of hormonal kids” was “the worst thing you could do would be to
masturbate or watch pornography, let alone be hooking up with another person or a
student.” He described this message as “really intense.”
70
Individual E
Individual E was in an OCC youth group and also became a youth group leader by
his junior year in high school. Accordingly, while he did intersect with the youth group
leader in question as well as students in this leader’s group, he described them as more of
his “friend group.”
71
He knew the group leader for years but had a “significant falling out.”
72
He described trauma he endured because of the ideology at OCC and while this ideology
was not unique to the group leader “it did come from his voice.”
73
There was a significant
pressure to remain pure and Individual E was “fully entrenched in this kind of thinking as
well, where I’d be texting my friends my age for accountability updates, being like ‘Hey, bro,
are you pure this week?’ Really kind of sick and twisted stuff and I guess I would say to sum
everything up, that’s the damage.”
74
As a result of this ideology, Individual E felt
tremendous shame after losing his virginity, resulting in depression and multiple attempts
at suicide.
75
Individual E described his time at OCC as a “traumatic era in my life” that
“resulted in many years of therapy to unwind some of that…”
76
Individual E corroborated that the group leader spoke about sexual activity with his
wife which was “all positive stuff” but was also “very crude.”
77
Individual E didn’t participate
in streaking “but heard about it later on.”
78
He said the striking of genitals with lanyards
“was almost regular activity” and that the group leader “absolutely did it to us.”
79
If there
were keys on the lanyard, that is the part which would be flicked at someone’s groin area.
80
80
Id. at 18.
79
Id. at 9.
78
Id. at 9.
77
Id. at 8.
76
Id. at 3.
75
Id. at 7.
74
Id. at 6.
73
Id. at 5.
72
Id. at 5.
71
Transcript, p. 4.
70
Id. at 12.
69
Id. at 12.
16
He said the group leader in question “was definitely physical, like boys being boys type of
stuff. Not like sexual, but roughhousing type of stuff. Stuff that probably wouldn’t fly today.
But he definitely roughhoused with us physically. Nothing ever that, in my experience,
crossed a line, never where I was actually hurt, anything like that. And to be fair, we
antagonized a lot of it. But I would probably not be physical like that if I was in his situation
with people who are under 18.”
81
When Individual E was 20 years old, there was a roughhousing incident in which he
ended up face down on the floor, naked from the waist down with his buttocks exposed
and visibly red from being slapped with a towel or other objects. He described the incident
as consensual roughhousing, and said a photograph was taken by one of his friends, not
the group leader. However, the group leader was present for this incident and everyone
participated in the slapping, including the leader.
82
Everyone who participated in this
incident was an adult at the time and no one, other than individual E is in the photograph.
At the time this photograph was taken, the youth group leader in question was an
employee of OCC.
Individual E said the group leader was “super close friends” with Individual A and
that he felt the group leader “looked up to [Individual A] as an adult and not as a student.”
83
When asked if he would have any reason to challenge Individual A’s integrity, he said “I
actually feel he’s one of the most high integrity people I’ve ever encountered.”
84
Attempted interview of the group leader
GRACE contacted the group leader for an interview and had a brief Zoom
conversation to discuss the investigation and assessment. Although the group leader
originally agreed to interview, he subsequently wrote the following in an e-mail:
Thank you for briefly speaking with me today about the nature of your
interest in interviewing me.
After thinking more about it, I am going to decline proceeding any further.
I think that conversations like this that unearth my past accompanied by my
own deep pain require trust, and I do not trust the leadership that hired
GRACE to conduct this investigation.
84
Id.
83
Transcript, p. 13.
82
Transcript, p. 3.
81
Id. at 11.
17
I also believe that Christ gave us specific instructions on how to handle
reconciliation, and this process being conducted is not it.
Dealing With Sin in the Church
15“If your brother or sister[a]sins,[b]go and point out their fault,just
between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.16But
if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may
be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’[c]17If they still
refuse to listen, tell it to the church;and if they refuse to listen even to the
church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
It feels like I am being treated like a pagan or tax collector.
85
Prior to writing the report, one of the lead GRACE investigators sent the following
e-mail to the group leader:
I wanted to let you know we have completed our assessment. Before we
finalize our report, though, I wanted to circle back and see if you are willing
to have a conversation. You indicated at one point that you were also a victim
of OCC and we would be interested in learning more about what you meant
by that.
I appreciate your comments aboutMatthew18 and, if you like, I can explain
why I don’t think that passage was violated here. Even if you disagree with
me,Matthew18 also includes verse 6. Although no one we spoke with
identified a crime,
86
there were people in your small group who were deeply
86
As noted earlier, OCC made a child protection report to the authorities but it appears an
investigation was not conducted. Obviously, the authorities in Washington have the final say in
determining whether or not unlawful conduct took place for which they would want to take action.
In the state of Washington, it is a crime to engage in sexual contact with a minor with sexual contact
being defined as “any touching of the sexual or other intimate parts of a person done for the
purpose of gratifying sexual desire of either party or a third party.” Washington Criminal Code
Chapter 9A.44.010(13). The determination of which anatomical areas apart from genitalia and breast
are intimate is a question to be resolved by the trier of fact. In re Adams, 24 Wn.App. 517, 601 P.2d
995 (1979). In cases in which the evidence shows equivocal touching of intimate parts of the body
other than the primary erogenous areas, courts have required some other evidence of sexual
gratification. See State v. Powell, 62 Wn. App. 914, 816 P.2d 86 (1991). In this case, the witnesses did
not see the touching of buttocks or other roughhousing as done for sexual gratification and did not
see the group leader having an erection or being sexually aroused by the conduct. It is interesting to
85
This e-mail was sent on to both of the GRACE investigators and to the senior
Apr 14, 2023
pastors at OCC.
18
hurt. I think it would be helpful for you to understand their experiences and
feelings and contemplate what a Christian response may look like.
I appreciate all of this is difficult and we are committed to being as sensitive
as possible in these difficult conversations. If you still choose not to speak
with us, we’ll respect that but I wanted to make sure you had another
opportunity if you wanted to have a conversation.
87
The former group leader responded the same day, writing: “No thank you. Please do
not contact me again.”
88
As GRACE noted in their e-mail, GRACE disagrees with the youth leader’s
flawed analysis of Matthew 18. It is dangerous to take one passage and isolate it
from the rest of Scripture. In GRACE’s experience, Matthew 18 is often used to
silence victims and justify inaction, and should be used cautiously when responding
to a possible report of child abuse or neglect.
89
In this case, OCC received a credible
report which raised a reasonable suspicion of child abuse, and they appropriately
contacted the authorities and also contacted outside experts to conduct an
investigation. GRACE specifically advised OCC not to contact the group leader but to
let GRACE contact the leader as part of this assessment. The GRACE team, acting
under contract with OCC, did contact the group leader and provided him with the
opportunity to respond to the allegations, but he declined.
Analysis of the credibility of the evidence
GRACE find Individual A to be an extremely credible witness. His motivation
for coming forward is benevolent, including a desire to keep other children safe. The
89
For a theological analysis of applying Matthew 18 in a case of actual or potential child abuse, See
John D. Schuetze, Pastoral Theology Brief: Matthew 18 also Includes Verse 6, 112(3) WISCONSIN LUTHERAN
QUARTERLY 224 (2015).
88
Id.
87
This e-mail was sent on July 19, 2023.
note, though, that the state of Washington defines a sexual assault on the campus of the University
of Washington as “sexual contact with another person without, or that exceeds, that person’s
consent.” WAC 478-121-150. Sexual contact includes “Any intentional touching of the intimate parts
of another person’s clothed or unclothed body, including but not limited to the mouth, neck,
buttocks, anus, genitalia, or breast.” GRACE believes the touching of the buttocks as described by
Individual A would meet this definition. Also keep in mind that even if a criminal statute was not
violated, this does not mean that there could not be a civil action for sexual harassment, negligence,
or other breaches of a duty to the youth entrusted to the care of this leader and to OCC. For all of
these reasons, the conduct should be taken very seriously by OCC and the congregation.
19
investigation did not uncover evidence of any ill will toward the group leader or any
incentive to lie or exaggerate his allegations. GRACE found other witnesses who
corroborated many of Individual A’s statements including the use of sexually explicit
language, the grabbing of buttocks, streaking or other acts of nudity, the striking of
genitals with a lanyard or through “sack tapping,” and a second witness to the
incident of arriving at the group leader’s home shortly after the leader had sex with
his wife. Other witnesses also corroborated the overall OCC culture at the time, a
culture that can best be described as a toxic purity culture that inhibited a healthy
conversation about sexuality. The youth group leader was given ample opportunity
to respond to these allegations but chose not to participate in this process. Instead,
he chose to attack the process through his interpretation of Matthew 18.
Analysis of the evidence in the light of peer-reviewed literature on grooming
Grooming is a process by which an offender may “seduce their victims with
attention, affection, kindness, gifts and money until they have lowered the victim’s
inhibitions and gained their cooperation and ‘consent.’”
90
Grooming can also involve
inappropriate sexual comments or touches that may start as a seemingly safe hug or kiss
but gravitate toward a more purposeful touch the offender convinces the child was an
accidental slip of the hand.
91
Adult pornography as well as sexually exploitive images of
children can also be used in grooming.
92
Although approximately half of the offenders who sexually abuse children employ
grooming behaviors, “identifying grooming behaviors is more easily done retrospectively”
because “many grooming behaviors appear to be innocent in nature and typical of
adult-child interactions.”
93
Nonetheless, some behaviors have been identified as “red flags”
for “high” or “moderate” risk for sexual abuse. “High risk” behaviors include an adult
exposing their naked body to a child and telling a child about their sexual experiences.
94
94
Elizabth L. Jeglic, Georgia M. Winters, & Benjamin N. Johnson, Identification of Red Flag Child Sexual
Grooming Behaviors, CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 136 (2023) 105998.
93
Georgia M. Winters and Elizabeth L. Jeglic, Stages of Sexual Grooming: Recognizing Potentially
Predatory Behaviors in Child Molesters, 38(6) DEVIANT BEHAVIOR 724, 725 (2017).
92
Det. Sgt. Joseph S. Bova Conti, Lt. William D. Carson, An Investigation of Victim and Offender
Dynamics in Prostitutes and Incarcerated Pedophiles, in SHARON W. COOPER, ET AL, MEDICAL, LEGAL, & SOCIAL
SCIENCE ASPECTS OF CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF PORNOGRAPHY, PROSTITUTION, AND INTERNET
CRIMES 715, 728 (2005).
91
NATIONAL CENTER FOR PROSECUTION OF CHILD ABUSE, INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF CHILD ABUSE THIRD EDITION 14
(2004).
90
Kenneth V. Lanning, Acquaintance Child Molesters: A Behavioral Analysis, in SHARON W. COOPER, ET AL,
MEDICAL, LEGAL, & SOCIAL SCIENCE ASPECTS OF CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF PORNOGRAPHY,
PROSTITUTION, AND INTERNET CRIMES 529, 560 (2005).
20
“Moderate risk” behaviors include asking a child questions about their sexual experiences
and relationships and using inappropriate sexual language including telling dirty jokes
around the child.
95
Again, a high or moderate-risk behavior does not necessarily mean someone has
sexually abused a child, but when these behaviors are identified action should be taken.
Since several of these behaviors were present in Individual A’s oral and written statement
to OCC, as well as allegations of the touching of intimate parts of the body, OCC acted
appropriately in making a child protection report. As noted earlier, the conduct may not
have met the technical definition of sexual abuse in the state of Washington, but the
behaviors described by Individual A and corroborated by others are clearly concerning and
should not be permitted in any youth-serving organization, especially a Christian
organization.
Analysis of the evidence in the light of scripture
The conduct described by Individual A and other witnesses and revealed in
documents such as the photograph described by Individual E, violates numerous
passages of the Bible and clear Christian doctrines that have been in place for over
2,000 years. We discuss a handful of these passages.
First, the Apostle Paul instructed Christians in the Church at Ephesus to “not
let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for
building others up according to their needs” (Ephesians 4:29). Five verses later, Paul
writes “Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of
place, but rather thanksgiving” (Ephesians 5:4).
We believe it is “unwholesome talk” for a youth leader to share with minors
details of his sexual activity or to call or text youth to inform them of sexual activity
on his honeymoon. Commenting on the genitals of youth, asking minors or others
to inspect pubic hair to ensure it is properly shaved, making a joke about a rule to
have a penis exposed if a youth can’t hit a golf ball beyond the women’s tee, and
other conduct described in the interviews also contravene these scriptural
admonitions.
Although this language and behavior was unequivocally crude and
undeniably sinful, it may be tempting to dismiss the coarseness as “boys will be
boys.” Any such dismissal ignores the fact that one of the participants, and primary
instigators of the conduct, was an adult charged with setting a good example for
95
Id.
21
these youth. His failure in this regard contributed to significant mental health
challenges for more than one of the minors OCC placed in his care.
In GRACE’s conversation with the group leader, he indicated that he was also
a victim of the OCC culture. Although GRACE doesn’t know what he meant by this
statement, there is no question that there was an insidious, decades-long culture at
OCC that invited crudeness and often failed to address it when it occurred.
Second, the Apostle Paul told the believers in Corinthians to “flee from sexual
immorality” and posed this question: “Do you not know that your bodies are
temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You
are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your
bodies” (1 Corinthians 6:18-19).
This admonition from scripture may have been one of the Bible lessons that
resulted in leaders at OCC speaking so frequently to children about sexuality and to
shame them when they strayed. The irony, of course, is that these passages were
repeatedly violated when buttocks were grabbed, genitals were struck with lanyards
or hands, or half-naked men were slapped with towels or other objects. In the
future, we hope OCC will make clear that the Holy Spirit resides in the bodies of all
believers, including children, and that we are disrespecting God when we engage in
the sort of conduct detailed in this report.
Third, the teachings of Jesus make it abundantly clear that His followers must
care for children.
96
In each of the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus issues a harsh warning
against anyone who harms a child (Matth. 18:6-9; Luke 17:1-2; Mark 9:42).
Specifically, Jesus says “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little
ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung
around your neck and you were thrown into the sea” (Mark 9:42). The phrase “little
ones” comes from the Greek adjective mikros which, in this context, means the
“smallest child.”
97
The reference to “stumbling block” could be a reference to any sin
but especially those sins that damage someone’s faith.
98
The reference to “great
millstone” is a reference to a stone turned in a mill by an animal, usually a donkey,
98
Id. at 182.
97
DANIEL E. PAAVOLA, MARK 182 (2013).
96
VICTOR I. VIETH, ON THIS ROCK: A CALL TO CENTER THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO CHILD ABUSE ON THE LIFE AND WORDS OF
JESUS (2018).
22
to grind seed into flour.
99
Taken together, then, Jesus is saying that anything we do
to hurt a child’s faith is viewed by God in the harshest possible terms.
100
In the investigation, GRACE heard from members of the youth group who
were harmed by the way in which sexual purity was discussed as well as the
disconnect between these lessons and the conduct of the group leader and the
general culture at OCC. In describing the impact, one former student said “I wanted
to be a pastor, and here I am eight years later and I’ll never step foot in a church
again” because “It’s too damaging to risk.”
101
This former student also told GRACE
“I’ve caught up with, over the past few months, friends from our small group that I
haven’t talked to in years…And there’s very similar stories of people unwinding that
same sort of ideological imprint that it had on their brain. And a lot of other people
took it in a much worse way than I did. Many people went on six, seven, eight year
benders and gained tons of weight, live really depressing lives right now.”
102
The response of Overlake Christian Church to the report of misconduct
It is likely that there were people in authority at OCC who knew of at least some of
the incidents in question. As previously noted, Individual A said pastors and others were
present in the OCC locker room when the group leader asked that his pubic hair be
inspected in anticipation of his wedding but that no one objected “because it was
normalized…It was just kind of like ‘We’re all peers and we’re all joking about these things’,
not thinking that there are minors in the room.”
103
Another former member of the youth group told GRACE “I don’t think leadership
took it seriously. Leadership at the time was completely male dominated for the most
part… I think there was a little bit of a culture at the top leadership wise of just very focused
on growth, growth, growth of the church and not establishing systems and structures to
ensure safety of their people. So I think it’s just not where their focus was. I feel like it was
normalized and it was…And I actually heard this probably on multiple accounts, it’s just
boys being boys as an excuse, so I don’t think leadership took it seriously to be clear.”
104
In terms of how the report of Individual A was handled, there were many positive
steps. First, OCC reported the case to the authorities, and did this before GRACE was
104
Transcript #3, p. 3.
103
Transcript, p. 20.
102
Id. at 3-4.
101
Transcript #3, p. 4.
100
VICTOR I. VIETH, ON THIS ROCK: A CALL TO CENTER THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO CHILD ABUSE ON THE LIFE AND WORDS OF
JESUS 25 (2018).
99
Id. at 182.
23
retained. Second, OCC retained an outside body to conduct this assessment and has fully
cooperated with the investigation. Third, Individual A felt the leadership had responded
appropriately to his report. In GRACE’s interview, Individual A said “My sense is that as
Neely [McQueen] and Pat [Swanson] have become co-head pastors, that they’re taking
really seriously the sins of the past. I, again, am still cynical, and I know the self-protection
that is easy to do when you think, ‘Well, if we do expose this, does this mean our jobs are in
jeopardy, or church growth, or church health?’…But from what I can tell, they aren’t letting
their amygdalas drive it. It seems like they’re allowing their prefrontal cortex to drive their
decision-making of this is what’s right, this is what’s good, this is what’s beautiful.”
105
Individual E expressed a similar sentiment, stating “I feel like there were some really
healthy personalities…that were working to change some of that culture, so it’s not like I
feel like it was all bad. Two people who I greatly admire, Neely McQueen, Patrick Swanson,
both in leadership, obviously still at Overlake, I felt like were in part driving that change,
actually, towards a healthier culture around purity and stuff like that.”
106
GRACE identified evidence that the senior pastors have taken steps to move OCC
away from unhealthy conversations around sexuality and myriad boundary crossings, and
the survey finds that most congregants believe the church has turned a corner. At the same
time, both senior pastors have a lengthy history at OCC and, by their own admission,
participated in some of the toxicity of years ago, such as unseemly jokes or behaviors.
Individual A told GRACE of an incident in which Pat Swanson drew a penis on his leg while
he was asleep on an airplane in an apparent attempt at a practical joke.
107
Individual A also
shared with GRACE an incident in which a senior leader asked him questions about
potential sexual activity he may have engaged in after marriage and that Neely McQueen
was present when this occurred and engaged in the banter.
108
At the same time, Individual
A felt comfortable enough to report to Pat Swanson his concerns about the former group
leader and appeared to make a distinction between the past misconduct of the current
pastors with that of the group leader he reported.
109
In the investigation, GRACE found no evidence the current pastors touched the
intimate parts of children or were nude in their company, and they both have expressed
remorse for these years. Jesus said that a “good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree
cannot bear good fruit” and that it is by “their fruit you will recognize” a true believer in
Christ (Mt. 7:18-19). At the present time, there is evidence that pastors, elders, and other
109
Id. at 37.
108
Id. at 32.
107
Transcript, p. 34.
106
Transcript, p. 16.
105
Transcript, p. 44.
24
leaders at OCC are bearing good fruit. Having said that, there is significant work to do in
learning from the church’s past sins, healing long-standing wounds, and creating a
healthier, more Godly future.
Jesus said “there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed
that will not be known or brought out into the open: (Luke 8:17). The Bible tells us Moses
was a murderer (Exodus 2:11-15), David both a murder and sexual exploiter (2 Samuel
11-12), Abraham was willing to give his wife to another man in order to save his own skin
(Genesis 12:18), Peter a perjurer (Matthew 26:72), and all the disciples fled when the going
got tough (Mark 14:50).
Perhaps the lesson in recounting the egregious sins of many of the heroes of the
Bible is to produce some humility in each of us and to see how far the person in our daily
mirror has fallen from the edicts of God and to appreciate more deeply our need for grace.
