Sovereign Grace Churches

{{Short description|Network of Protestant churches}} {{Multiple issues| {{Original research|date=September 2016}} {{Undue weight|date=September 2024}} {{lead rewrite | reason = this article's lead fails to summarise the article main body, and introduces novel material not appearing in the main body (e.g., the list of church locations), together violating guidance of WP:LEAD|date=April 2026}} {{copy edit|for= reduced length of overly detailed four-subsection treatment of a controversy, in the section by that title, removing primary-source derived WP:OR research, and focusing on summarising secondary source-derived accounts|date=April 2026}} }} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2026}} {{Infobox religion | name = Sovereign Grace Churches | abbreviation = SGC | caption_background = | image = Sovereign Grace Ministries.png | imagewidth = | alt = | caption = | type = | main_classification = Protestant, Evangelical | orientation = Continuationist, Calvinist | scripture = | theology = | polity = | governance = | structure = | leader_title = Executive Director | leader_name = Mark Prater | leader_title1 = | leader_name1 = | leader_title2 = | leader_name2 = | fellowships = | associations = | area = United States (primarily) | headquarters = Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. | founder = | founded_date = 1982 | founded_place = Gaithersburg, Maryland, U.S. | separated_from = | parent = | merger = | absorbed = | separations = | merged_into = | defunct = | hospitals = | nursing_homes = | aid = | congregations = 133{{original research|date=April 2026}}<ref>{{cite web |title=List of all Sovereign Grace Churches |website=Sovereign Grace Churches |url=https://www.sovereigngrace.com/churches |access-date=November 9, 2024}}</ref>{{better source|date=April 2026}} | members =  | ministers = | missionaries = | temples = | primary_schools = | secondary_schools = | tax_status = | tertiary = | other_names = | publications = | website = {{URL|sovereigngrace.com}} | footnotes = }} '''Sovereign Grace Churches''' ('''SGC''', previously '''Sovereign Grace Ministries''' and '''People of Destiny International''') is a network of Reformed, continuationist, and confessionalist Christian churches, primarily in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statement of Faith – Sovereign Grace Churches |url=https://www.sovereigngrace.com/statement-of-faith |access-date=September 10, 2024 |website=USA/Canada Sovereign Grace Churches |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=7 Shared Values – Sovereign Grace Churches |url=https://www.sovereigngrace.com/7-shared-values |access-date=September 10, 2024 |website=USA/Canada Sovereign Grace Churches |language=en-US}}</ref><ref> {{cite web |title=Sovereign Grace Churches – Churches |url=https://www.sovereigngrace.com/churches |access-date=September 10, 2024 |work=SGC Official Website}}</ref> Sovereign Grace maintains that churches should exist in close partnership and describes itself as a 'family of churches.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History – Sovereign Grace Churches |url=https://www.sovereigngrace.com/history |access-date=September 10, 2024 |website=USA/Canada Sovereign Grace Churches |language=en-US}}</ref> Beyond its U.S. congregations, Sovereign Grace has churches in Mexico, Australia, Bolivia, Ethiopia, Great Britain, Germany, and several other countries.<ref> {{cite web |title=Sovereign Grace Churches – Churches |url=http://www.sovereigngrace.com/churches |access-date=September 10, 2024 |work=SGC Official Website}}</ref>

Sovereign Grace Churches has faced controversies related to leadership and the handling of sexual abuse allegations. Former members and critics have described aspects of the movement under founder C. J. Mahaney as cult-like, while the organization and its supporters have disputed that characterization and denied allegations of systemic wrongdoing.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sovereign Grace Ministries, riven by conflict, seeks to change |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/sovereign-grace-ministries-riven-by-conflict-seeks-to-change/2011/08/19/gIQAJuXt7J_story.html |work=The Washington Post |access-date=5 March 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Controversy follows Calvinist group |url=https://baptistnews.com/article/controversy-follows-calvinist-group/ |website=Baptist News Global |access-date=5 March 2026}}</ref>

