NZ’s Largest Megachurch Closing Campuses after Damning Internal Report Destroys Reputation
Two months ago, New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs opened up an investigation into the country’s largest church after church leaders commissioned an internal report into allegations of abuse and sexual misconduct from within the congregation, found the results damning, and then refused to release it and address the complaints.
Conducted by Pathfinding, the 49-page report was commissioned by the church after several public stories that cast the 10,000-member multisite Arise Church in a negative light emerged. Senior Pastor John Cameron resigned after this initial revelation, and in total, 545 people came forward with a story to tell, including current and former members of staff, past board members, and students.
Consequently, many stories of racism, bullying, manipulation, extravagant spending, abusing the interns through overwork, and sexual harassment emerged, prompting the government to take action.
Hemorrhaging people and money, Arise Aukland pastor and pastrix Ben and Anna Carroll announced they are shuttering their campus, disassociating themselves from the Arise mothership, and will be reopening a whole new church in the new year.
“We are now in the process of closing down our Arise services here in Auckland in October and planning to begin a new church – Passion AKL in 2023. ..We are keen to keep everyone informed about what is happening for gatherings and the prayer points for this next season.”
According to Journalist David Farrier, who has been masterfully covering the story, it’s not just the Aukland campus that is in trouble:
The Wellington campus is effectively temporarily shut, and while Ray and Emma Moore are still pastors, their congregation — what’s left of it — are all meeting at the Arise Centre with those from the Hutt Valley Campus until at least February. Clearly with so many people leaving, they can’t fill the Michael Fowler Centre anymore.
Lest anyone think that the Carroll’s are leaving because they are fed up with the abuses of Arise and the leadership there, rather than a nakedly transparent attempt to rebrand themselves, they recently praised their former pastors during a church service, ‘honoring’ them for all they’ve done.
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