An equally important lesson is to understand it is not godly to hide our sins but to confess
them and to learn from them. Using Zacchaeus as our model, we must not make excuses
for our sins but demonstrate repentance through our works and actions (Luke 19:1-10).
IV. History of Misconduct at Overlake Christian Church
A. The Foundations: 1970 - 1998
Bob Moorehead grew up in Mobile, Alabama. One journalist describes his
upbringing as that of a “lonely youth” with an “alcoholic father” and a boyhood “marked by
family squabbles over money.”
110
At the age of 18 he was inspired by a radio sermon from
the Rev. Charles Fuller’s “Old-Fashioned Revival Hour” to become a pastor.
111
“I got down on
my knees,” Moorehead recalled, “and actually put my hands on the radio and said ‘Lord, I
give my life to the ministry, and I’ll never look back.’”
112
After serving different churches as a pastor, Moorehead arrived at Overlake
Christian Church in 1970.
113
At the time, OCC had fewer than 100 members.
114
Under
Moorehead’s leadership, OCC grew into a “religious powerhouse” with more than 6,000
114
Id.
113
Id.
112
Id.
111
Id.
110
Steve Milletich, A preacher ‘on fire’ also is on the grill, SEATTLE P-I, March 2, 1998.
25
members attending worship in a $36 million dollar facility that opened in December of
1998.
115
At the time, OCC was the state of Washington’s single largest congregation.
116
News accounts describe Moorehead as a fundamentalist preacher with an aversion
to homosexuality which he described as perverted and ungodly.
117
Although his charisma
and tenacity undoubtedly contributed to the growth of OCC, one news account describes
“two Bob Mooreheads. One was the genial Southern preacher, smooth and dazzling in the
pulpit, a magnetic and inspirational leader. But behind closed doors, another personality
emerged—one that was controlling and sharply attuned to anything that represented the
slightest threat to his power and authority.”
118
Although loved by many of his congregants,
Moorehead was “rarely accessible” to them and one elder who served with Moorehead told
a journalist “if you confronted Bob, you were history.”
119
The arrest for public indecency
On July 23, 1996, Bob Moorehead was arrested by police in Daytona Beach Florida
and “accused of masturbating in a beachfront public restroom.”
120
He was charged with
lewd conduct and indecent exposure.
121
Another man, Philip R. Jacowits, was also arrested
in the undercover operation and “pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of lewd and
lascivious behavior” and was sentenced to 12 months probation, ordered to perform 120
hours of community service, and fined $1,000.
122
Moorehead, with the assistance of
counsel, also offered to plead no contest to a second degree misdemeanor of “exposure of
sexual organs” and in exchange the court would withhold adjudication of guilt, and
Moorehead would pay $50 to the Daytona Police Department for investigation of the case
and $50 to the state attorney’s office and would not receive probation, community service
or jail. A copy of Moorehead’s signed plea is attached as Exhibit A.
A little more than a month after Moorehead signed the plea proposal, prosecutors
dropped the charges “and provided Moorehead with an exonerating letter stating he was
122
Peter Lewis, Alex Fryer and Carol M. Ostrom, Overlake pastor’s arrest is defended, Lewdness charge
was no mistake, Florida policy say, SEATTLE TIMES, January 17, 1998.
121
Steve Miletich and John Iwasaki, Opening Moorehead arrest file doesn’t close down questions, SEATTLE
P-I, February 7, 1998.
120
Cleric again focus of lewd conduct inquiry, THE CHRONICLE, January 19, 1998; Florida police say charge
was no mistake, TAMPA BAY ONLINE, January 18, 1998.
119
Id.
118
Frank Kuznik, Fallen Angel, LAW & POLITICS (December/January 1999).
117
Steve Milletich, A preacher ‘on fire’ also is on the grill, SEATTLE P-I, March 2, 1998.
116
Steve Miletich and Heath Foster, Moorehead Resigns as Pastor, SEATTLE P-I, May 18, 1998.
115
Id.
26
the victim of “mistaken identity.”
123
However, the Daytona Police Chief at the time informed
the news media he conducted an internal investigation and concluded the officers did not
make an error.
124
Moorehead said he had simply stopped in the public restroom on the
beach to relieve himself and was arrested for lewd and lascivious behavior.
125
He also said
he was being targeted by a small group of former parishioners who “hate me, hate this
church and hate what we are trying to do.”
126
With respect to the plea proposal, Moorehead
spoke with the press
127
and sent a letter to the “Overlake Family” explaining the plea offer
was recommended by his attorney. That letter is attached as Exhibit B.
The OCC leadership and many congregants stood by their pastor with one news
report stating “[b]efore church services yesterday, members of Overlake Christian Church
in Redmond raised their hands and prayed for the well-being of their pastor…Surrounded
by 14 senior church officials, Moorehead told the congregation that despite being cleared
of any wrongdoing he and his family have suffered from continued speculation about the
incident.”
128
A former OCC pastor and friend of Moorhead wrote a letter to the editor
stating in part:
And why has there been an abysmal absence of investigators reporting on
the character and person of Bob Moorehead? Has anyone noticed he has a
spotless record? He has been married to the same woman for 40 years and
has raised three children who are all married, stable, committed Christians.
What about the thousands of people who have been counseled, the hungry
who have been fed, the prisoners who have been visited, the poor who have
been clothed, the sick who have received prayer and the marriages and
families put back together, all as a result of the personal ministry and
128
Alex Fryer, Moorehead states his innocence, Minister tells church he’s ‘not guilty of anything, SEATTLE
TIMES, January 19, 1998.
127
See e.g. Steve Miletich, Pastor admits offering to plead no contest, Says he thought it would maintain
his innocence, SEATTLE P-I, February 10, 1998.
126
Patricia Moir, Overlake’s pastor proclaims his innocence, EASTSIDE JOURNAL, January 19, 1998.
125
Alex Fryer, Moorehead states his innocence, Minister tells church he’s ‘not guilty of anything, SEATTLE
TIMES, January 19, 1998.
124
Peter Lewis, Alex Fryer and Carol M. Ostrom, Overlake pastor’s arrest is defended, Lewdness charge
was no mistake, Florida policy say, SEATTLE TIMES, January 17, 1998.
123
Steve Miletich, Pastor admits offering to plead no contest, says he thought it would maintain his
innocence, SEATTLE P-I, February 10, 1998.
27
leadership of Bob Moorehead? Is that a reasonable profile of a liar,
pedophile
129
and pervert? Does character mean anything anymore?
130
Reports of non-consensual touching of genitals
In the aftermath of the Florida arrest becoming public, a number of men began to
discuss instances in which Moorehead touched their genitals without their consent. GRACE
interviewed one of the men who was groped by Moorehead, and found in the OCC vault a
detailed written statement from one of the men who also spoke publicly about the abuse.
GRACE also reviewed news accounts that included interviews with some of the victims as
well as Moorehead’s response to the allegations. Most importantly, GRACE was able to
locate and interview the private investigator hired by OCC to assess the allegations.
Unfortunately, the investigator’s reports no longer exist in the OCC files and the
investigator also could not find a copy. GRACE did, though, find billing records from the
investigator and a document entitled “investigative reports” which includes the instruction
“Elders: This is a list of the [Private Investigator’s] Investigative Reports. You can find your
list as they are in Alphabetical Order. Please initial them as you read them.” Each list has 26
typed names with a date next to each name ranging from February 20, 1998 to April 9,
1998. Since the investigator told GRACE he submitted regular reports as interviews were
completed, GRACE assumed the dates reflect when a particular witness was interviewed or
when a report was turned over to OCC. There are five additional names that are
handwritten and appear on only some of the elders’ sheets. Some of the elders initialed
that they had read all of the investigative reports. Other elders initialed reading some but
not all of the witness statements. The sheets for some elders do not contain an initial next
to any of the reports. This suggests the possibility that some of the elders didn’t read any of
the reports, but it’s also possible the reports were read but the instructions to initial
reading them were not followed.
130
James P. Kress, Character counts and Moorehead is a man of great character, SEATTLE P-I, February
14, 1998.
129
Pedophilia is often misunderstood and applied too broadly. In one study, pedophilia was
diagnosed “if, over a period of at least 6 months, the respondent reported recurrent and intense
sexual thoughts, fantasies, or urges involving prepubescent children as well as clinically significant
distress or impairment as a result of their sexual interest in children.” Hebephilia was diagnosed “if
the interviewee reported that pubescent children rather than prepubescent children were the focus
of sexual thoughts, fantasies, or urges, in addition to clinically significant distress or impairment as a
result.” M. Beier, er al, Encouraging Self-Identified Pedophiles and Hebephiles to Seek Professional Help:
First Results of the Prevention Project Dunkenfeld (PPD), 33 CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 545-549 (2009).
Although at least one of Moorehead’s victims told the news media he was a minor at the time, most
of those who spoke publicly were men at the time of abuse, albeit some were still teenagers.
28
Although he couldn’t recall the name, the investigator said he worked with one
primary contact at OCC. GRACE suspects this primary contact controlled the reports and
likely retained them after the investigation was closed. GRACE does not believe there was
any attempt from the current leaders or elders to keep relevant information from GRACE.
Indeed, the current leaders assisted GRACE in trying to find the investigative reports and
signed a release for GRACE to speak with the investigator.
The victims who discussed their experiences publicly
In reviewing voluminous print and television coverage of the allegations of
Moorehead touching genitals without the other party’s consent, GRACE identified six men
and one teenage boy who spoke publicly about their experiences. Although most of these
victims were named in the news coverage, GRACE is not naming them again here. GRACE
did cross-reference these names with a list of those interviewed by the private investigator
hired by OCC to assess these cases and at least 5 of the 7 were interviewed by the
investigator. Two others were not identified publicly but told the media they had also
spoken with the investigator.
It was not within the scope of the contract with OCC to conduct a new investigation
of the Moorehead case. Moreover, since there was already a high-quality investigation and
OCC eventually concluded that misconduct occurred, there was no need. Instead, the focus
was on understanding the theological constructs and general culture of the time which may
have contributed to misconduct in the Moorehead era and in subsequent years. To that
end, GRACE spoke with the original investigator who indicated that he deemed all of the
victims to be credible. GRACE also spoke with a man who was groped by Moorehead but
did not speak with the original investigator or the media.
Seven victim accounts are summarized below, all but one of which is publicly
available, to help new members of OCC understand the church’s history. The report will
then focus on the church’s response to these instances of abuse and offer thoughts on
factors that contributed to a slow and flawed response to the allegations.
Victim #1
Victim #1 spoke publicly about his experiences and also gave a detailed written
statement, which was located in the files at OCC. With some names redacted, the
statement reads:
This event happened when I was 18 years old. The year was 1975. My wife to
be, ____ and I, were planning to get married at Overlake Christian Church.
One of the requirements of the church was for us to become members of the
29
church. _____ was asked to officiate at our wedding. _____ and I met with ____
personally to complete premarital classes. In order to become a member of
the church both of us agreed to be baptized. At that time Bob Moorehead,
Overlake’s senior Minister performed the baptisms himself. Per his
instructions I was told to put on a white baptismal jump suit. While I was
getting dressed Bob put his hand inside the front of my pants several times
and fondled my genitals. When I asked why he was putting his hand in my
pants, he told me that when I got out of the water I would show through my
underwear. I asked him to stop. To the best of my memory he did this to me
four (4) times until he finally stopped.
After the baptism, I dried off and went to sit with ____. I told her that I had just
been fondled by the head minister of the church, Bob Moorehead. That day I
was very shaken by what had happened. I called a lady in the church whose
husband was an elder at Overlake Christian Church and I believe he also was
serving on the board of a college affiliated with OCC. I reported my story to
them as well. After that I did not see Bob Moorehead performing any more
baptisms. I was married in the church but never went back as a member
after my wedding.
About 20 years later I was dating a lady named ____ who told me about how
many programs the church had for people experiencing a divorce. I liked
everything I heard at the church. I knew I would have to tell someone in the
church to clear my conscience. I made an appointment with ______. On the
second meeting we met with Bob Moorehead personally. Per that
conversation Bob stated that he did not have any memory of this incident.
He was sorry and asked for my forgiveness. I have grown a lot over the past
20 years and felt that God knew whether or not Bob Moorehead had
repented of this terrible sin. I felt I had done the right thing by talking about
it.
I know in my heart that I would never make up something like this. Bob’s
actions have left a permanent mark on me. I had a very hard time listening to
Bob preach about the evil sins of homosexuals, especially following his
conduct with me. I do not want Bob removed from his position. I only hope
that he will admit to his sins and seek help.
The statement ends by providing the contact information of another person who
could provide corroborating evidence. The statement is dated March 14, 1997.
Victim #2 and Victim #3
30
Victim #2 sent a “detailed letter” to OCC about the abuse he endured. At the time,
the media described him as a “54 year old senior financial analyst.”
131
According to news
interviews with this man, he “decided to be baptized” after a church service in 1974 “to
reflect his strong born-again beliefs…”
132
The victim said he went to a rear dressing room in
the church with Moorehead. The victim took off his clothes and as Moorehead handed him
a robe the pastor “reached over and touched my genitals.”
133
The victim said he turned
away but was fondled a second time by Moorehead. “I was so shocked,” the victim told a
journalist, “I didn’t know what to do.”
134
The victim didn’t tell anyone until 4 or 5 days later when his wife said she had
spoken to a neighbor who had a teenage brother alleging Moorehead had fondled his
genitals during a baptism ceremony.
135
As a result of receiving this information, Victim #2
chose to report Moorehead to an elder who instructed him that biblically he must confront
“the person who wronged you.”
136
The victim complied and told Moorehead he had made a
“homosexual advance” but Moorehead responded “You are mistaken. It didn’t happen.”
137
Victim #3, who the media described as a “teenage boy” also went with his brother
and sister-in-law to an elder” with his experience of fondling.
138
However, the elder told him
“nothing could have happened.”
139
Eventually, there was a meeting that included the adult
victim (Victim #2), the teenage victim (Victim #3), two elders and Moorehead in which the
pastor again “denied that anything happened.”
140
The adult victim “told Moorehead he
wouldn’t pursue his charges but asked that the pastor perform no more baptisms” and he
(victim #2) “quit the church.”
141
While recounting his experience to the media, Victim #2 “became emotional several
times and tears welled in his eyes.” He said the baptism was a major event in his life
142
that
142
“Baptism is the foundational sacrament of Christianity. It is the Christian’s primary encounter with
God in his mercy. According to the baptismal command of the Lord Jesus, Baptism, along with
141
Id.
140
Id.
139
Id.
138
Id.
137
Id.
136
Id.
135
Id.
134
Id.
133
Id.
132
Id.
131
Steve Miletich, Overlake hires a private investigator, Church wants to end rumors about pastor, SEATTLE
P-I, February 19, 1998.
31
had been tainted forever.
143
“I’ve always considered myself a crippled Christian,” Victim #2
stated.
144
With respect to the teenager, his brother told the media the victim sought
counseling and was otherwise harmed by Moorehead’s conduct.
145
“I think his problems
today are part of that. Prior to that he was a very self-assured kid.”
146
Victim #4
Victim #4 also publicly accused Moorehead of fondling his genitals. This occurred
“just before a wedding service in 1973” and the victim said the “same thing” happened to
his best man.
147
One year later Victim #4 “met to discuss the incident with Moorehead, who
denied any wrongdoing.”
148
In an interview with a journalist published in 1999, Victim #4
said an OCC elder called him to say there were rumors he was speaking of “inappropriate
behavior by Moorehead” and “Bob would just like to see if you’re willing to fly up here, at
our expense, to talk to him.”
149
Victim #4 replied “No thanks, I tried talking to Bob 25 years
ago.”
150
Victim #5
Victim #5 said he was a Bible student in the early 1970’s when Moorehead molested
him.
151
He also said he was present at the OCC service when Moorehead resigned and,
while pleased with the resignation, told a journalist “then [Moorehead] said he was
innocent of all the charges and I know that to be a blatant lie.”
152
Victim #5 told the media
that Moorehead owed him and the other victims an apology.
153
Victim #6
153
Id.
152
Id.
151
Steve Miletich and Heath Foster, Moorehead Resigns as Pastor, SEATTLE P-I, May 18, 1998.
150
Id.
149
Frank Kuznik, Fallen Angel, LAW & POLITICS (December/January 1999).
148
Id.
147
Alex Fryer, Detective says no evidence yet of a conspiracy, SEATTLE TIMES, April 5, 1998.
146
Id,. at 2.
145
Steve Miletich, A preacher ‘on fire’ also is on the grill, SEATTLE P-I, March 2, 1998.
144
Id.
143
Steve Miletich, Overlake hires a private investigator, Church wants to end rumors about pastor, SEATTLE
P-I, February 19, 1998.
teaching, is how a person becomes His disciple (Matt. 28:19.” MARTIN LUTHER ON HOLY BAPTISM: SERMONS TO
THE PEOPLE 1525-39, p. vii (2018).
32
In the review of documents at OCC, GRACE found an email dated February 19, 1998,
which reads “I am a pastor in the Puget Sound area and I recently heard directly about an
accusation of groping by pastor Bob in 1972, perpetrated on a friend of mine who later
became part of our Bible study in Kirkland. He had been too embarrassed at the time and
intimidated to come forward. I have no reason to believe it is untrue and I have no axe to
grind. I just want you to take these accusations seriously and soberly and don’t merely
circle the wagons of denial around your pastor. That could only lead to greater problems
and disgrace for the church. I, for one, am praying for you that the Lord will strengthen
your leadership and uphold his name.”
There was a victim who spoke to the media but asked the journalist who interviewed
him not to publish his name.
154
This individual also said he spoke with the private
investigator hired by OCC in 1998.
155
It’s possible this is the same victim mentioned in the
pastor’s letter referenced in the previous paragraph. Whether or not this is true, this
individual (Victim #6) told a journalist he met Moorehead in 1971 or 1972 and that he was
“captivated by Moorehead’s enthusiasm” and decided to be baptized by him.
156
It was
during the baptism the abuse occurred:
We were standing in the water at the baptismal. He had his left hand on the
back of my neck, so he could lower me into the water. With his right hand, he
reached down and cupped my genitals. He was my idol, as far as evangelism
goes. You freeze up. It was the last thing I expected. I would have been less
surprised if he pulled a knife out and stabbed me in the chest.
157
The man also said the incident “embarrassed the hell out of me” and he kept it to himself
because he assumed he was the only one who had been touched in this way.
158
Victim #7: A Sexual “relationship”
A Seattle man who met Moorehead after he joined OCC told a journalist that
Moorehead “manipulated him into a consensual sexual relationship that lasted for several
years, into the 1980’s.”
159
The man’s former wife reportedly “caught her ex-husband and
Moorehead having sex on at least two occasions…”
160
The man was “severely affected” by
160
Id.
159
Steve Miletich and Heath Foster, Moorehead Resigns as Pastor, SEATTLE P-I, May 18, 1998.
158
Id.
157
Id.
156
Id.
155
Id.
154
Steve Miletich, A Preacher ‘on fire’ also is on the grill, SEATTLE P-I, March 2, 1998.
33
the sexual relationship, telling a journalist “There aren’t words to describe it.”
161
The reason
GRACE labels this man as a victim is because of the statement the sexual relationship was
“manipulated” and the likelihood of an imbalance of power in the relationship.
Other victims
There were other men who said their genitals were touched by Moorehead but who
did not speak publicly about their experiences. Some of these men recounted their
experiences to a private investigator hired by OCC but others did not. GRACE spoke with
one of the men who did not speak publicly or to the investigator.
This man told GRACE he was in his 20s in the 1980s and during that time “there was
certainly an unspoken understanding that the pastor might be grabbing guys between the
legs. And so I would say that I would be one of those people where that happened to. I
would never say I was victimized because I don’t view myself as a victim, but I know of
others, at least two or three other people who in similar seasons of life, early twenties,
career-minded, ministry volunteers who had the same thing happen to [them], and frankly
in those days it was more of a laughable joke for three 25-year-old men…and none of us
ever, I don’t think any of us fully believed that it was a thing…I don’t think any of us felt
targeted. I think we just thought it was a weird coincidence maybe. But again, we’re 25, so
as things did play out, obviously, there was an understanding later in our lives, oh, this was
a bigger thing than we thought and it actually was a thing.”
162
This man said the leaders of the church during the Moorehead era were
“goodhearted, caring people” but he believed “this circumstance was well beyond their
universe in terms of how do we handle this? And I do feel that they did the best they
could…”
163
This man said “I’m kind of sad that GRACE didn’t exist then because I have every
confidence that their services would’ve been used to help navigate this because it was an
extraordinary circumstance for people for whom this kind of thing was beyond their pay
grade as volunteers trying to lead a megachurch that was growing at every
possible…Growing to burst the seams.”
164
When asked why he believed the leaders at the
time would have hired GRACE, he pointed to the fact the leaders “did ultimately hire an
investigator.”
165
The OCC investigation of Moorehead (1998)
165
Id. at 2.
164
Id. at 2.
163
Id. at 2.
162
Transcript #2, p. 1.
161
Id. SS
34
In February of 1998, OCC hired a private investigator to assess the allegations
against Moorehead. The private investigator was a “former Bellevue police detective who
handled a number of high profile cases” and was “often referred to by others as a ‘bulldog’”
for his tenacity in collecting evidence and pursuing leads.
166
The OCC elders publicly stated
they had given the investigator “full authority to pursue any allegations with no set time
limit” and that a “summary of his [the investigator’s] findings will be provided to church
members.”
167
GRACE was able to locate the private investigator retained by OCC in 1998 to
investigate the allegations against Moorehead. After OCC signed a release, the investigator
agreed to speak with GRACE. The investigator served in the Navy for four years and did two
tours of Vietnam.
168
He then served as a patrol officer for the Bellevue Police Department
for 10 ½ years before being promoted to detective where he served for 21 years. His work
included investigating sexual assault cases. After he retired, he worked as a private
investigator.
169
He said he had a reputation as a “Christian detective, a Christian cop with
unusually strong track record, and that’s why Overlake Church came to me.”
170
The investigator told GRACE he met with some OCC board members and was
assigned a primary contact person.
171
He said he was “given a list of members that had
claimed that they were molested.”
172
The investigator began to interview the men and “it
just began to snowball” with additional victims coming forward.
173
He described the men he
interviewed as “very embarrassed. They held it inside. They were shocked.”
174
When asked
if he found the victims credible, the detective replied “All of them. Yeah. These were solid
Christian church-going people.”
175
When asked if he found corroborating evidence, the
investigator said “Yes, I did. I found other witnesses. They [the victims] were giving the
names of other people, and I followed up on those.”
176
The investigator said he was providing a “steady flow of reports” to OCC.
177
He said
there “was a faction on the board that was solidly behind Bob, and they wanted him [the
177
Id. at 9.
176
Id. at 9.
175
Id. at 9.
174
Id. at 7.
173
Id. at 7.
172
Id. at 7.
171
Id. at 7.
170
Id. at 5.
169
Id. at 3-6.
168
Transcript, p. 3.
167
Id.
166
Steve Miletich, Overlake hires a private investigator, Church wants to end rumors about pastor, SEATTLE
P-I, February 19, 1998.
35
primary contact] to get rid of me because the tide was turning. They were looking at the
weekly reports I was turning in, the interview reports, the statements I took…And there
began a pressure to get rid of me, and that was being fought by others…The church was
getting split right down the middle. And I was getting hammered every day by the news
media calls.”
178
The investigator also interviewed Bob Moorehead who denied the allegations, but
the investigator did not find his denial credible.
179
He said there “was a change in his
demeanor about halfway in that I think he became a little uneasy with where this was
going.”
180
After the interview, he said Moorehead went back to his office and another
licensed private investigator working with him was nearby collecting additional information
and overheard Moorehead “cussing like a sailor” and saying “It hit me as I’m driving across
the bridge back from Seattle, I’m screwed… I’m completely done. I’ve got to resign.”
181
He
recalled that Moorehead announced his resignation to the congregation a few days later.
182
Moorehead did publicly announce his resignation on May 17, 1998, because “My
credibility in the community has been seriously damaged.”
183
When he made the
announcement, he was surrounded by both his family and the elders.
184
According to one
journalist, “Stunned parishioners gasped, shouted ‘no’ and wept.”
185
On May 27, 1998, the elders provided an oral summary of their interpretation of the
investigation which was also reduced to writing. This summary is attached as Exhibit C. In
assessing the information received from the investigator, the elders said they followed a
“Biblical process.”
186
The first verse cited was Deuteronomy 19:15: “One witness is not
enough to convict a man of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must
be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” They also cited the admonition
in 1 Timothy 5:19 to “not entertain an accusation against an Elder unless it is brought by
two or three witnesses.”
187
187
Exhibit C, p. 2.
186
Exhibit C, p. 2.
185
Id.
184
Id.
183
Steve Miletich and Heath Foster, Moorehead resigns as pastor, He denies charges, but says they hurt
Overlake ministry, SEATTLE P-I, May 18, 1998.
182
Id. at 11.
181
Transcript, p. 11.
180
Id. at 12.
179
Id. at 10-12. Specifically, the investigator told GRACE “To me, he was guilty. A lot of this had been
going on for a long time.” Id. at 11.
178
Id. at 8.
36
They also cited Matthew 18:15 and said the “biblical process to deal with any
accusation against any member of the body is first to require the offended party to
confront the accused.”
188
In hiring a private investigator, the elders believed OCC had “put
Pastor Bob’s biblical rights on hold.”
189
In applying this principle to the allegations against Moorehead, the elders concluded
there must be two or three witnesses to the “alleged offense” and that without at least two
witnesses it would be insufficient to find guilt even if the evidence met the secular standard
of preponderance of the evidence used in many civil court proceedings or even the higher
standard of beyond a reasonable doubt used in criminal courts of law.
190
The elders said there were “36 statements taken by either [the] investigator or
elders” and this included “17 separate individuals” who “claimed personal inappropriate
touching or attempted touching.”
191
Of these, 14 “gave separate testimony that could not
be factually disputed, (it was their word against Pastor Bob’s word)” (emphasis in original).
192
However, there “were no instances of corroborating witnesses to a single event or
accusation” (emphasis added).
193
The elders also claimed there was “no witnessed
resistance of ‘crying’ out against the apparent offenses” as they believed is required by
scripture (Deuteronomy 22:23-27). They also found it relevant that the “time period for
most of the accusation dates back 20+ years.”
194
As a result of these and other factors, the elders “did not find a basis for church
discipline against Pastor Bob Moorehead.”
195
However, applying the scriptural principle of a
church leader being “above reproach” (1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:6), the elders noted
Moorehead “no longer has a good reputation with those outside the church” and that this
was “recognized by Pastor Bob and the elders, which facilitated the acceptance of his
resignation as senior pastor, and as an elder.”
196
As a result of the resignation, the elders
suspended the investigation and instructed the private investigator “to forward any new
information to the elders to deal with directly.”
197
The OCC/Inquiry Committee investigation of Moorehead (1999)
197
Exhibit C, p. 4.
196
Exhibit C, p. 7.
195
Exhibit C, p. 6.
194
Exhibit C, p. 6.
193
Exhibit C, p. 5.
192
Exhibit C, p. 5.
191
Exhibit C, p. 4.
190
Exhibit C, p. 2.
189
Exhibit C, p. 3.
188
Exhibit C, p. 3.
37
In 1999, an “inquiry committee” consisting of six area pastors, three Overlake elders,
and an Overlake association pastor “concluded that Moorehead inappropriately touched a
number of men.”
198
Specifically, the inquiry committee found that Bob Moorehead
committed “multiple acts that violate ministerial, as well as Christian morals and ethics” and
that these acts “included touching the genital area of other men. These acts also included
rubbing his hand against the penis of other men without their consent.”
199
This finding was
based in part on additional witnesses to Moorehead’s sexual misconduct as well as
“additional accusers.”
200
As a result of this finding, OCC wrote a letter to their members
stating:
Since Pastor Bob’s resignation, the eldership has received testimony that
meets the biblical standards of multiple witnesses. Based on this testimony,
the eldership reviewed the entire matter and unanimously concluded that
Pastor Bob Moorehead did violate the scriptural standards of trust,
self-control, purity, and Godly character required for the office of elder and
pastor at Overlake Christian Church.
201
The OCC letter to the congregation is attached as Exhibit D. Unlike the inquiry
committee finding, the “letter did not describe any specific misconduct on
Moorehead’s part.”
202
The letter also did not publicly apologize to any of the victims.
The wife of one of the victims called the letter the “most politically correct,
watered-down, lawsuit friendly letter you can get. It’s missing the mark.”
203
Another
victim specifically called for a public apology, telling a journalist “I want to know that
Overlake apologizes for what they put my family and hundreds of other people
through. They accused us of lying when all we’ve ever done is tell the truth.”
204
The inquiry committee chair called for a meeting of the committee to assess
the OCC letter. In a meeting held June 8, 1999, the committee adopted the following
resolution pertaining to the OCC letter:
204
Id.
203
Id.
202
Sally Macdonald & Steve Miletich, Elders Now Say Moorehead is “Guilty” of Misconduct, SEATTLE TIMES,
May 21, 1999.
201
OCC letter to congregation dated May 18, 1999 (Exhibit D).
200
Sally Macdonald & Steve Miletich, Elders Now Say Moorehead is “Guilty” of Misconduct, SEATTLE TIMES,
May 21, 1999.
199
Correspondence from the Inquiry Committee Chair to the other members, May 26, 1999.
198
Sally Macdonald & Steve Miletich, Elders Now Say Moorehead is “Guilty” of Misconduct, SEATTLE TIMES,
May 21, 1999.
38
The Overlake membership letter was an admission of guilt. Bob Moorehead
did, in fact, sin in a variety of ways. The sins identified were less explicit and
less descriptive than the sins identified by the Inquiry Committee. Even so,
given the public information that has circulated, it is apparent that the Elders
were acknowledging the truth of the charges that have been brought against
him. Therefore we find that the letter is substantially consistent with our
conclusion.
205
At the same time, the Inquiry Committee asked the elders to “examine their
own hearts in this matter. Is there a willingness to be forthcoming and completely
settle this matter in openness and humility before the watching community? Is there
a willingness to humbly admit errors and sins? It takes great humility, and is itself
humbling, for strong leaders to admit the deception that is sometimes masked by
cleverly worded statements. Could it be that the same motivation that delayed the
determination of guilt is behind the understated admission of guilt?”
206
With respect to an apology to the victims, the Inquiry Committee said it
“appreciates that Overlake is making an effort to contact all of the victim’s of Bob’s
sins” but also stated, “We believe a public apology is also necessary.”
207
The Inquiry
Committee passed the following resolution:
In order to erase public misconceptions, and to bring closure for the sins
committed, we call upon the elders of Overlake to publicly apologize
(confess) the sins committed against the victims by Bob Moorehead - and to
ask forgiveness of the victims.
208
The Inquiry Committee document, including these resolutions, is attached as
Exhibit E. In the search of OCC documents, GRACE finds evidence that at least some
of the victims were being sought out privately with an apology from OCC. However,
GRACE did not find evidence of a public apology.
Analysis of the Moorehead case
The exact number of Moorehead’s victims is known only to God. It appears
that at least 17 men spoke to the private investigator about groping or other forms
of molestation and that additional men and other corroborating witnesses spoke to
208
Id.
207
Id.
206
Id.
205
Inquiry Committee Meeting of June 8, 1999 (Exhibit E).
39
the Inquiry Committee. GRACE also spoke with a victim who, in turn, knew of other
victims who may not have been part of any formal process. Some media accounts
during the time period in question state that “more than 20 men” had “come
forward to say they were sexually fondled by the pastor”
209
with one report stating
the “tally was closer to 40” but also conceding the “real total of victims from the past
25 years is anybody’s guess.”
210
Whatever the actual number of victims, there is no serious doubt these
offenses occurred. The sheer number of victims describing similar acts is extremely
powerful evidence. The fact that both a seasoned detective and the Inquiry
Committee found the victims credible and, in turn, did not find Moorehead’s denial
to be credible, is also powerful evidence. GRACE also found the man who spoke with
investigators about his experience of being touched by Moorehead to be extremely
credible. The fact that OCC eventually acknowledged these events occurred, albeit in
a weak 1999 statement, also resolves the issue in GRACE’s judgment.
With the evidence this clear, it begs the question of what went wrong at
Overlake in the Moorehead era. From GRACE’s review of the documents, several
factors stand out.
1. OCC did not have clear policies in responding to an allegation of sexual
assault committed by a pastor or other leader.
The elders themselves acknowledged this error when, in their 1999 letter to the
congregation, they pledged that, in the future, “Any serious allegation against a
person on the OCC staff, including senior pastor and elders, will cause that person
to be immediately suspended pending a full investigation.”
211
Unfortunately, this
pledge was not kept. As detailed in this report, sexual misconduct continued in the
years that followed and, in at least some instances, those in authority at OCC knew
or should have known of this sexual misconduct but acted slowly, if at all, in
addressing the behavior.
2. OCC did not fully appreciate, much less honor the Biblical command to abide
by the law.
In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he instructs the followers of Christ to be “subject
to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has
established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently,
211
Exhibit D.
210
Frank Kuznik, Fallen Angel, LAW & POLITICS (December/January 1999)
209
Joanne Plank & Doug Margeson, Moorehead Quits, Eastside Journal, May 18, 1998.
40
whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted,
and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves…For the one in authority is
God’s servant for your good…Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities,
not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience”
(Romans 13:1-5).
In the review of OCC files, GRACE found no evidence that the church ever
contacted law enforcement regarding the non-consensual touching of genitals by
their pastor. Although the reports of assault that came to the attention of the elders
in the late 1990s may have been barred by the statute of limitations,
212
this would
not have been true for the allegations that were brought to the attention of leaders
in the 1970s.
213
In an article published in 1998, at least one journalist examined local
police records but found “no reports filed against Moorehead over the past 28
years.”
214
Even if the statute of limitations had expired, law enforcement may have had an
interest in exploring whether or not this pattern of offenses was continuing and it’s
possible a more recent victim (if one existed) would have felt more comfortable in
cooperating with a police investigation as opposed to any investigation sponsored
by OCC, particularly when the alleged offender remained in a position of authority.
Apart from taking steps to alert the authorities of any potential criminal activity, the
non-consensual sexual touching of others, particularly by someone in authority,
raises concerns about sexual harassment and other unlawful acts under civil law.
215
During this case, GRACE investigators found other instances in which sexual
misconduct may have constituted a crime, but was not reported to the authorities.
In a witness interview, investigators learned of a child who had disclosed an instance
of familial sexual abuse to a youth group leader approximately five years ago that
appears not to have been reported. In another interview, GRACE learned of a former
employee who engaged in the non-consensual touching of the genitals of at least
two men. Neither of these cases were reported to the authorities.
215
For an overview of civil law in cases of abuse within the church, see Peter B. Janci, Helping
#ChurchToo Abuse Victims Hold Religious Entities Accountable in Civil Cases, 14(2) LIBERTY L. REV. 317
(2020).
214
Steve Miletich, A Preacher ‘on fire’ also is on the grill, SEATTLE P-I, March 2, 1998 (noting the
“allegations are too old to investigate because of the statute of limitations.”)
213
See the accounts of Victims 1, 2, 3, and 4.
212
Steve Miletich, A Preacher ‘on fire’ also is on the grill, SEATTLE P-I, March 2, 1998 (noting the
“allegations are too old to investigate because of the statute of limitations.”)
41
There is evidence that OCC has turned a corner on the issue of reporting. In the
two instances described in the previous paragraph, the current leaders of OCC
reported the possible case of child abuse to the authorities and supported GRACE’s
decision to report the possible adult sexual assault case to the authorities.
Moreover, OCC has chosen to make its pastors mandated reporters even though
the state of Washington is among the minority of states that do not require clergy to
report reasonable suspicions of abuse.
216
In the specific issue of sexual misconduct
GRACE was asked to investigate, OCC did make a report to the authorities. Turning a
corner, though, is not the end of a journey. OCC must learn from its past and be
vigilant in walking a better path in the future.
3. OCC was too slow in bringing in an outside investigator or other expert(s) to
assist in responding to reports of clergy abuse.
Although OCC did eventually bring in a seasoned investigator to assess the
allegations, the leadership moved too slowly in making this decision. Once the
decision was made, they erred in not deferring to the judgment of the investigator.
Instead, they conducted their own analysis of the evidence using a flawed
theological construct. The elders were not skilled in assessing sexual assault cases
and, even if one or more had this expertise, they personally knew Moorehead and
thus had biases that impaired their judgments.
As noted earlier, one survivor described the elders as “goodhearted, caring
people” but he believed “this circumstance was well beyond their universe in terms
of how do we handle this?”
217
He said he also wished an organization such as GRACE
existed at that time and believed the elders would have used such expertise. Since
expertise in responding to child abuse is very rare today in the Christian
community,
218
there were certainly even fewer resources in the late 1990s. There
was also a shortage of expertise among law enforcement officers, child protection
workers, and other secular professionals in responding to child abuse cases.
219
Despite these challenges, the elders did find a well-credentialed investigator. The
219
In 1992, for example, there were only 22 accredited Children’s Advocacy Centers in the United
States and, of these, only 4 were in west. Nancy Chandler, Children’s Advocacy Centers: Making a
Difference One Child at a Time, 28 HAMLINE JOURNAL OF PUBLIC LAW & POLICY 315, 322 (2006).
218
Victor Vieth, ELCA Churchwide Assembly Addresses Child Abuse, 120(1) WISCONSIN LUTHERAN QUARTERLY
75-76 (2023) (quoting the ELCA, the nation’s largest Lutheran denomination, as saying it “seems clear
that few rostered ministers or congregations are aware of or require best practices” in responding to
child abuse.)
217
Steve Miletich, A Preacher ‘on fire’ also is on the grill, SEATTLE P-I, March 2, 1998.
216
CHILDREN’S BUREAU, CLERGY AS MANDATED REPORTERS (2019).
42
error was in not seeking outside assistance sooner and then failing to defer to that
expertise in making a final decision.
4. Cognitive dissonance likely played a role in the response to the allegations
Although most people are opposed to sexual assault or other forms of abuse, we may
not be opposed to abuse when we actually encounter it. This is because when we
encounter abuse, the offender is often someone we know such as a family member, a
long-standing friend, or a respected member of our community such as a revered pastor.
As we contemplate all the good things the accused offender may have done and we
personally experienced, we resist contrary evidence. This is called “cognitive dissonance,” a
phenomenon in which “people may alter their beliefs and behavior or seek to discredit and
reject the conflicting evidence.”
220
Those who commit sexual offenses “report exploiting this tendency by intentionally
situating themselves at the center of the community, as generous, kind, learned, and pious
leaders, who are truly exemplars in every way. Their sexual abuse behind closed doors thus
remains hidden with the victims, and the community often refuses to accept allegations
that may eventually emerge.”
221
A clergyperson who molested 96 children told a sex
offender treatment provider:
They [church leaders and congregants] immediately rallied to my
defense…They said, ‘We know this young man…He has been in our
community all of his life. We know his parents, his grandparents, his aunts,
his uncles. This is not something he would do. This is not something that
goes along with behavior that we see in him day in and day out,’ and that was
true because I was very careful that they did not see that behavior day in and
day out.
222
As a result of this cognitive dissonance, many members of the community adopt an
“all or nothing” thinking which assumes a perpetrator is a monster or someone who is “all
bad” and thus fail to recognize that an offender may, in fact, have done many good things
while simultaneously committing sexual offenses or engaging in other misconduct.
223
This
problem may be particularly acute when an offender vigorously denies the allegations. As
Dr. Judith Herman writes:
223
Id. at 15.
222
Id. at 13.
221
Id. at 12.
220
Shira M. Berkovits, Institutional Abuse in the Jewish Community, 50(2) TRADITIONS 11, 12 (2017).
43
After every atrocity one can expect to hear the same predictable apologies: it
never happened; the victim lies; the victim exaggerates; the victim brought it
upon herself; and in any case it is time to forget the past and move on. The
more powerful the perpetrator, the greater is his prerogative to name and
define reality, and the more completely his arguments prevail.
224
Although cognitive dissonance has been discussed in the academic literature
dating back to the 1950s,
225
most faith leaders have little or no understanding of this
concept. As a result, the problem of cognitive dissonance continues to harm victims,
emboldens offenders, and has likely played a role in poor responses to instances of
abuse in Catholic,
226
Protestant,
227
and other faith communities.
Given the closeness of the elders to Pastor Moorehead and his long-standing
leadership of the OCC community, cognitive dissonance almost certainly is one
factor that impaired the leaders and congregants from acting sooner and more
effectively to the allegations against their spiritual leader.
5. The OCC leaders and community did not understand or did not fully take into
account the physical, emotional, and spiritual impact of trauma, as well as
the unique dynamics of trauma when the victim is a male.
In evaluating the evidence gathered by the private investigator, OCC elders
considered several factors that are contrary to much of what we know about
trauma. For instance, the elders noted “none of the accusers cried out” and cited
Deuteronomy 22:23-27 in support of this being a relevant factor.
228
Although these
verses make a distinction between consensual sexual activity and assault, these Old
Testament laws “do not always clearly cover the difference between consent and
force.”
229
GRACE does, though, know from a number of studies the myriad responses of
sexual assault victims. A lack of consent may be communicated through overt
resistance such as words or defensive action but there can also be involuntary
freezing such as when a victim is in shock or simply shuts down and chooses to stay
229
THE LUTHERAN STUDY BIBLE (CONCORDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE, ST. LOUIS 2009), p. 313.
228
Exhibit C, p. 6.
227
See e.g. Victor I. Vieth, Lessons from the SBC Sexual Abuse Crisis, 15(3) FAMILY & INTIMATE PARTNER
VIOLENCE QUARTERLY 61 (2023).
226
See e.g. MICHAEL D. ANTONIO, MORTAL SINS: SEX, CRIME, AND THE ERA OF CATHOLIC SCANDAL (2013).
225
Id. at 12.
224
Id. at 18.
44
still or feign sleep.
230
In some instances, a victim may “negotiate” with the offender in
the hope of a lesser sexual act.
231
In other cases, the victims exhibit confusion and
“report not understanding what was going on or not knowing how to react to what
was happening.”
232
A state of confusion may occur when the assault occurs quickly.
Examples of exhibited confusion include statements such as “Before I knew it, he
had his finger inside me,” “He grabbed my hand and shoved it down his pants,” and
“I was in shock and didn’t know what to do.”
233
When GRACE applies this research to the public and private statements, as well
as actions, of Moorehead’s victims, there are similar patterns of confusion, shock,
and disbelief. Some of the victims spoke immediately to Moorehead at the time of
abuse and others verbally objected shortly thereafter. The behaviors of the victims
are also consistent with those who have endured trauma.
The elders also noted the “time period for most of the accusations dates back
20+ years.”
234
When, though, GRACE looks at trauma research, there is nothing
unusual about a lengthy delay. This is particularly so when the victim is a male.
Myths such as “men cannot be raped” or “sexual assault is not as severe for a man
as it is for a woman” may cause male victims to remain silent.
235
As one
peer-reviewed literature review noted, “Men, before their assault may never have
considered that they could become victims of sexual assault.”
236
Research on men who were sexually abused as boys or in their youth finds an
average delay in disclosure of 21.38 years and a delay of 28.23 years before a full
disclosure.
237
Since sexual assault violates masculine norms of self-protection, many
victims feel “weak, frightened, confused or guilty around the time of the abuse.”
238
Among males there is a “generalized concern over being unable to predict
238
Scott D. Easton, Leia Y. Saltzman, & Danny G. Willis, Would You Tell Under Circumstances Like That?
Barriers to Disclosure of Child Sexual Abuse for Men, 15 PSYCHOLOGY OF MEN & MASCULINITY 460, 462 (2013).
237
Scott D. Easton, Disclosure of Child Sexual Abuse Among Adult Male Survivors, 41 CLINICAL SOCIAL WORK
JOURNAL 344-355 (2013).
236
Id.
235
Michelle Davies, Male sexual assault victims: a selective review of the literature and implications for
support services, 7 AGGRESSION AND VIOLENT BEHAVIOR 203, 204 (2002).
234
Exhibit C, p. 6.
233
Id. at 985.
232
Id. at 985.
231
Id. at 984.
230
Sasha N. Canan, Alejandra M. Kaplan & Kristen N. Jozkowski, A National U.S. Study of 906 Women’s
Qualitative Accounts of their Reactions During Sexual Assault, 20 SEXUALITY RESEARCH AND SOCIAL POLICY 977,
984-985 (2023).
45
responses from others and the outcomes of disclosure” and this “fear of unknown
consequences” keeps some males from telling.
239
Male survivors who “self-identify as heterosexual are often fearful that others
would use their abuse experiences as evidence of homosexuality.”
240
Conversely,
boys who may have been questioning their sexual identity or who identify as gay or
bisexual before the abuse may encounter attitudes that discredit or minimize their
sexual identity upon disclosure of the abuse.
241
When the abuser is a member of the clergy or a religious leader, there is a
significant risk a male victim will not disclose. This is because “clergy members hold
extraordinary power due to their social status in the community and [because of]
the association between the abuser and the survivor’s faith in God.”
242
In the words
of one man sexually abused as a boy, “How can a man get raped, and by a priest. It’s
the same as getting raped by God.”
243
Lastly, some males are unable to recognize the event as abusive. In one
study, a male survivor referred to childhood sexual abuse as “just part of growing
up” while another survivor said, “I wasn’t sure it was actually abuse or not.”
244
Again,
it is understandable that the elders and other leaders at OCC were not likely to have
been experts on trauma, much less the unique dynamics involved when boys or
men are sexually assaulted. Ignorance, though, was not the error. The error was in
not consulting with one or more experts as quickly as possible.
6. OCC leaders applied scripture too narrowly by failing to take into account all
the Bible has to say about trauma and caring for the “least of these.”
Although the elders attempted to apply biblical principles when responding to
the allegations against their pastor, the focus was too narrow and caused harm to
the victims. The elders said it was their “intent to have as many of the accusers as
244
Id. at 466.
243
Id. at 465.
242
Scott D. Easton, Leia Y. Saltzman, & Danny G. Willis, Would You Tell Under Circumstances Like That?
Barriers to Disclosure of Child Sexual Abuse for Men, 15 PSYCHOLOGY OF MEN & MASCULINITY 460, 465 (2013).
241
Victor I. Vieth, et al, Where the Boys Are: Investigating and Prosecuting Cases of Child Sexual Abuse
When the Victim is Male, Zero Abuse Project (2022). See generally, Amy Russell, The People in Your
Neighborhood: Working with Sexual and Gender Minority Youth as Victims of Sexual Violence, in Robert
Geffner, Jacquelyn W. White, L. Kevin Hamberger, Alan Rosenbaum, Viola Vaughan-Eden, Victor I.
Vieth, Eds, Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan 831 (2022).
240
Id. at 465.
239
Id. at 465.
46
possible discuss their allegations directly with Pastor Bob.”
245
Citing Matthew 18:15,
the elders said the “biblical process for dealing with an accusation against a member
of the body is first to require the offended party to confront the accused.”
246
It is dangerous to isolate any one verse from the entirety of scripture. Matthew
18 also includes verse 6 in which Christ says it would be better to be drowned in the
sea with a large millstone around our neck than to hurt a child or other vulnerable
person.
247
Requiring a victim of sexual assault to confront the person who assaulted
them is extremely dangerous. Even if the offender does not physically injure the
victim again, the offender will likely emotionally abuse the victim either by denying
the crime or twisting the facts in a cruel way.
248
Accordingly, forcing a victim to sit
down with the person who sexually assaulted them runs the risk of revictimizing the
wronged party and may make worse their physical, emotional and spiritual
wounds.
249
As an illustration of this point, Martin Moran wrote in his memoirs of being
sexually abused at a church camp and, as an adult, his decision to confront the man
who abused him. During the meeting, the offender engaged in cognitive distortions
that minimized his conduct. Specifically, the perpetrator told Moran:
I wanted to help you. You were such a gentle soul…Mentally, you were way
ahead of the other boys. You were special…There were others, I admit. But
not like you. You were so curious about things…you were shy and I wanted to
teach you about the land and animals and help you gain confidence. And you
did.
250
Rather than genuine repentance, the offender not only minimized his
conduct but suggested the sexual abuse was good for the victim. Since this is not an
isolated occurrence, scholars have urged pastors and other church leaders “to help
250
MARTIN MORAN, THE TRICKY PART, 274 (2005).
249
See generally, Victor I. Vieth & Pete Singer, Wounded Souls: The Need for Child Protection
Professionals and Faith Leaders to Recognize and Respond to the Spiritual Impact of Child Abuse, 45
MITCHELL HAMLINE L. REV. 1213 (2019).
248
Theodore P. Cross, Victor I. Vieth, Amy Russell, and Cory Jewell Jensen, Adult Sex Offenders Against
Children: Etiology, Typologies, Investigation, Treatment, Monitoring, and Recidivism, in ROBERT GEFFNER,
JACQUELYN W. WHITE, L. KEVIN HAMBERGER, ALAN ROSENBAUM, VIOLA VAUGHAN-EDEN, VICTOR I. VIETH, EDS, HANDBOOK OF
INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE AND ABUSE ACROSS THE LIFESPAN 857, 866 (SPRINGER 2022).
247
See John D. Schuetze, Pastoral Theology Brief: Matthew 18 also Includes Verse 6, 112(3) WISCONSIN
LUTHERAN QUARTERLY 224-228 (2015).
246
Id.
245
Exhibit C.
47
survivors understand that a confrontation is unlikely to go as they envision” and that
if they choose to confront an offender they “should be fully prepared by a mental
health professional to process the event before and after the confrontation.”
251
It is
also wise to have one or more professionals with the victim during any conversation
with an offender.
252
Another danger of forcing a victim to confront the offender, is that the
accused may intimidate a victim to recant or remain silent and can cause an
offender to destroy evidence.
253
As a result, this may impair the ability of law
enforcement officers or others in authority to investigate and prosecute a
crime—the very “servants of God” whose work we should respect (Romans 13:4-5).
Simply stated, any church requiring a victim of sexual assault to speak with an
offender, particularly a clergy offender who still holds power, before taking any
action is undermining the admonition of Jesus in Matthew 18:6. Moreover, the
church is also undermining our Christian obligations under Romans 13:4-5.
The elders also cited Deuteronomy 19:15 in support of their belief that there
must be more than one witness.
254
The elders read this to mean there must be at
least two witnesses to each offense—a standard that is nearly impossible in sexual
assault cases where often the victim and offender are alone together. If, though,
they had simply focused on the issue of whether or not their pastor had touched the
genitals of men without their consent, there were at least 17 witnesses at the time
the private investigator’s work was stopped (and more who came forward later).
As discussed earlier, the elders also cited Deuteronomy 22:23-27 in looking
for evidence the victims had “cried out.” From GRACE's review of the public
statements, it appears each of the victims cried out consistent with the typical
reactions of victims found in trauma research. Although some of this research did
not exist in the late 1990s, there were nonetheless numerous experts on
understanding trauma response. GRACE will never know for sure, but it is possible
that consulting with experts on the trauma of having one’s genitals suddenly groped
might have resulted in a different assessment.
254
Exhibit C, p. 1.
253
Victor I. Vieth, Suffer the Children 2(1) JACOB’S HOPE 1, 4 (2011).
252
Id.
251
Victor I. Vieth, What Would Walther Do? Applying Law and Gospel to Victims and Perpetrators of Child
Sexual Abuse, 40(4) JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY & THEOLOGY 257, 269-270 (2012).
48
Perhaps the greatest theological error was the decision of the OCC leaders to
focus on passages of scripture designed to protect the rights of the accused without
balancing this against the numerous passages that call on us to protect the
vulnerable. As noted earlier, the presentation to the congregation did not include a
discussion of Matthew 18:6. There was also no reminder that Jesus was a
descendant of three exploited women (Matthew 1-1-17).
255
As one commentator
notes, compassion for victims is in the DNA of Christ, the very blood of God.
256
There was no discussion of the warning of Jesus to cast aside those who
preached in His name but failed to care for the “least of these” (Mt. 25:34-45). There
was no mention that Jesus was a near victim of infanticide and that the entire
church exists because of an act of protecting the vulnerable as the wise men, as well
as Joseph and Mary, acted to save the baby we now worship (Mt. 2:1-18).
Most importantly, there was no discussion that Jesus himself was a victim of
multiple forms of abuse including being physically struck, whipped, emotionally
taunted, tortured and, since Roman execution involved killing victims without any
clothes, Christ was also sexually exploited.
257
Although Christians rightly focus on the
crucifixion as the means of our reconciliation with God, the cross also had a
profound impact on how we view victims. As Philip Yancey writes:
The cross upset the long-standing categories of weak victims and strong
heroes, for at that moment the victim emerged as the hero. The gospel put in
motion something new in history, which [Gil] Bailie calls ‘the most astonishing
reversal of values in human history.’ Wherever Christianity took root, care for
victims spread.
258
In the assessment of the history of OCC, GRACE sees little evidence that
pastors or congregants have fully explored the many rich texts of the Bible
pertaining to sexual assault or other forms of trauma
259
and what this may mean for
259
For instance, a sermon series or Bible study on the Biblical account of the rape of Tamar. See
PAMELA COOPER-WHITE, THE CRY OF TAMAR: VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND THE CHURCH’S RESPONSE SECOND EDITION
(2012).
258
PHILIP YANCEY, VANISHING GRACE 170-171 (2014).
257
JAYME R. REAVES, DAVID TOMBS, & ROCIO FIGUEROA, WHEN DID WE SEE YOU NAKED? JESUS AS A VICTIM OF SEXUAL ABUSE
(2021).
256
VICTOR I. VIETH, ON THIS ROCK: A CALL TO CENTER THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO CHILD ABUSE ON THE LIFE AND WORDS OF
JESUS 21 (2018).
255
Jesus was a descendant of Tamar (Gen. 38), Rahab (Joshua 2:1; 6:22-25), and Bathsheba (2 Samuel
11). For a detailed analysis of the sexual exploitation of Bathsheba, see John D. Schuteze, Bathsheba
and the Nature of David’s Sin, 116(4) WISCONSIN LUTHERAN QUARTERLY 243-247 (2019).
49
Christians today as we contemplate building a trauma-informed church. As one
victim of abuse noted, how can Christians worship a God who was abused and yet
fail to care for the victims sitting beside them in the pews?
260
It is a haunting
question and has led GRACE to include in its recommendations the urgent need for
OCC to engage theologically with the topic of abuse, sexual assault, and other forms
of trauma.
Allegations of Child Abuse by an OCC-Supported Missionary during the Moorhead Era
While reviewing materials on-site at Overlake, investigators found a summary of an
investigation in Chile in 1994, transcripts from interviews with victims, letters from Overlake
Elders, and accounts of internal discussion at Overlake about allegations of child abuse by a
missionary serving with Iberoamerican Ministries. Following an internal investigation, this
individual was fired from the ministry. This missionary was financially supported by
Overlake and possibly a member of the congregation prior to his time in South America.
The victim statements indicate that the males ranged in age from 14 to 20. The alleged
perpetrator’s exact age at the time is unknown but likely to be in his early 30s, and he was a
married man. Six victims were identified but interviews with all the victims were not
available. Four accounts are summarized below.
261
Victim # 1 - ‘A Relationship’ Santiago, Chile (Specific age unknown)
A “youth”
262
who lived in the perpetrator’s neighborhood described a “relationship,”
that the perpetrator did not deny.
263
The youth claimed that they had “sexual relations” for
approximately two years.
264
Victims # 2 & 3 - Fifth Region of Chile Missions
Other allegations were made by what the documents describe as “kids”
265
from
churches and a Christian school in what is currently the second most populated region of
Chile.
266
The allegations included improper touching, massaging, sharing a bed with the
perpetrator, and verbal advances by the perpetrator.
267
Below are quotes from victim
interviews transcribed in 1994.
267
Id. at 2.
266
Id.d, Appendix M1, p. 1.
265
Id.
264
Id.
263
Id.d
262
Id.d
261
Summary of the [Name Redacted] Firing. August 23,1994.
260
Victor Vieth, When God Was a Victim, RELIGION NEWS SERVICE, April 2, 2015.
50
Victim #2 - 16 at the time of the incident
During an in-country trip “there was a place for each of us to have our own bed and
we stayed that way. He said that he was cold and instead of sleeping in separate beds let’s
sleep in the same bed. And because I was so much younger, I didn’t really think anything of
it. I never thought anything bad. At that time he began to be extremely loving toward me.
He even gave me a kiss on the cheek. He hugged me, laying his leg over on top of me. That
was when I began to notice something odd is going on. I didn’t want to comment on this to
anybody, and I know that he is a man of God.”
268
In another incident at the perpetrator’s house Victim # 2 shared, “He showed me a
passage of scripture that talked about the love between Jonathan and David. He said, as
you know, the scripture says that his love was sweeter than a woman’s love. What was
strange to me is that he asked me what was going on in this…I was wondering why he
asked me as it was a fairly complicated verse. This ended and it was time to go to sleep and
I asked where is it I am going to sleep? He has in his house, lots of different rooms and I
don’t really know his house well. He said that it would be much more comfortable and
easier, why don’t we just sleep in the same bed? The same thing happened as before. This
was Saturday and he wanted me to stay overnight for the services on Sunday. I told him
that I couldn’t do that because we had our first services in the new church we were starting.
And also because I just wanted to leave. From that point on I was never with him again.”
269
Victim # 3 - 17 at the time of the incident
During a trip where the location is unclear, the victim said the alleged offender
“began caressing my hand. I was laying on my back, looking up and he started to move
closer to me and I just went rigid. I was really nervous. The only thing I wanted was that
night to get over and to get out of there. He was laying on his back next to me and then he
turned over toward me. Then he started to caress my chest. He said, “Since we're now
friends, I can show you my tenderness.” He rolled over and put his leg inside of (my) leg and
began to caress me.”
270
Victim # 4 - Maipu, Chile (17 or 18 at the time of the incident)
This witness account includes a translator. “[The Perpetrator] got a waterbed and he
invited [Name redacted] for about four weeks in a row to sleep with him because it was
270
Id. at 5.
269
Id.
268
Id.
51
such aneat thing to enjoy together…After about the first 2-3 weeks he said, ‘Why don’t you
come back and sleep in my bed and we can pray together,’ and put his Bible on the bed.
And then he would always take my hand and say, ‘Let’s pray and stay here and sleep with
me.’ On the third week, Iwas sleeping next to him and halfway through the night he kind of
rolled on top of me and put his leg between and his arm all the way over [me].”
271
GRACE investigators made phone contact with the perpetrator and he agreed to
speak to GRACE initially but never responded to email attempts to schedule an interview.
272
Overlake staff committed to sharing the information they had with appropriate law
enforcement and to any ministries the individual may be part of, now or in the future.
GRACE commends this decision on their part to actively engage now.
B.
Crisis Response: 1998 - 2007
Rick Kingham transitioned from anational role at Promise Keepers to Senior Pastor
at Overlake in the late fall of 1998 six months after Bob Moorhead resigned.
273
In an early
interview with the Seattle Times Kingham shared, “I do believe God has equipped me to be
prepared for the particular place Overlake finds itself in now. Ihope to see here an
atmosphere of love, acceptance and forgiveness.”
274
It was estimated that the church had
lost about 1,000 weekly attendees by the time Kingham took the helm.
275
Interviews with
witnesses reflected achurch ready to carry on with its activity in the wake of the Moorhead
crisis.
I think everybody at that point felt, this is a new day, a new beginning, … but in those
days, it was certainly a lot of transition as people were deciding did they want to stay
with a new pastor…So it was certainly
fluid and thousands did stay. When I was
there, the church's attendance was, if I'm recalling properly, between 4,000 and
5,000 people on a Sunday. Again, it's been a while, but I think I recall that they used
to put the numbers in the bulletin that they'd hand out.
276
As introduced in the previous section, a letter from the Elder Board to the
congregation a year and one day after Bob Moorehead resigned, outlined new policy
changes including more visibility, better communication, a policy and procedure for
bringing a grievance against a pastor, elder, or other leaders including automatic
276
Transcript, p. 8.
275
Id.
274
Id.
273
New Pastor Ready to Promote Healing at Overlake, SEATTLE TIMES, November 10, 1998.
272
Emails sent on April 15, 2023 and June 6, 2023.
271
Id. at 7.
52
suspension pending an investigation.
277
In the same letter, the Elder Board acknowledged
the spiritual gravity of Moorehead’s wrongs and shared their desire to “bring closure to
these matters so that we can move forward.”
278
The Elder Board concluded by sharing that
they met with Moorehead to confront him and he rejected their appeal to take
responsibility and move forward in a spirit of restoration.
279
The work of the church continued but accountability for Moorehead’s significant
wrongdoing never came. The church made these ‘key policy changes,’
280
that still centered
on protecting the reputation of the church in the moment and in the future. Making the
church’s reputation the point instead of the victim’s needs or God’s desire for repentance
missed the mark and possibly set Overlake up for the patterns of misconduct to remerge.
In Danya Ruttenberg’s new book, she identifies five stages in a process of
repentance and repair: Naming and Owning Harm, Starting to Change, Restitution and
Accepting Consequences, Apology, and Making Different Choices.
281
The Overlake Elder
Board’s response demonstrated elements of this process but their actions relied heavily on
a perpetrator unwilling to take responsibility for his actions.
282
This focus and reliance on
the perpetrator possibly cut short the five-stage process outlined above, thereby aborting
critical actions for the victims of Moorehead’s wrongdoings and the church’s holistic health.
Criminal Child Abuse
Within five years after the Moorehead scandal, there was a string of child abuse
crimes committed by church employees or regular volunteers. Public records indicate that
JR Graves was convicted and served prison time for rape in the third degree of a child that
attended Overlake in 2001.
283
Graves was a longtime member and employee who
frequently worked in the youth ministry. Eric Thorgerson was found guilty of two counts of
child molestation of children that attended Overlake in December 2001.
284
Finally, Patrick
Autrey was found guilty of rape of a child in the third degree and sexual misconduct with a
284
Digistream, Public Records search accessed, April 4, 2023.
283
N. Brady, Molestation Leads to Prison Time, EAST SIDE JOURNAL, March 30, 2002.
282
Letter to Overlake Church, May 18, 1999.
281
DANYA RUTTENBERG, ON REPENTANCE AND REPAIR: MAKING AMENDS IN AN UNAPOLOGETIC WORLD 26, 32,36,41,
43(2022).
280
Id.
279
Id.
278
Id.
277
Letter to Overlake Church, May 18, 1999.
53
minor over the course of 2001 and 2002. This child also attended Overlake.
285
Several
witnesses recounted Graves being invited back to speak to Overlake youth leaders after his
release from prison.
286
He taught a seminar on “relational youth ministry.”
287
These criminal
acts occurred within the backdrop of a busy and booming church.
Sexual Situations
In addition to the criminal abuse, Overlake was impacted by other misconduct. One
witness shared,
What happened while I was there though, was there continued to be issue after
issue with sexual situations. I mean, it just was like thing after thing after thing, even
in the early years when I'm there and I'm like, for a culture that is so... Because I
think that even [Name redacted] the executive pastor had his own trauma from
what happened, and then the aftermath of what happened of them being in the
news and the churches getting on the local news channel saying, ‘We're breaking
relationship with Overlake.’ All of that was so intense, and they were just trying to
hold onto people and money to keep the church going. We had a very bloated staff,
very inflated when I came. Almost every pastor had their own admin support
person. I mean, all that shifted in the time, pretty quick. In the early years, they did
some big layoffs.
288
Without slowing down much, Overlake sidestepped the critical work outlined by
Ruttenberg above. It must be noted that as a young nondenominational church, they did
not have the advantages of maturity, material resources, and mutual support. In many
ways, this impressively attended church was in a very isolated position.
From this position, restoration couldn’t be nurtured. The leadership never
acknowledged that theological concepts had been twisted to protect those in power, not
the vulnerable.
The reforms made by the Elder Board became meaningless as the leadership still chose to
protect the reputation of the church over internal gospel transformation. Finally, the
pressures of purity culture grew without an open acknowledgment of how sexual situations
had flourished without boundaries or effective accountability. One witness recounted a
conversation that he had about Overlake at the time,
288
Transcript, p. 9.
287
Id.
286
Transcript, p. 8, 9.
285
KidsLiveSafe.PeopleReport. (n.d.). Retrieved July 13, 2023, from
https://www.kidslivesafe.com/personalinfocheck/index?gclid=Cj0KCQjwoK2mBhDzARIsADGbjerb6Sib
WEgedC99l7hj6yzD2RHq_MJuEyPQV1BNd-OI0bEl6IDCp1gaAgG0EALw_wcB.
54
Unless Overlake gets on its knees, repents, and truly repents, and turns this issue of
immorality with sexual misconduct is going to follow them and it will be the death of
the church.
289
The distance between the Moorehead scandal and the church’s pro
file grew but the
damage of his and newer sins was profound. The investigation did not reveal meaningful
e
fforts to lead the OCC community in repentance, healing, and restoration with God and
victims.
C.
Second Generation: 2007 - 2020
Mike Howerton joined Overlake from Saddleback Church to help it transition youth
into continued participation in the church in their early adulthood. This effort was very
successful and the church's appreciation for Howerton’s leadership grew into aSenior
Pastor position. During Howerton’s tenure there was notable progress made towards
women being recognized and valued within top leadership and asense of flattening of the
formal organizational hierarchy that characterized the church in previous decades.
Examples of this that emerged included ordaining women for the first time and efforts at
leveling the pay scale between male and female staff.
290
Many of the witnesses interviewed
found aplace within Overlake at the time as they participated in the student ministry,
transitioned into leadership roles within the student ministry, and moved into more formal
roles within the church or left altogether.
The interviews revealed an open and frequent presence of sexual expression and
sexual content in these years. This expression and content often occurred within the
technical boundaries of Overlake’s policies, most notably not being alone with astudent of
either sex, but certainly did not represent the spirit of the Student Leaders Guide and the
OCC Employment Handbook.
291
The Student Leaders Guide articulates an expectation of:
“Living Above Reproach: Ministry without integrity is no ministry at all. In fact, it’s
destructive to the Kingdom. We are to live alife that leaves no room for speculation inside
and outside the walls of the church.”
292
The OCC Employment Handbook includes the
following statement, “OCC is committed to providing aworkplace that is free of verbal,
physical and visual forms of harassment.”
293
Some examples of inappropriate talk that=
witnesses shared include:
293
Overlake Christian Church, Employment Handbook, 2021. Page 5.
292
Id.
291
Overlake Christian Church, Student Leader’s Guide, 2014-2015. Page 12.
290
Transcript, p. 20, 21.
289
Transcript, p. 5.
55
He would tell us about when he did get married, some of the sexual acts that he
would perform..and having those conversations and everything felt pretty graphic.
294
I'm referring to how often the male pastors would talk about having sex with their
wives on every surface in their house because they're married now, or just weird,
uncomfortable comments like that, either from the stage or just in a small chatting
setting. So I feel like there was a lot of inappropriate mention of that a lot. I think
they were trying to be sex positive within a Christian culture by saying, sex is super
awesome once you're married, but it was really too detailed and inappropriate.
295
The misconduct shared by Individual A that is discussed in Section II (pages 3-6)
occurred in this era. These experiences are examples that other witnesses describe as a
“boys club,”
296
and a “toxic culture.”
297
One witness shared, “...The participation and the
coarse joking. I mean, this is the part where I'm like I know I participated. I didn't come
anywhere near what they did, but it still feels like not who I’d want to be.”
298
Section II also
outlines problematic applications of scriptural teaching and theology about sex. This
trivialization of sexual dignity has had profound impacts on the emotional and spiritual
lives of many witnesses and invited bad actors to push boundaries in a space that should
be sacred.
The culture of church leadership embraced self-protection as an accepted value, which
resulted in a tendency to downplay the gravity of violations.
I remember one time in a hallway it happened he grabbed [Name redacted]and
said, “Man, you must be really working out.” And [Name Redacted] standing right
there was like, “Oh my goodness,” and just kind of laughed. And I even said, “[Name
Redacted], don't you find that a little, just a tinge inappropriate?” He is like, “Oh,
come on, [Name redacted].” I'm like, “No, [Name Redacted], that's totally
inappropriate. Completely inappropriate.” That is a case closed case of sexual
harassment in my mind.
299
This culture also lacked accountability when issues were brought forward. One interviewee
shared the following experience on the Overlake Student Ministries response to her
abusive dating relationship with an intern:
299
Transcript, p. 13.
298
Id.
297
Transcript, p. 29.
296
Transcript, p. 18.
295
Transcript, p.7.
294
Transcript, p. 5.
56
So they told me that they would put him through all of these things, and I want to
say six months later, he was back on as an intern and eventually got hired. And I'm
not sure if he ever had to go do any of the other things that happened. And then I
did not really get... Well, I didn't get... I had a mentor at the time that I think I met
with once or twice about it all, but I really didn't get any of the resources that they
had told me they would connect me with. And I remember feeling very hurt that this
ex-boyfriend got so much patting and that they weren't really addressing anything
with me. And then I definitely felt like a bit of a social outcast from then on out that I
had to prove myself all over again.
300
The impact of continuing not to act was articulated by one staff member witness/survivor,
Sin doesn't happen overnight. It was never dealt with. It was never fully addressed
and say, okay, we had a problem with Pastor Moorehead that we never dealt with
properly, and we never put that under the blood. We never asked God for
forgiveness. We never acknowledged that the first part of healing is repentance. It
isn't just, oh, well, we had an issue and let's just move on, which was the MO of the
church. It was, well, we had an issue, we dealt with it, but let's just move on. No, no.
We never repented. We never provided closure and restitution to the families that
were [harmed]... And when I say restitution not in the form of even tangible
finances. I'm talking about the ability for these families to have closure. Some of
these families that were affected to this day are not around church. They have
nothing to do with God. And that's the travesty of this whole situation is the person
that they trusted, that was teaching and preaching the biblical truths, was the
person that was, in fact, harming them. And so I think what was allowed to exist
from the Bob Moorehead days carried all the way through. And that spirit of, I hate
to even say it, the spirit of perversion, because that's what it was, the spirit of
perversion. That spirit was left to fester. And without being checked, it was allowed
in a church setting. And many people will share with you because that's exactly what
it was. It was a spirit of perversion. … I can only explain that it was allowed to exist.
301
Independent External Investigation of “discriminatory and/or retaliatory treatment”
Upon receiving a letter raising concerns about the treatment a former staff member
received in the spring of 2021, Overlake, “engaged an independent external investigator to
make factual determinations as to whether or not the preponderance of the evidence
supports a finding
301
Transcript, p. 10.
300
Transcript, p.11.
57
that OCC engaged in discriminatory and/or retaliatory treatment of [Name redacted] on the
basis of sex and/or perceived disability.”
302
Overlake engaged in swift action and it should
be noted they followed their policy on the engagement of independent investigators when
an allegation is made against a church leader. The report articulates concerns that multiple
staff had about senior staff’s actions towards two female co-workers and the outcry of one
female co-worker when senior staff created an inappropriate situation at her home. It
should be noted that none of the allegations or the report by the independent external
investigator revealed criminal behavior.
The report contained six recommendations which the authors described as,
“organizational opportunities.”
303
One of the recommendations was “Transforming the
perceived ‘boys’ club,’ culture.”
304
The evidence of this boys’ club culture in the report can be
summarized as a group of men making decisions about a woman on staff, dismissive
patterns of women on staff’s concerns about colleagues and leaders, authoritarian
responses in personnel matters, and a “long history of fact spinning and covering up
scandals.”
305
Earlier sections of this report demonstrate the boys’ club culture outside of the
staff and leadership team at Overlake. It is important to restate that the Elder Board has
been diversified and that Co-lead Pastors have been appointed since this time. These are
strong indicators of a church seeking to reform this dynamic, but there is more work to do.
Recommendations are included in the final section.
Other Allegations of Misconduct in this Era
Other concerning incidents and behaviors were unveiled through courageous
testimony and comments made in response to the survey. The three categories of
misconduct are emotional abuse, sexual harassment, and indecent liberties. GRACE also
received survey comments about alleged past financial misconduct and, while GRACE
brought this to the attention of OCC, investigating this was beyond the scope of the
investigation.
Allegations of Emotional Abuse
Emotional abuse is a pattern whereby a person in a position of authority and/or
trust uses that position to domineer and control others through behaviors such as
shaming, dismissing, bullying, threatening, intimidating, humiliating, degrading, or
insulting.
306
Emotional abuse may include spiritual abuse, defined as abuse using the tools
306
GRACE definition.
305
Id.
304
Id.
303
Id.
302
Holly, Wylam, Klein, . Executive Summary of Factual Findings. (2021). Privileged and confidential.
58
of religion to control and domineer. Like emotional abuse, spiritual abuse is typically
understood as a pattern of behaviors with the goal of keeping a person under control and
using them. Over the course of the investigation, witnesses described experiences with
OCC staff or church practices/theology that included intimidation, shaming, and threats.
The following are two examples witnesses shared as examples of shaming behavior by a
leader at Overlake who at the time was twice the witnesses' age:
He asked me, well, that told me my shirt was inappropriate, and he told me to
discuss it with one of my leaders or my mentors or something, because he
wondered if there was a connection between that and my dad dying very young. I
remember that distinctly. So it wasn't necessarily a sexual comment towards me,
but it made me very uncomfortable and very ashamed.
307
I went and told a leader, “I'm injured.” No one did anything. Eventually, after
advocating for myself, they took me to the ER and I had emergency surgery, but
from that, there was just so many comments about my body, which I think really
emphasizes the state of the culture, if that makes sense. The concern wasn't me as a
student, if I was okay. It was all jokes. The first comment someone made to me was
like, “Oh, well, good thing you can have sex now because my ‘cherry’ popped,” which
literally, that's not anatomically true but whatever. Things like that were the
concern. Or [Staff Pastor Name Redacted] said, “How's your vagina?”, which was not
injured, but thank you for asking.
308
Another witness shared an experience of threatening behavior after a report made to HR
was shared with the staff member with whom they had a grievance.
He said, “Well, I'm just saying [church program] could take a drastic, drastic turn,
and you might want to be aware that it has that potential.” So almost like
threatening, because, oh, you went and shared something. Now [church program] is
on the chopping block. It was very shortly thereafter that [church program
team]were informed that they were discontinuing [church program].
309
Allegations of Sexual Harassment on Church Property
Sexual Harassment is defined by the Washington State Office of the Attorney
General as behavior directed at you because of your gender, and can include unwelcome,
sexually suggestive, or gender-based comments or jokes; unwelcome and repeated
309
Transcript, p. 15.
308
Transcript, p. 5.
307
Transcript, p. 9.
59
requests for dates; offensive gestures; inappropriate touching; or display of pornographic
materials.”
310
Over the course of the investigation, witnesses described experiences with
OCC staff that included sexually suggestive jokes and unwelcome inappropriate touching.
One witness shared,
He was sitting across from me and I was eating a pickle, and he made a comment
about how I was going to pound town on that pickle, and then made very direct eye
contact with me to a point where I felt like I couldn't hold that eye contact. I needed
to look away. And then I just was at a loss. How do I respond to that? He was making
a joke, but it made me feel very, very uncomfortable.
311
Other witnesses shared disturbing patterns of unwanted and inappropriate touching.
During the week, I would get a lot of intensity from him. So, almost like, as my
therapist says it, more emotional abuse or emotional harassment. And then, in that
room, he would trap me in this one corner, and then, would put his hands on me
without consent or things of that nature. And it went on for probably like six
months…I would hint at uncomfortability, but never speak up. So, I would hint to my
boss at the time who was [Name redacted], and it would just get blown off. He didn't
get let go until we went on a trip with [Name redacted] and [Name redacted].... They
started to get the weird vibes that I had been experiencing, but in very different
things. So, after that, he was let go. And then, once he was let go, I think the dam
broke. So, that's when I went forward.
312
In this instance, the victim did receive assistance from OCC services once she requested it
but the impact of this misconduct was clear.
Yeah, I think it ruined my life. To be honest, I don't know. It's hard. I think it's a little
more personal because that guy then turned into a therapist who a friend of mine
was seeing. So, it's a little more fresh these days. I think I still have PTSD, and I have
to work through it all the time. It's really hard for me to be alone in rooms with men.
I don't know. And like I'm a different person than I was before that happened. And I
stayed in the ministry for two more years. And I only got out and can't step back in a
church. So yeah, I am not the same person.
313
313
Transcript, p.7.
312
Transcript, p.6.
311
Transcript, p. 10.
310
Washington State Office of the Attorney General. (8/2/23). Retrieved from
https://agportal-s3bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/uploadedfiles/Another/News/Press_Releases/DRAFT_v
10_SHGuide.pdfh
60
A collective call for accountability and hope for change reverberated throughout
several of the witnesses interviewed and a sense that the church had become a safe and
respectful environment for all its members. A sampling of their statements follows.
I'm hopeful for the new elder team. I like how they have an email that if anyone has
anything they need to talk to, they could send a note to that email. That could
probably be the way that you can report abuse too. I just maybe now put those two
together. I think we have a long way to go, but I have more hope that they wouldn't
just lie about what happened and try to cover up. They would take steps to make
sure each person involved would be heard.
314
This is the stuff that I think will help prevent future incidents and future trauma.
315
Seems as though they're taking it seriously now and that hopefully church culture
has shifted pretty significantly in the last 10 years.
316
Allegations of Indecent Liberties of an Adult on Church Property
Washington State Code defines indecent liberties as illegal behavior, “A person is
guilty of indecent liberties when he or she knowingly causes another person to have sexual
contact with him or her or another: (a) By forcible compulsion.”
317
It is often charged as a
Class A or Class B felony.
318
In an interview with a former staff member, an incident that
occurred in the men’s bathroom between himself and a male colleague at Overlake was
shared:
So I mean, there's no pretty way to say that, but I was standing at a urinal and
[Name redacted] was in there, and he put his chin on my shoulder and whispered in
my ear, “You know what, I like to make people feel really uncomfortable.” And I said,
“Okay.” I'm like, haha, whatever. And that was already inappropriate, but he is like,
“Just when you think I'm going to stop, it's going to go a little bit more.’ And his hand
was running and I was using the bathroom, so my hands were not... So I turned with
more of my body to prevent him from reaching all the way around. But he reached
all the way around and just tapped my penis, underneath actually my penis, not like
in front because I was peeing, but he tapped underneath it and he is like, “Just when
you think it's done, I had to go one bit more.” And I was speechless at that point. I
318
Id.
317
Washington State Code 9A.44.100. https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=9A.44.100
(Accessed 8/15/23)
316
Transcript, p. 46
315
Transcript, p. 19.
314
Transcript, p. 10.
61
was pretty shocked that occurred. And so he walked out, washed his hand, walked
out, and I remember walking by his office later, and I said, "[Name redacted]," that
was so inappropriate on so many levels. And he's like, "Oh, come on," haha. Like,
"Laugh it off. It's funny." And I reported that to HR.
319
The witness went on to share that the perpetrator was told that the witness had reported
the actions to HR by senior leadership and confronted him later about it.
320
With the permission of the witness, GRACE investigators reported this incident to
Overlake, and together with Overlake staff reported it to Redmond City Police. In the course
of these reports, investigators identified another former adult male OCC employee who
had experienced sexual misconduct by the alleged perpetrator. GRACE reached out to the
individual who confirmed the information, but the individual chose not to be interviewed.
Another witness described an instance while working for Overlake, “One staff member
grabbed a broom of some sort, and the other took a picture of the other staff member
shoving the broom handle up my clothed butt.”
321
D. Current Day
In November 2020, Neely McQueen and Pat Swanson transitioned into Co-Lead
positions.
322
They both had extensive experience, and the announcement came with the
excitement of this historical moment in the life of the church. Some feedback on this
decision in a Facebook post from November 16th, 2020 includes:
Excellent choice, well done elders! I love both of them. They have a different
teaching style that is very complementary to each other. Very excited to be part of
the new chapter of OCC.
323
Amazing news!!!!!!! What an incredible pair.
324
324
Id.
323
Facebook post Overlake Christian Church, November 16, 2020.
https://www.facebook.com/OverlakeChurch/photos/pb.100064841856744.-2207520000./101576026
27026024/?type=3
322
Transcript, p. 4.
321
Transcript, p. 30.
320
Id. at 16.
319
Transcript, p. 15,16.
62
Such amazing news!!! Congrats Overlake on so much talent in your head leadership
roles! The best news!! Honored to be under your leadership and on your team, Pat &
Neely! So excited for all that’s to come - for everyone, everywhere!
325
Pastor Neely and Pastor Pat moved into senior leadership during the COVID-19
pandemic that impacted faith communities across the world. They weren’t just finding their
feet in new roles but grappling with what church looks like when the gathering in-person
model had been made unavailable. In spite of this challenge, Pastor Neely, Pastor Pat, and
the staff and elders of Overlake committed to the high values of:
We BELONG to Jesus and to one another.
● Bravery: We step BRAVELY into our work as a community.
● Equity: We commit to EQUITABLE work & valuing others.
● Learning: We LEARN from each other & grow continually.
● Ownership: We take OWNERSHIP in God’s mission through the Church.
● Nurturing: We NURTURE relationships by celebrating blessings & sharing burdens
together.
● Gifting: We affirm spiritual gifts & calling in ourselves & others.
326
These God-honoring values become critical anchors in the holy work of facing
wrong-doing, engaging in repentance, and waiting for God to restore communities to His
vision. It is important to note that no allegations of misconduct emerged from the
investigation since Pastor Neely and Pastor Pat have been Co-Leads at Overlake. However,
they and the board have the responsibility and opportunity to reckon with Overlake’s past
and lead a process that embodies the values identified above.
It is painful to face the reform of a church culture that your fingerprints are on, but
in this sensitive place, God will be faithful. While GRACE recognizes that the past remains
unchangeable, Overlake's future lies in the hands of its Elders, staff, volunteers, and
congregants. Together, they will chart the course of the church moving forward. GRACE
firmly believes that Overlake possesses the capability and resources to glean valuable
insights from past experiences, leading to growth and progress. A pivotal aspect of this
journey involves embracing the opportunity to stand with the church and community
during times of suffering, striving to prevent abuse and respond with best practices
whenever necessary. This endeavor will require time and dedication, extending beyond our
limited existence on this earth. Nonetheless, as a part of the global Christian community,
Overlake must be committed to steering the church towards a path that fosters
326
Overlake Christian ChurchVision & Values. Retrieved from https://www.occ.org/vision-values
325
Id.
63
trauma-informed practices and unwavering vigilance, all in accordance with the teachings
of Christ.
V. Assessment of Response, Protocols, and Culture
As described in Part II, specifically in the sections "Methodology” and ”Scope of the
Investigation" and the Engagement Agreement with OCC, GRACE was contracted to
investigate several circumstances and dynamics. “These include determining whether OCC
had any prior knowledge of the allegations, and if so, how OCC's organizational culture
influenced its response to the allegations and subsequent actions taken. The investigation
aims to assess the information received by OCC, their handling of that information,
including their response to the allegations, and how their response aligns with best
practices, Scriptural values, and SAMHSA's Six Principles of Trauma-Informed Practice.
Additionally, GRACE may evaluate the existing safety protocols regarding behavioral
misconduct and reporting, as well as the administrative environment and community
culture within OCC, and how these factors may impact issues related to behavioral
misconduct within the organization.”
327
The analysis conducted in this context incorporates the six principles of a
trauma-informed approach developed by the National Center for Trauma-Informed Care:
Safety, Trustworthiness and Transparency, Peer Support, Collaboration and Mutuality,
Empowerment, Voice and Choice, and Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues. It is worth
noting that these principles are also evident within biblical principles.
328
Safety
In order for an organization to foster a safe environment, it is crucial that both staff
and members of the congregation, regardless of age, feel physically and psychologically
protected. This entails ensuring a secure physical setting and promoting interpersonal
interactions that cultivate a sense of safety. Giving importance to the understanding of
safety as defined by those being served is a key priority.
It is evident that Overlake Christian Church has invested thought in developing child
protection policies, and their practices regarding access to young children appear to be
carefully considered. For example, when investigators were on-site at the church they were
oriented to a robust child check-in procedure. Everyone who had worked in the nursery,
children’s ministry, or student ministry could articulate appropriate protective factors and
328
ANDREA CLEMENTS, THE TRAUMA INFORMED CHURCH: THE TRAUMA INFORMED CHURCH WALKING TOWARD FLOURISHING, (2023).
327
GRACE, Scope of Work Overlake Christian Church, 2023.
64
some training on them. Overlake also has commendably chosen to hold their pastoral staff
to a higher standard around reporting concerns about a minor’s safety than the law in
Washington requires at the time of this report.
329
At the same time, the investigation uncovered evident gaps and potential areas for
improvement. The primary gap identified in regards to safety for Overlake is the unfinished
accountability and repentance for the sins perpetrated from Moorehead, to criminal child
abuse and sexual harassment, and the misconduct that occurred on the church property.
In the absence of righteous dealings in these places, sexual misconduct has continued to
pervasively flourish even if it was in less violent ways. Proverbs 17:15 instructs, “Acquitting
the guilty and condemning the innocent - the Lord detests them both.”
330
Again, we are
reminded in Genesis 4:6-7, “Why are you so angry? Why do you look so dejected? You will
be accepted for what you do that is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch
out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you.”
331
For Overlake to be a safer place it
must first be a place that pursues righteousness for historical wrongs by those in authority.
OCC needs to address the difficulties surrounding disclosure within an organizational
context, especially when it involves misconduct by individuals in positions of influence
within the church.
The church should consider the following recommendations to cultivate an
environment that promotes more effective ministry by honoring God, fulfilling their
responsibilities, and prioritizing the safeguarding of the vulnerable, even if it requires
personal sacrifice. This involves seeking collaboration with experts and valuing the insights
and recommendations of individuals who have experienced danger or threats within the
OCC. To this end, GRACE's recommendations are:
● Develop an active child abuse prevention and care ministry that includes bible
studies and sermons
In this assessment, GRACE did not find any evidence of sermons, Bible studies, or
any sort of proactive ministry at OCC to address the sin of child maltreatment. This, of
331
Genesis 4:6-7 (New International Version).
330
Proverbs 17:15 (New International Version).
329
Washington Code RCW74.34.020
65
course, is not unique to OCC,
332
but the church needs to fully grasp the scope of child abuse
and realize its impact on every aspect of ministry.
333
The Bible is replete with accounts of physical and sexual violence and the result of
trauma. The Bible makes it clear that even faithful leaders are prone to commit or look
away from this sin. Although the Bible describes Lot as a “righteous” man (Pet. 2:7), he
nonetheless offers his own daughter to be sexually assaulted (Gen. 19:7-8). On two
occasions, Abraham protects himself by exposing his wife to the possibility of sexual abuse,
and his son Isaac falls prey to the same sin (Gen. 12:10-20; 20:1-18; 26:1-11). David sexually
exploited a woman and murdered her husband (2 Samuel 11). David’s son Amnon raped
Tamar and then “hated her with intense hatred” (2 Samuel 13:14-15). As a result, Tamar
was left “weeping aloud” and forced to live as a “desolate woman” (2 Samuel 13:19-20). All
of this made King David “furious,” but he took no action and the wickedness in his family
expanded (2 Samuel 13:23-38).
Each of these accounts, and so many others, offer rich texts to discuss the sins of
violence and sexual assault. Even so, the potentially powerful lessons in these accounts are
often distorted to make the victims responsible for the offenses committed against them.
Seminary professor John Schuetze analyzed 25 Bible commentaries on the sexual
exploitation of Bathsheba and found only five described Bathsheba as a victim.
334
Other
Bible commentaries describe Bathsheba as an “unprotesting partner,” an “equally guilty
woman,” and that she submitted to the King’s exploitation “without any hesitation and
offered no resistance.”
335
One commentary even contends that if Bathsheba had been
335
John D. Schuetze, Bathsheeba and the Nature of David’s Sin, 116(4) WISCONSIN LUTHERAN QUARTERLY 243
(2019).
334
John D. Schuetze, Bathsheba and the Nature of David’s Sin, 116(4) WISCONSIN LUTHERAN QUARTERLY 243
(2019). See also, Victor I. Vieth, A Godly Response to Abuse within a Christian Institution in CSB LIFE
COUNSEL BIBLE 379-380 (2023) (applying the lessons from the sexual exploitation of Bathsheba and the
murder of her husband to modern day child abuse scandals).
333
In a study commissioned by the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant
community, the authors of the report concluded:
Sexual abuse in the SBC is an epidemic powered by a culture of our own making. The
work of the Study Group will not stop this epidemic right away. It takes years of
purposeful work to change the culture of indifference and develop a cure for such a
poison. CARING WELL: A REPORT FROM THE SBC SEXUAL ABUSE ADVISORY GROUP 5 (2019).
332
One study of Protestant churches found that although child protection policies increased the
chance for engaging in child protection practices, only 41% of these churches addressed child abuse
in worship services. Jeanette Harder & Kristina Haynie, Child Protection Practices in Mennonite Church
USA Congregations, 38 JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH 248, 256 (2012).
66
“mindful of her matrimonial fidelity” perhaps the King would not have sexually exploited
her.
336
None of this is supported in the text itself. As Professor Schuetze writes:
The account places all of the blame on David and none on Bathsheba. He
sees her, he lusts after her, he inquires about her, he sends people to get
her, he sleeps with her. When he is done, he sends her home—used and
abused. Nine months later when Nathan confronts David with his sin, he lays
the blame solely on David, not on David and Bathsheba.
337
As this one example demonstrates, the text accurately conveys the brutality
that those in power can inflict on those without. The Bible commentaries cited by
Schuetze illustrate how frequently teachers in the church re-write scripture to cast
blame on the victimized. This, and so many other lessons, are waiting to be mined,
and GRACE urges OCC to be proactive in doing so.
338
Since not every survivor or congregant will participate in a study of the Bible, it is
also critical to address the subject of abuse from the pulpit in sermons or other messaging.
A trauma-informed pastor can draw out many critical lessons from sacred texts that can be
of benefit to those who have been maltreated and to those who care for those who are
suffering. Describing the church’s failure to preach on the many accounts of abuse in the
scripture, and the impact of her own discovery of these texts, one survivor writes:
It is not as if sexual abuse is new to Christianity. Indeed, the Bible includes
many texts in which rape and sexual abuse are explicit, and other texts
where such behavior is implied. Yet such texts rarely find themselves
included in lectionaries, or when they are, the abuse tends to be overlooked
by preachers by placing the focus elsewhere. As a result, for people of faith
these texts told stories with which they might resonate, but they are texts
which are unfamiliar. Discovering these biblical texts for myself was in some
ways a #MeToo moment, in that I saw myself not on the periphery of the
faithful but as one whose experiences were shared with the women and men
of faith recorded in Scripture.
339
339
Beth A. Crisp, Jesus: A Critical Companion in the Journey to Moving on from Sexual Abuse, in JAYME R.
REAVES, DAVID TOMBS, & ROCIO FIGUEROA, WHEN DID WE SEE YOU NAKED? JESUS AS A VICTIM OF SEXUAL ABUSE 249, 250
(2021). See M. Leonard, “I did what I was directed to do but he didn’t touch me”: The impact of being a
victim of internet offending, 16(2), JOURNAL OF SEXUAL AGGRESSION, 249-256 (2010). This study focuses on
how difficulty developing context increases the risk of developing PTSD
338
As an example of the potential power of a sermon series on child maltreatment, see Jenna
Barnett, Let There Be Light, July 2019, SOJOURNERS.
337
Id. at 246, 247.
336
Id. at 244.
67
Professor Beth Crisp contends the “church needs theologians to actively engage
with the theological questions of those who sit in the pews and may have no formal
theological education.”
340
To this end, she quotes former Anglican Bishop Alison Taylor who
said “Ordinary non-academic Christians need to hear how they can place the tragedy of
institutional child sexual abuse in churches into the story of God and his people and their
ways in the world.”
341
Bishop Taylor’s comments about fitting experiences of child abuse “into the story of
God” is an astute observation that has support in research. Trauma impacts the body and
the brain at multiple levels. As a result of abuse, memories of trauma may not be encoded
like other memories but are “frozen and wordless.”
342
When survivors of trauma were
asked to describe their experiences while receiving an MRI, researchers found the speech
areas of the brain were impacted thus impairing the ability to “put thoughts and feelings
into words.”
343
Since it is “difficult for survivors to make meaning of their trauma because of
the non-narrative, plot-less form their memories take,”
344
it is possible that sermons about
“the story of Jesus, his death and resurrection” can provide a framework for processing
experiences of abuse and to aid in healing or otherwise coping with trauma.
345
Professor Beth Crisp writes:
One of the powerful moments in dealing with my own experiences of sexual
abuse came as I listened to the passion narrative on Palm Sunday more than
20 years ago…The abuse suffered by Jesus was not the same as what I had
endured, but at the that time I could see in him an ally who understood some
of the consequences of sexual abuse. In particular, Jesus was someone who
had experienced repeated rejection and denial of his humanity, rather than
being treated with the respect which one might contend is a human right.
346
If, though, the “stories of God” are to be helpful and not triggering to
survivors, pastors will need to grow their knowledge of trauma research and
incorporate these studies into how they speak of abuse. This may include providing
congregants with a warning when a sermon may include graphic content, and to be
346
Beth A. Crisp, Jesus: A Critical Companion in the Journey to Moving on from Sexual Abuse, in JAYME R.
REAVES, DAVID TOMBS, & ROCIO FIGUEROA, WHEN DID WE SEE YOU NAKED? JESUS AS A VICTIM OF SEXUAL ABUSE 249, 251
(2021).
345
Id.
344
Timothy C. Bourman, Trauma Sensitivity as a Heuristic for the Lutheran Preacher, 118(3) WISCONSIN
LUTHERAN QUARTERLY 199, 208 (2021).
343
BESSEL VAN DER KOLK, THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE: BRAIN, MIND, AND BODY IN THE HEALING OF TRAUMA 43 (2014).
342
JUDITH HERMAN, TRAUMA & RECOVERY 37 (2015).
341
Id. at 253.
340
Id. at 253.
68
ready to provide support when delivering a sermon that addresses child abuse or
other difficult subjects.
347
● Conduct annual child abuse prevention month activities.
Every year, thousands of churches or other communities of faith participate in
Children’s Sabbath, a program initiated by the Children’s Defense Fund, to raise awareness
of the needs of children.
348
Some churches have a Children’s Sabbath in their own place of
worship and others make it a community-wide, multi-faith event. The CDF has a number of
free resources to assist in planning a Children’s Sabbath. Other churches celebrate “Blue
Sunday” and set aside a Sunday each April during National Child Abuse Prevention Month
to pray for maltreated children and to otherwise engage in activities to raise awareness of
the suffering of children and to promote prevention. The Blue Sunday website
349
also has
resources to assist churches in planning for this event and otherwise becoming proactive in
responding to child abuse and neglect. Although participation in these annual events is
critical, the church should regularly include maltreated children in its communal prayers as
a reminder of their suffering and the urgency to care for the “least of these.”
● Provide body safety education for parents/caregivers and children/students
involved in Overlake’s Kid’sTown and Student Ministries.
With respect to implementing a body or personal safety program for both parents
and youth, this might be particularly helpful in reducing the risk that future OCC youth
group leaders will engage in inappropriate sexual conversations and increasing the
possibility of healthy dialogue on this topic. Research shows that parents know very little
about child sexual abuse, that they subscribe to a number of myths about abuse, that few
parents discuss sexual abuse prevention with their children, and those who do often give
inaccurate information suggesting, for example, that perpetrators are often socially
isolated.
350
In general, young children “report minimal knowledge of sexual abuse and
self-protection skills.
351
Many young children believe abuse is their fault, that they should
351
Sandy K. Wuterle and Maureen C. Kenny, Primary Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse: Child and Parent
Focused Approaches, in KEITH L. KAUFMAN, THE PREVENTION OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE: A PRACTITIONER’S SOURCEBOOK 107,
109 (2010)
350
Sandy K. Wuterle and Maureen C. Kenny, Primary Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse: Child and Parent
Focused Approaches, in KEITH L. KAUFMAN, THE PREVENTION OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE: A PRACTITIONER’S SOURCEBOOK 107,
109 (2010) citing David Finkelhor, Prevention of Sexual Abuse Through Educational Programs Directed
Toward Children, 120 PEDIATRICS 640, 644 (2007).
349
https://www.bluesunday.org/blue-sunday-day-of-prayer
348
https://www.childrensdefense.org/childrens-sabbath-celebration/
347
Timothy C. Bourman, Trauma Sensitivity as a Heuristic for the Lutheran Preacher, 118(3) WISCONSIN
LUTHERAN QUARTERLY 199, 218 (2021).
69
not report secret touching and, if they wanted to report, didn’t know how to.
352
However,
researchers have found that “when provided with teaching materials” parents and others
can empower children to recognize and report abuse.
353
Although it is always the
responsibility of adults to protect children, personal safety training can aid children in
communicating their need for protection to a trusted grown-up. There are a number of
personal safety programs and resources that can aid in this instruction.
354
As part of personal safety education GRACE believes OCC should assign an
employee to periodically check in with youth and parents to make sure they are
comfortable with a particular group leader and that there are no violations of the policies.
This will give youth and parents an opportunity to discuss any concerns. It may also be a
means by which to grow the skills of the group leader or to detect leaders who are
particularly strong.
In addition to Bible studies, sermons, personal safety education for youth and
parents, and community engagement through annual events, GRACE recommends OCC:
● Develop a communications plan about the process of responding to this report and
sharing it and updates with the congregation, email list, and social media following
clearly and regularly.
● Staff and Elder training on the ‘Basics of Grooming,’ by an organization like Darkness
to Light, GRACE or RAINN.
● Staff and Elder skill development in the specifics of grooming involving clergy.
● Staff and Elder Training on ‘Trauma 101,’ by an organization like GRACE or Trauma
Informed Churches.
● Staff and Elder Training on ‘Bystander Intervention.’
355
● Invite the voices of survivors of misconduct as youth members at OCC to help revise
the Student Ministries Protection Plan and Volunteer Guidelines.
● Regular (at least annually) Mandated Reporting training through the Washington
Department of Children and Families for Elders, Staff, and all other ministry leaders.
Trustworthiness & Transparency
355
The Church Council of Greater Seattle has held these trainings in the past and could be a good
resource.
354
For instance, the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center has a program called “Empower Me”,
https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.zeroabuseproject.org/victim-assistance/jwrc/&sa=D&so
urce=docs&ust=1694468463608518&usg=AOvVaw12jxmFZTwUUTLlpMdQFzjJSee also JUSTIN S.
HOLCOMB & LINDSEY A. HOLCOMB, GOD MADE ALL OF ME: A BOOK TO HELP CHILDREN PROTECT THEIR BODIES (2015).
353
Id. at 113.
352
Sandy K. Wuterle and Maureen C. Kenny, Primary Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse: Child and Parent
Focused Approaches, in KEITH L. KAUFMAN, THE PREVENTION OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE: A PRACTITIONER’S SOURCEBOOK 107,
109 (2010)
70
One current leader shared that creating a culture of trustworthiness and
transparency involves conducting organizational operations and making decisions in a
manner that fosters trust among congregants, staff members, and other individuals
involved in the organization.
356
Through interviews with past staff, current staff, and
volunteer leaders at OCC, certain recurring patterns were identified. These patterns
included a consistent failure to provide follow-up or feedback to relevant parties after
concerns or issues were raised, and a strict control over information that could potentially
challenge the reputation of charismatic leadership, often conflated with protecting the
reputation of the church or its charismatic leaders.
All individuals have the opportunity to experience transformative mercy (as
mentioned in Proverbs 28:13 and Psalm 32:3-5), cultivate deeper Christ-centered
relationships (referencing Ephesians 4:25), and continually seek personal liberation (Psalm
139:23-24). Through interviews with specific current leaders, a sincere desire and
commitment to restore and promote trustworthiness and transparency at Overlake were
expressed. In addition to the previously mentioned suggestions, the following
recommendations are proposed for the church's consideration.
● Apologize to victims of sexual assault, sexual abuse, misconduct, and spiritual
abuse. Craft the planning of these interactions with local trauma experts.
● Consider using the liturgy and principles outlined in A Church Called Tov by Scott
McKnight
357
● Hold communal spaces to process historical patterns that compromised
trustworthiness and transparency, and pursue communal repentance.
Peer Support & Mutual Support
Peer support and mutual self-help play a crucial role in fostering a sense of safety
and hope, building trust, promoting collaboration, and utilizing personal narratives and
lived experiences to facilitate recovery and healing. The term “peers” pertains to individuals
who have personally experienced trauma or, in the case of children, may refer to family
members who are essential caregivers in their healing journey. Peers are also commonly
referred to as “trauma survivors.”
During the investigation, two main challenges to the implementation of peer
support at Overlake were uncovered. The first challenge is the recurring pattern of
downplaying misconduct and abuse. The second challenge was the overemphasis on
357
LAURA BARRINGER & SCOT MCKNIGHT, A CHURCH CALLED TOV: FORMING A GOODNESS CULTURE THAT RESISTS ABUSES OF
POWER AND PROMOTES HEALING, (2020).
356
Transcript, p. 5
71
protecting the reputation of charismatic leadership and the lack of accountability for their
behavior, which undermined the concept of peer support at OCC. These patterns are
identified by Dr. Jennifer Freyd as part of institutional betrayal and the DARVO principle
often employed by institutions in similar situations —Deny, Attack, and Reverse the Victim
and Offender. Historically, the church repeated and constructed narratives aimed at
discrediting victims and treating alleged offenders as the aggrieved party. This dynamic
makes the concept of peer support impossible without a philosophical shift.
Restoration is attainable in situations where dignity has been compromised in order
to protect reputation, as highlighted in Philippians 2:3. When voices have been ignored for
the sake of convenience, offering a platform for those voices can lead to positive
transformation. Furthermore, when interests have been narrowly focused on individual
concerns, it is possible to strive for a broader sense of goodness, as emphasized in
Philippians 2:4.
Interviews revealed the following sentiments related to peer support.
I don't think any apology is too late. And we know it's late, but if you would like some
help through this, it's like Overlake would pay for counseling, Plus. Is there anything
we can do for you?
358
I think as a congregant I want to be part of a church who would own up to what
people have done and try to make it right as best as I could, or as best as they could.
My guess about how the non-church community would respond is, there's another
church that has done something wrong, and they're now, many, many years later,
apologizing for it, potentially too little, too late, I would guess that there might be
some backlash. But there also might be people who recognize, well hey, even
though a lot of them are not there anymore, they're still taking ownership.
359
Recommendations for the church include:
● Apologize publicly to the survivors of abuse by Bob Moorehead and explain why you
are doing this now
● Elders and staff training on dismantling toxic cultures, typical dynamics of disclosure
of sexual harassment, assault, and abuse, including the normalization of delayed
disclosures.
359
Transcript, p. 7, 8.
358
Transcript, p. 12.
72
● Connect with peer support groups such as Empower Survivors (CSA) and Restored
Voices Collective (adult clergy sexual abuse) to include survivor perspectives and
lived experiences in decision-making processes.
Collaboration and Mutuality
Collaboration and mutuality signify the essence of partnership and the equalization
of power dynamics between the staff and the congregation, as well as among all levels of
organizational staff. This approach recognizes that healing takes place within relationships
and through the meaningful exchange of power and involvement in decision-making
processes. Inequitable application of policies, processes, and information sharing often
emerged when in the interest of top leadership or those close to them. What entitlement
and arrogance have attacked, God seeks to restore (Psalm 10). Recommendations include:
● Promote equitable accountability to policies, shared values, and decisions
regardless of role or association.
● Reach out and ask trusted counsel outside of the church for help processing this
report and pursuing God’s design for Overlake.
● Forge active partnerships with local and regional churches that can offer prayer
support, wise counsel, and encouragement to Overlake.
● Engage in shared decision-making that reflects full participation, mutual
understanding, inclusive solutions, and shared responsibility.
Empowerment, Voice and Choice
Empowerment, voice and choice are vital aspects embraced by churches that
recognize the significance of power differentials and the historical marginalization of
members, often leading to a lack of voice, limited choices, and even coercive treatment.
Recognizing and depending on the larger family of Christ outside the ministry of Overlake
can celebrate this remarkable reality and offer more profound ministry. No single faith
community is meant to fulfill every need of a person at all times (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). In
light of these considerations, the following recommendations are proposed for the church
to consider:
● Consistently make mandated reports to the appropriate entities for concerns about
children/minors and vulnerable adults.
● Consult with reporting victim regarding communication and logistics relating to this
report
● Explore Matthew 4 with an emphasis on godly use of power and temptation of its
misuse
73
● In partnership with willing survivors, create a process that provides a clear pathway
for adult survivors of misconduct to report outside of the leadership structure and
supports their choice of healing services.
● Prioritize inclusion of survivors on care teams, safeguarding teams, and planning
teams
● Explore paths of funding for mental health services for survivors of abuse that
occurred on church property or were perpetrated by staff, elders, members, or
attenders of Overlake.
Cultural, Historical, & Gender Issues
The church aims to actively overcome cultural stereotypes and provide equitable
access to responsive services. One relevant issue discussed previously in this report is the
unique dynamics and historical prevalence of male victimization at Overlake. Another
widespread issue described by witnesses is the gender imbalance of responsibility created
by a theology of purity culture. Overcoming these issues involves incorporating policies,
protocols, and processes that are responsive to the needs of individuals currently served
by Overlake, while also recognizing and addressing the historical trauma of those within
and outside of the church.
There is a powerful story in 2 Kings 22 & 23 when the Torah was rediscovered under
rubble during Josiah’s reign. The scroll was taken to a female prophet named Huldah who
interpreted the scroll in what some biblical scholars believe to be the first recognizable act
in the long process of canon formation by authenticating a document as being God’s
word.
360
Chapter 23 outlines the reformation across the community based on engagement
with the Torah under Josiah’s reign. There was literally a cultural revolution in the nation.
This level of reformation is still available to Christians today. GRACE encourages Overlake to
consider what purposeful engagement with scripture, prayerful dependence and patient
expectation in God’s faithfulness will look like in the church’s future culture.
Additionally, there is biblical precedent for someone taking responsibility for the sins of
the dead. There is a limited opportunity for Overlake leadership and elders to reverse the
trajectory set decades ago now. To truly align with Jesus's example and fulfill God's original
intention for all creation to thrive, particularly the marginalized and vulnerable, as guided
by Jeremiah 22:3-5, the church must prioritize righteousness. With this in mind, the
following recommendations are proposed for the church to consider:
360
Jonathan Stökl, Deborah, Huldah, and Innibana: Constructions of Female Prophecy in the Ancient
Near East and the Hebrew Bible, 6(3), JOURNAL OF ANCIENT JUDAISM 320-334 (2015).
74
● Explore Christ-like processes for receiving criticism and developing a culture of
listening.
● Incorporate faith-based abuse prevention strategies that focus on the uniqueness of
male victimization and dismantling assumptions of purity culture, including how
teaching on moral codes may impact vulnerability to abuse and justify silencing
survivors.
● Seek training and regular accountability in the dynamics of sexual harassment and
abuse in a Christian workplace and regularly assess the entire staff in a confidential
way on progress.
● Devotion to accountability at all leadership levels
GRACE also recommends that OCC have difficult conversations that may necessitate
even deeper changes. To this end, GRACE recommends OCC:
● Explore pragmatic actions towards a radical culture shift around the stronghold of
sexual misconduct at Overlake
As reflected in this report, there was sexual misconduct, even crimes committed by
former OCC leaders, some of which occurred in the building itself. These were not isolated
instances and they have impacted the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of the
victims of these offenses. For some of these victims, it is triggering to set foot on the
grounds of OCC.
Given this reality, it is critical that OCC consider every possible avenue for
transformation, including the church facility itself.
361
One radical possibility is to sell the
property and start anew in perhaps a smaller facility better suited to the current number of
congregants. Another possibility is to make OCC a place of healing reflected in all its leaders
say and do. This can be accomplished, in part, by adhering to the SAMSHA principles for
trauma-informed care. It may also be appropriate to create a memorial for everyone who
was abused at OCC as a reminder that Godly institutions and leaders can stray far away
from Christ’s command to care for the “least of these.”
After surviving the Holocaust, Corrie Ten Boom transformed a former
concentration camp into a ministry of healing. This included a physical transformation, as
simple as replacing barbed wire with window boxes blooming with flowers.
362
The Holy
362
LARRY LOFTIS, THE WATCHMAKER’S DAUGHTER,262-263 (2023).
361
Architecture and design can be tools for a trauma-informed environment and approach. For more
information on trauma-informed architecture and design see generally: Empathy in Architecture:
Using Trauma-Informed Design to Promote Healing (2020); 5 Principles of Trauma-Informed Design
(2022); Ceridwen Owen and James Crane, Trauma-Informed Design of Supported Housing: A Scoping
Review through the Lens of Neuroscience, 19(21), INT. J. ENVIRON. RES. PUBLIC HEALTH (2022).
75
Spirit knows best how to transform OCC into a ministry of healing for those wounded by
the church’s sins—a transformation GRACE believes is already underway. If OCC humbly
relies on the Lord’s guidance, there is no telling what God may be able to do.
● Consider coming under the authority of a denomination or other
structured oversight body
Although there are strengths to being a non-denominational church, there are also
fewer checks and balances than there are when a church is part of a denomination. Of
course, denominations can and have failed to protect children and other vulnerable
persons. Accordingly, GRACE does not offer this suggestion as a proposal without risk, but
one worthy of prayerful consideration.
Conclusion
In the Gospel of Mark we are told of Jesus taking a child in His arms and saying
“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever
welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me” (Mark 9:36-37). Jesus is
referencing ancient Jewish customs involving messengers. Given the distances over which
communications had to be brought, the bearers of news were to be treated with great
respect–a respect equal to that accorded to the person sending the message.
363
Through
this analogy, Jesus is contending we should receive a child as Christ’s “chosen
representative.”
364
Stated differently, our treatment of children says everything about how
we regard Jesus and, since Christians regard Jesus as God, our treatment of children
reflects our attitude toward our Creator.
365
In the history of Overlake Christian Church, children have not always been treated
well. As reflected in this report, some have been subjected to a toxic sexual purity that
continues to negatively impact them. Some children, as well as adults, were abused or
harassed. When these victims made an outcry, OCC often did not respond in a manner
befitting an organization that bears the name “Christian.”
Although the past cannot be changed, God has given OCC the gift of the future and
an opportunity to witness its faith to survivors of abuse and to the watching community
through repentance and concrete actions that may ease the wounds of yesteryear and
prevent future pain. There is evidence OCC has already begun to move in this direction. The
365
VICTOR I. VIETH, ON THIS ROCK: A CALL TO CENTER THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO CHILD ABUSE ON THE LIFE AND WORDS OF
JESUS 2 (2018).
364
W.A. STRANGE, CHILDREN IN THE EARLY CHURCH 54 (2004)
363
VICTOR I. VIETH, ON THIS ROCK: A CALL TO CENTER THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO CHILD ABUSE ON THE LIFE AND WORDS OF
JESUS 2 (2018); W.A. STRANGE, CHILDREN IN THE EARLY CHURCH 54 (2004).
76
decision of OCC’s leaders to make themselves vulnerable by having an outside body
conduct this assessment is a testament to their commitment to move in a better direction.
Jesus said that “[n]othing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will
not be known” (Luke 12:2). Although this report did not uncover all the sins buried in OCC’s
past, the sins that were revealed present a godly opportunity to confess the wrongs that
have been committed and demonstrate repentance as well as faith through our actions
(James 2:26).
If this opportunity is seized, OCC will not only extend a welcoming hand to survivors
of abuse, but to Jesus.
77
Appendix A - Exhibits
The following exhibits are presented as duplicated images and transcripts to facilitate
clarity.
78
:m
.
)f
:
'· .
t
-�
Exhibit A Transcript
STATE OF FLORIDA
VS.
JOHN ROBERT MOOREHEAD
CASE NO. 96-48868-CFAXS
PLEA IN ABSENTIA AND STIPPULATED REQUEST FOR SENTENCING IN ABSENTIA
Defendant, JOHN ROBERT MOOREHEAD, hereby enters his plea of nolo contendere,
maintaining his innocence in this cause, to exposure of sexual organs, a second degree
misdemeanor, F.S. 800.03 and 774.04(1).
Defendant has been fully advised by his counsel of all of his rights with regard to this plea
and voluntarily enters this plea, because he believes that it is in his best interest.
In return for this plea, it is Defendant's understanding that the State has recommended
and that the Court will withhold adjudication of guilt, order Defendant to pay $50.00 to
Daytona Beach Police Department for investigation and $50.00 to the State Attorney's
Office and court costs waived. The Court will not sentence the Defendant to jail, place him
on probation, order counseling or require him to serve any community service hours.
Sworn to and subscribed Before me this 23 day of October, 1996.
[Notary Public’s signature redacted]
NOTARY PUBLIC
JOHN ROBERT MOOREHEAD
[Defense Attorney’s signature redacted].
Florida Bar Bo: [redacted]
[Law firm address redacted]
[Law firm phone number redacted]
79
Exhibit B Transcript
February 11, 1998
Dear Overlake Family:
As you are probably aware, there has been another flurry of media reports during the past
week about the allegations against me. My family and I, as well as the elders and staff of
the church, continue to be dismayed about how the media chooses to represent the facts. I
want to take this opportunity to share with you the truth – without media adulteration and
spin. I also want to thank you for your continuing support and prayers; they have been a
source of tremendous strength to us.
Here is one example of how the media has worked in this case…
Last Friday I was asked by several reporters if I had signed a “plea bargain.” I said no! To
me, and I think to most people, a plea bargain is when you agree to plead guilty to a lesser
charge in order to get a more serious charge dropped. I did not, and would not, plead guilty
to any charge connected to this case for one simple reason: I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING
WRONG.
My attorney did recommend that I change my plea because Florida has a plea option not
available here in the State of Washington. You can maintain your innocence while pleading
nolo contendere, or, no contest. Doing so essentially ends the case without the court ever
determining the truth of the charges. Eventually, the entire case can be expunged from the
record as if it never existed. The only cost to me would have been $100 to cover costs of
the Daytona Beach Police Department and the State Attorney’s office. That plea was never
entered because all the charges against me were dismissed. My attorney is a good
Christian man and I know he would not give me bad advice. So, I prayed about what to do
and followed my attorney’s advice.
The media wanted to try to catch me in a lie. They tried to make it appear that I said I didn’t
agree to change my plea. What they asked me, though, was whether I ever agreed to a plea
bargain? Even after we faxed them the document showing what I had signed was a form
changing my plea from not guilty to no contest, but innocent of the charges, they still tried to
put a negative spin on the story. One station promoted their story by saying new
documents revealed I was willing to plead to the charges. As I’m sure you agree, such a
statement was incredibly misleading. The other media, for the most part, took a similar
approach.
over
80
Our focus has not changed: As the fellowship of the unashamed, we are committed to
passionately affect our world with the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ. Concerning our
response to the media, “though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-4.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact any of the elders.
Serving You,
The Overlake Eldership
81
1
19: 15
lo
10
2
INTRODUCTION
I
to
y
5
6
THE NEXT EVENT!
>
7
LET PRAY GETHER
R
Exhibit C Transcript
Overlake Christian Church
INTRODUCTION TO INVESTIGATIVE REPORT
SCRIPTURE LESSON
May 27, 1998
The elders want you to know the circumstances that led to the hiring of the private
investigator. In addition, we also want to let you know how we evaluated the allegations
against Pastor Bob.
But first let me say this. None of the Elders now in office, were aware of any sexual misconduct
prior to the Florida incident on the part of Pastor Moorehead. Let me repeat, WE DID NOT KNOW
OF ANY SEXUAL MISCONDUCT OR ANY ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ON THE PART OF
PASTOR BOB.
The Eldership appointed [name redacted] and [name redacted] to investigate all the
allegations. The intent was to have every individual making an allegation discuss it with
Pastor Bob so the facts of the allegation could be clearly examined, communicated to the
other Elders and evaluated for any appropriate action.
Around April of 1997, two members were willing to come forward and speak about their
allegations with Bob. They had both observed behavior by Bob that they felt was
inappropriate and that made them uncomfortable. Neither of them had ever approached
Bob about their feelings, even though the events happened over 20 years ago. In addition,
neither person said that Bob had ever treated them inappropriately. They openly discussed
the incident with Bob while [name redacted] and [name redacted] were present. They also
said they had been able to remain under Bob’s leadership over the years because they felt
their observations were not sufficiently conclusive of misconduct.
During that initial investigation, there were rumors of others who had been inappropriately
touched by Bob, but none were willing to come forward. Eventually, two names were given
to the Elders. Both were contacted by [name redacted], chairman of the elders at that time.
The incidents were over 20 years old. Neither of the persons making the allegations would
come forward to talk to Bob now. One of the individuals had discussed the incident with
Bob about 4 years ago and the other person alleged that he brought this to the attention of
an Elder in the early 1970s. Approximately January of 1998 the media began to release
accounts of several allegations against Bob, including the two already mentioned.
The Elders felt that since these people were unwilling to come forward and since most of
them were no longer OCC attendees, the only way we could get to the facts would be to
82
have a private investigator search them out, interview them and report the results of the
interviews to the Eldership. It was also our intent to have as many of the accusers as
possible discuss their allegations directly with Pastor Bob.
Our responsibility, as Elders, is to follow a Biblical process in receiving and evaluating these
allegations.
Deuteronomy 19:15 says, “One witness is not enough to convict a man of any crime or offense
he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three
witnesses.” This covers anyone, not just elders.
1 Timothy 5:19 is more specific as it relates to an elder or overseer. It says “Do not entertain
an accusation against an Elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses.”
Whoor what is a witness? According to my dictionary, a witness is “one who has seen
something and is therefore competent to give evidence concerning it.”
We believe this to mean that an accusation against an Elder is not to be entertained or
acted on unless there are at least two people who witnessed the incident. Adam Clarke, a
noted theologian, says “This, the law of Moses is required in respect to all; the reason for this is
evident, those whose business it is to correct others will usually have many enemies; great
caution, therefore, should be used in admitting accusations against such persons”.” [sic] There
must be at least two witnesses to each allegation you bring against an Elder or the
allegation is to be dismissed Because God demands a high standard for those He has
chosen as leaders over His people and because of the seriousness of allegations, we chose
to investigate them.
Since Pastor Bob is an Elder and since God requires such high standards for Eldership, let
me read them for you once again:
1 Timothy 3:1-17 tells us…and again in Titus 1:5-9…
Leaders are to be respected. No one should carelessly accuse an Elder.
With an Elder, we must be sure. There must be two or three witnesses that have also
witnessed the alleged offense. Not just hearsay or one person's word against another’s.
This is not like a secular case where conviction can be based on a preponderance of
evidence or evidence that is beyond a reasonable doubt. Ours is a Biblical investigation and
must be verified by two or three witnesses of the actual occurrence. Let me give you an
example from the Bible: Acts 23:2-5
Paul was respectful of the High Priest’s office. This is not to say that an accusation should
not be brought against an Elder, but that it is a serious thing and must be clearly validated
by other witnesses to the offense.
83
Matthew writes concerning the trial of Jesus in chapter 26, “Now the chief priest and the
whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to
death; and they did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. Finally, two
came forward and declared, “this fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and
rebuild it in three days.’" Then the High Priest stood up and said to Jesus, “are you not going to
answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” But Jesus remained
silent.
Even in the obviously biased attempt to condemn Jesus to death, there had to be more
than one witness to validate the accusation. He was also given the opportunity to reply to
the accusation, though He chose not to.
With that, I would like [name redacted] to present the conclusion of the investigators
report.
Overlake Christian Church
OUTLINE OF REPORT TO THE CONGREGATION
[Name redacted]
May 27, 1998
INTRODUCTION
Comments: Dillon version of the Bible (A little boy named Dillon gave me a bookmark, so I
call this my Dillon version!)
I want all of you that are guests to recognize this is a family matter. I ask you to respect the
fact you are guests, and respect our people and our processes. I ask that no pictures be
taken and no tape recordings of our proceedings.
That which I am about to report will not be popular with some, or fairly received by some. It
is however the unanimous conclusion of your elders.
I want you to know the elders have spent a considerable amount of time, effort, prayer,
and resources coming to the conclusion I am bringing before you today. We allowed the
investigator free reign for over three months to do his work. He was hired to interview the
accusers and others with testimony; to investigate their statements and do background
checks as appropriate; and report the facts as he found them. He was not hired to draw
conclusions, which is the sole responsibility of your Elders.
You also need to know that in the process of doing the investigation we in effect put Pastor
Bob’s biblical rights on hold. Remember, the biblical process to deal with any accusation
against any member of the body is first to require the offended party to confront the
accused. (Matthew 18:15) If you accept (listen to) an accusation against a brother before he
84
has confronted the accused, you are in the process of taking up the offense of another and
possibly gossip, both of which the bible strongly warns against. To the degree possible we
had the accusers meet with Pastor Bob to discuss their accusation. Please understand,
Pastor Bob yielded his rights to the end that every voice might be heard but with the
expectation that he would have the opportunity to defend himself. It was further
understood by both the accused and the accusers that the contents of the investigation
itself would remain confidential. Without this assurance many of the respondents would
not have come forward.
This leads me to the subject of expectations. The media has been orchestrating an
expectation that the content of the investigation report would be publicized. This would
first be a violation of our commitment to the parties involved. It would further circumvent
the purpose of the investigation as I noted earlier which included providing a forum for the
individuals involved to privately express their concerns. Our investigator was not asked to
draw conclusions, he only heard one side of the testimony, and that only of those that
came to him. Our summary report this evening we have chosen to give to you verbally. On
Sunday we will provide the congregation a summary of our conclusions and a bible study
format to assist you in understanding the context of our conclusions.
I want to take this opportunity to thank those of you who came forward to provide
information to our elders or the investigator. For some of you this process was both
uncomfortable and emotional. In reaching our conclusions we relied on the information
you chose to provide; we did not rely on the media reports, gossip or hearsay, or other
information from other unsubstantiated sources. This includes anonymous reports like you
saw in last Sunday's paper, which due to the unwillingness of the parties to be forthright
and identify themselves, was excluded from our consideration also.
Some will ask, why did the investigation take so long. It could have taken longer. However
when Bob turned in his resignation on the 20th of April we determined that prudence
requires we cut the costs and we suspended the investigation of new accusations. We
asked [name of private investigator redacted] to forward any new information to the elders
to deal with directly. Our report is the summation of the findings to date.
TWO KEY ISSUES
1. 1 Timothy 5:19 - receiving an accusation against and [sic] elder leading to church
discipline.
2. 1 Timothy 3:2 & 7 and Titus 1:6 - dealing with the issue of and [sic] Elder being above
reproach.
3. FACTUAL SUMMARY
36 statements taken by either investigator or elders.
85
17 separate individuals claimed personal inappropriate touching or attempted touching.
This ranged from:
● Those who believed he attempted to touch them
● Incidental touching (brushing in a hallway, etc.)
● To actions described as groping or fondling
19 other statements broken out as follows:
● 6 Supporting allegations
● 11 Not supporting the allocation
● 1 Taking up others offences [sic]
● 1 Not relevant to the investigation
4. METHODOLOGY OF EVALUATION
1. We broke the 17 allegations down using the following criterion as a filter.
● Credibility of the accuser (what were their backgrounds)
● Credibility of the facts (were they baptized at Overlake or married when
they said this occurred etc.)
● Willingness to talk with the investigator
● Willingness to talk with Pastor Bob (Matthew 18 process)
● Willingness to talk with elders
● Subsequent behavior of the accuser ( what was there [sic] life like after
the alleged incident)
● Explanation of biblical/ non-biblical approach (why didn’t they come
forward earlier and confront Bob)
● Willingness to identify themselves
2. Other issues of evaluation:
● Timeliness of complaint (when this happened vs. when they spoke out
about it)
● Speaking out when claiming violation (scripture clearly teaches us we
have a responsibility to do so)
● Corroborating witnesses to the acts claimed by the accusers
● Bob Moorehead’s reputation and the fruit of his ministry for the past 41
years
5. APPLICATION OF METHODOLOGY
1. We disregarded those that refused to identify themselves
2. Six of the accusers eventually met with Bob Moorehead.
3. 14 of the accusers gave separate testimony that could not be factually disputed. (It
was their word against Pastor Bob’s word)
4. Bob Moorehead denied(s) all allegations
86
5. There were no instances of corroborating witnesses to a single event or accusation.
6. There was no witnessed resistance or “crying out” against the apparent offences
[sic].
6. CONCLUSIONS
1 TIMOTHY 5:19 RECEIVING AN ACCUSATION AGAINST AND ELDER LEADING TO CHURCH
DISCIPLINE.
1. Key scriptures include:
1. 1 Timothy 5:19 There is a scriptural requirement for multiple witnesses
to the offence [sic].
2. Deuteronomy 19:15, 17:6
3. Numbers 35:30
B. The application of the scripture in scripture:
1. Matthew 26:59-62 Jesus before Caiaphas
2. John 5:31 Where Jesus himself states the same principal
3. John 8:13 Pharisees confirm necessity of two witnesses
C. Other factors in addition to the lack of corroborating witnesses that influenced our
decision included:
1. The 41 years of solid fruit born by the pastor.
2. The lack of accusations prior to the present investigation: Every past executive
pastor going back to 1971 has been interviewed and not one, prior to [name
redacted], has heard an accusation. Of the two that claimed to have gone to Pater
Bob in the 70’s: In one case the elder he claimed he told and then went with to Bob
denied he ever talked to the accuser about the incident or met with him and Pastor
Bob. This elder has not been a member of OCC for over 14 years. The second one,
again Pastor Bob does not remember and the only elder identified has since died.
3. NOTE: Not one of the present elders, some of whom have been around since
1971, had been aware of the accusations prior to the current disclosures. (The only
former elder who remembers any accusations was [name redacted], and he refused
to give us the names of any of the accusers. One of the accusers who has been on
television did meet with Pastor Bob, [name redacted], and former Pastor [name
redacted] over four years ago.)
4. None of the accusers cried out. There is a principle in scripture that if one is
violated and you expect to be considered innocent you must respond against the
violation see Deuteronomy 22:23-27.
87
5. The time period for most of the accusations dates back 20+ years.
6. We have no history of Bob Moorehead lying.
HEREFORE:
After serious consideration of the testimony of each accuser, we do not find a
basis for church discipline against Pastor Bob Moorehead. Applying scriptural
standards, the evidence is insufficient for church discipline. Amos 5:10 says “they
hate him who reproves them in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks with
integrity.” The intent of the scriptures dealing with accusations against an elder is to
put a high standard of protection around one who has been set apart to rule. The
standard is the same one the Old Testament places on one accused of a capital
crime. Without at least two corroborating witnesses to the same crime the
testimony will not be received. We had no corroborating witnesses to the same
crime and the testimony will not be received. We had no corroborating witnesses to
the testimony of any one of the individual accusers.
To help put this into perspective, let's look at the most succinct statement of this
principal in Numbers 35:30.
THE SECOND ISSUE:
1 TIMOTHY 3:2 AND TITUS 1:6 WHICH DEAL WITH AND [sic] ELDER BEING ABOVE
REPROACH.
1. Regarding the matter of Bob Moorehead continuing to function as an elder and
being above reproach, in accordance with scriptural teaching as we heard from
[name redacted], Pastor Bob is not above reproach (he no longer has a good
reputation with those outside the church). This was recognized by Pastor Bob and
the elders, which facilitated the acceptance of his resignation as senior pastor, and
as an elder.
OTHER ISSUES
1. You will not find our decision without controversy even within the Christian
community. A liberal view of scriptures and modern attitudes would lower the
biblical standard for accepting an accusation against an elder. As you can imagine it
took an enormous amount of time, study and debate at times for your elders to
come to agreement. We stand united before you in our view of the scriptures and our
conclusions.
88
END OF REPORT
THE NEXT EVENT!
I am going to take a speaking class.
SOME ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
There will be some who will question our decision to allow Pastor Bob to deliver his
“farewell message” on the 14th of June based on our finding that he is not above
reproach. We view the 14th as a family matter. A time to honor a man and his family
for the 28 ½ years of faithful and fruitful service to the body. This will be a time of
celebration of consolation, of grieving, of looking to the past and most importantly
looking to the future.
● God allowed us to go through this catharsis, for a purpose,
● He has other plans for Pastor Bob, perhaps even greater,
● He has other plans for us,
● When I counsel families on how to view the raising of their children I
often relate back to Psalm 139 v 7-16,
● God knows the plans he has laid out for each of us. He has a book on
each of our lives. And our books are all in the library of Overlake Christian
Church, (the people whose lives have been changed)
WHAT’S THE NEXT EVENT?
● THE NEXT EVENT IS SUNDAY MORNING AS WE FOCUS ON PRAISING GOD AND
WINNING THE LOST.
● THE NEXT EVENT IS PUTTING ON THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD AGAINST THE
ENEMY OF DOUBT, CONFLICT, MASSIVE NEWS COVERAGES.
● THE NEXT EVENT IS GOD IS IN CONTROL
We have as an interim plan of action and first step is to win the Eastside to Christ. We have
the pulpit filled for the most part through August with some exciting preachers. We will also
be hearing from some of our homegrown preachers here on staff. It’s now time for us to
turn our attention to pursuing our vision.
We have established a search committee who is searching for the man God has anointed to
fill the pulpit at Overlake Christian Church for the next 30 years.
We need now to get on our knees and pray for God’s wisdom and blessing, for renewal, for
a spirit of unity. I want to challenge you to fast and pray each Wednesday for the next four
weeks specifically for God’s man to be identified and called to Overlake Christian Church.
89
LET’S PRAY TOGETHER
[1] This is a GRACE transcript of an OCC document. We did not correct spelling, grammar,
or emphasis but did delete names we considered irrelevant to understanding the
document.
90
Exhibit D Transcript
Overlake Christian Church May 18, 1999
Rick Kingham
Senior Pastor
Dear Church Family,
We are writing to you to share insights we gained and changes that need to be made for
the future in regards to the issue we have faced these past few years. Our heart is to
inform you of things that we, your elders have learned.
We are ordinary and fallible men earnestly seeking God’s will and endeavoring to do what is
right. Where we have failed to correctly perceive God’s will we are sorry and seek your
forgiveness. The Godly leadership to which elders are called requires that they seek
wisdom, righteousness, and unanimity in every decision. A great deal of prayer
accompanies our decision making processes. Our greatest desire to serve you, our church
family, in a God honoring way.
We have learned that being in the leadership of the church is a growing and maturing
process. Part of the maturing process is learning from the past. We have identified policies
and procedures needing change. We have made the following three, key policy changes:
1. We pledge to seek better ways to communicate more effectively with this church
body. Your eldership is committed to being more visible, transparent, and
approachable.
2. We have added a written policy and procedure to follow when a serious allegation is
made against an elder, pastor, or staff person. Generally, no one is comfortable
bringing an accusation against another, but we are committed to making that
process as user friendly as is reasonably possible.
3. Any serious allegation brought against a person on the OCC staff, including senior
pastor and elders, will cause that person to be immediately suspended pending a
full investigation.
We also want to address unresolved issues surrounding the resignation of our former
senior pastor, Bob Moorehead. We realize some of you joined Overlake after the
resignation of Pastor Bob Moorehead, and that much of this information may be unclear.
The spiritual significance of these issues makes it imperative that we comment at this time.
The long-term health of this body is dependent on bringing closure of these matters so that
we may move forward.
91
Pastor Bob Moorehead was accused of inappropriate conduct. Pastor Bob resigned last
year because his reputation and witness in this community was damaged beyond repair.
For those reasons, had Pastor Bob not resigned, the Elders were prepared to ask for the
resignation.
Since Pastor Bob’s resignation, the eldership has received testimony that meets the biblical
standard of multiple witnesses. Based on this testimony, the eldership reviewed the entire
matter and unanimously concluded that Pastor Bob Moorehead did violate the scriptural
standards of trust, self-control, purity, and Godly character required for the office of elder
and pastor at Overlake Christian Church
92
Inquiry Committee
Meeting of June 8, 1999
st
2. Adequacy of the public apology
3. A Service of Reconciliation
th
Exhibit E Transcript
Inquiry Committee
Meeting of June 8, 1999
1. Adequacy of the Overlake members letter.
The Elders of Overlake sent a letter to their membership on May 21st that
acknowledged that Bob was guilty of violating “the scriptural standards of trust,
self-control, purity, and Godly character.” Is their statement substantially consistent
with our conclusion? Bob did
“...commit multiple acts that violate ministerial, as well as Christian morals
and ethics.
These acts included touching the genital area of other men. These
acts also included rubbing his hand against the penis of other men without
their consent.”
Resolution 1A: The Overlake membership letter was an admission of guilt. Bob
Moorehead did, in fact, sin in a variety of ways. The sins identified were less explicit
and less descriptive than the sins identified by the Inquiry Committee. Even so, given
the public information that has circulated, it is apparent that the Elders were
acknowledging the truth of the charges that have been brought against him.
Therefore we find that the letter is substantially consistent with our conclusions.
The fact that the letter was less descriptive of the sinful acts could be explained in at
least two alternative ways.
First, it might be an effort by the elders to avoid mentioning the sinful acts based
upon their understanding of the scripture which says in Ephesians 5:12 “it is shameful even
to mention what the disobedient do in secret.” If that was the motivation, we can find virtue
in the graciousness of the understatement.
Second, it might represent a remaining unwillingness to fully expose the sins which
the elders had known about, but were unwilling to properly deal with. The fuller context of
the above verse can give a different light to the meaning: “Have nothing to do with the
fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention
what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible…”
(Ephesians 5:11-13)
The elders placed an extremely high value on 1 Timothy 5:19 and used it as the
basis of the long delay in arriving at an acknowledgement of guilt by Bob. The next verse
says, “Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning.” If the
93
elders wanted to admit as little as possible then the motivation did not come from a true
heart of obedience to the 1 Timothy 5:20 passage and the thing is not pleasing to God.
We want to be careful not to make a wrong judgment even though there might be a part of
our nature inclined to want to judge these motives. John urged us to “Stop judging by mere
appearances, and make a right judgment.” (John 7:24) Paul encouraged us that when the
Lord comes “He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of
men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.” (1 Corinthians 4:5) These
are all things we are reminding ourselves about. The concern we feel is sufficient to
warrant asking the elders to examine their own hearts in this matter. Is there a willingness
to be forthcoming and completely settle this matter in openness and humility before the
watching community? Is there a willingness to humbly admit the errors and sins? It takes
great humility, and is itself humbling, for strong leaders to admit to the deception that is
sometimes masked by cleverly worded statements. Could it be that the same motivation
that delayed the determination of guilt is behind the understated admission of guilt? We
did not offer these questions as accusations. Rather, we are calling for self-examination
toward the end of spiritual growth and refinement. Your letter to the congregation
indicated that you desire to seek righteousness in each decision. We offer these thoughts
as possible venues of prayer and personal evaluation for the elders as individuals and for
the elders as a collection of leaders.
Resolution 1B: That above statement be adopted and communicated to the elders of
Overlake in the form of a letter.
2. Adequacy of the public apology
The Inquiry Committee appreciates that Overlake is making an effort to contact all
the victims of Bob’s sins. We believe this is an important step in making things right
with them. We believe a public apology is also necessary. Whether right or wrong,
there is a strong public perception that no apology is going to be offered. If your
heart is otherwise, then a direct public apology to the victims is necessary. This will
remove any impression held by the public that the elders have been able to admit
Bob’s violations without having taken any responsibility for the mishandling of
victims by the Overlake leadership.
We know that Bob Moorehead, as the one guilty of moral misdeeds against
Overlake members, should apologize. Confession is really the same as apology.
Long ago, God said in Numbers 5:6-7 “Say to the Israelites: ‘When a man or woman
wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the LORD, the person is guilty and
must confess the sin he has committed.” If the Pastor of Overlake has wronged
these people as has been admitted, and he did so during official acts of the church
in baptism and in weddings, it seems that an apology by the Church is in order.
94
In times of difficulty such as Overlake has been experiencing, there is a need for
apology and confession. There is a classic illustration in Nehemiah 9:1-2. There the
people repented on behalf of their leaders.
On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together,
fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads. Those of Israelite
descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places
and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers.
Indeed, the situation of Overlake bears striking similarities to the ancient record. At
the very time that Overlake was enjoying the goodness of God and His blessing,
which souls were being saved and baptized, the Pastor was grasping the genitals of
converts, even while speaking to the congregation from the baptistry. In Nehemiah’s
day the people who followed the time of sin repented of the sins of those who went
before:
In all that has happened to us, you have been just; you have acted faithfully,
while we did wrong. Our kings, our leaders, our priests, and our fathers did
not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or the
warnings
you gave them. Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying your great
goodness to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, they did
not
serve you or turn from their evil ways. (Nehemiah 9:33-35)
We also know there is a long tradition of confession of sins of others.
Resolution 2: In order to erase public misconceptions, and to bring closure for the sin
committed, we call upon the elders of Overlake to publicly apologize (confess) the
sins committed against the victims by Bob Moorhead and to ask forgiveness of the
victims.
3. A Service of Reconciliation
The Eastside Pastors offered Overlake the opportunity of a joint service of restoration of
unity and relationship with Overlake. We have discussed the date of August 8, 1999. This
has been the intended outcome of the Inquiry Committee from the beginning.
95
Resolution 3: The Eastside Pastors affirm their desire for the rapid completion of this
process and to have a reconciliation service as soon thereafter as possible. We would
welcome a request for such a meeting on August 8th or another date of mutual
agreement.
96
Appendix B - Survey Summary
97
Overlake Christian Church Survey Summary
A survey drafted by GRACE investigators was distributed to an email list through OCC of
over 4,000 addresses. The survey was open for a month. There were 239 respondents and
it had a 67% completion rate. GRACE Investigators have incorporated many comments and
ideas from the survey results into the final report recommendations. Therefore, not every
question summary is reflected below.
98
● I am a member of the church staff, or an elder.
● I am a leader at OCC that is not on staff.
● I am a member of the congregation who volunteers with children or youth
ministries, teaching ministries, or serves as a volunteer in some other ministry of
the church.
● I am a member of the congregation but do not volunteer in a ministry within the
church.
● I have attended OCC but am not a member.
99
● My association is as follows: (Fill in)
Question 6. Of the respondents who indicated they were familiar with the Overlake’s
history with sexual misconduct, sexual abuse, adult sexual assault and behavioral
misconduct:
● Very familiar – 23.5%
● Somewhat familiar – 43.5%
● I don’t know anything – 33%
● Supportive and compassionate
● Indifferent
● Blaming and disparaging
● I do not know.
● Comment box:
100
101
102
103
104
105
● A personal or body safety program for youth to better equip them with options
should they be abused in any way.
● A personal safety program for parents to better equip them to speak with their
children about abuse.
● Mandatory training for OCC staff on recognizing and responding to child abuse.
● Developing a special ministry for child and adult survivors of abuse prevention
initiatives.
● A sermon series on child abuse and other forms of trauma.
● A Bible study on child abuse and other forms of trauma.
106
107