== History ==

The organization of over 80 member churches grew out of the charismatic renewal of the 1970s under the leadership of Larry Tomczak. It has its roots in a charismatic prayer meeting in Silver Spring, Maryland, then Washington, DC, called Take and Give (TAG), which grew into Covenant Life Church, the former flagship of Sovereign Grace.<ref> {{cite book | last = Tomczak | first = Larry | title = Clap Your Hands | year = 1989 | publisher = Word Publishing | isbn= 978-0-85009-315-5 | pages = 179–196 }} </ref> Tomczak co-founded the church with C. J. Mahaney.<ref> {{cite book | last = Tomczak | first = Larry | title = Clap Your Hands | year = 1989 | publisher = Word Publishing | isbn= 978-0-85009-315-5 | page = 164 }}</ref> Mahaney has referred to himself informally as a 'former pothead.."<ref name="keeping">{{cite news |last=Duin |first=Julia |date=December 23, 2002 |title=KEEPING THEIR EYES on the CROSS; Gospel truth draws at Covenant Life |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2002/dec/23/20021223-111002-4857r/ |access-date=July 20, 2011 |newspaper=The Washington Times}}</ref> Larry Tomczak withdrew from the Charismatic scene shortly before the creation of Covenant Life Church.<ref> {{cite book | last = Tomczak | first = Larry | title = Clap Your Hands | year = 1989 | publisher = Word Publishing | isbn= 978-0-85009-315-5 | page = 185 }}</ref>

In 1981, Brent Detweiler, pastor of Indiana Christian Fellowship in Indiana, Pennsylvania, asked Mahaney and Tomczak to provide oversight and accountability for his church. The two churches formed an informal church-planting partnership. In 1982, shortly after planting a church in Cleveland, Mahaney, Tomczak and Detweiler formed People of Destiny International as an umbrella organization for their various ministries. The original apostolic team comprised Mahaney, Tomczak, Detweiler and Bill Galbraith.<ref name=Detweilerdoc1>{{Cite web|url=http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/970485/13898998/1314638941327/Part-1-Response-Regarding-Friendship-Doctrine+with+links.pdf?token=U%2Bt9vhAkePZMU1sSrN%2Bk%2FMW5FgQ%3D|title=First Detweiler document|accessdate=July 30, 2023}}</ref><ref>Detweiler, Brent. [http://www.brentdetwiler.com/brentdetwilercom/mark-altrogge-and-sovereign-grace-church-of-indiana-pa-leave.html Mark Altrogger and Sovereign Grace Church of Indiana, PA Leave SGM]. February 3, 2013.</ref> Tomczak and Mahaney and the movement were influenced by Bryn Jones and Terry Virgo, leaders of the British New Church Movement. Both Tomczak and Mahaney spoke at New Frontiers' Bible Weeks and Stoneleigh Conference.

They were also friendly with Maranatha Campus Ministries for a period.<ref> {{cite book | last = Virgo | first = Terry | title = No Well Worn Paths | page = 162 }}</ref> In "The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Modern Christian Thought" published in 1995,<ref> {{cite web | url = http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/book.asp?ref=9780631198963 | title = Gospel Bluesman Offers God's Love in Sin City | access-date = June 20, 2008 }}</ref> Alister McGrath associated PDI with the Shepherding Movement and described it as having "informal links with Bryn Jones", the UK house church leader.<ref> {{cite book | last = McGrath | first = Alister | title = The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Modern Christian Thought | page = 432 }}</ref> In the mid-1990s, while Tomczak was still involved in the group's leadership, religious anthropologist Dr. Karla Poewe wrote that "Vineyard is particularly attractive to the young and intellectual... People of Destiny serves a Catholic constituency" although participants at that time would not agree with this assessment,<ref> {{cite book | last = Poewe | first = Karla O. | title = Charismatic Christianity as a Global Culture | url = https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780872499966 | url-access = registration | year = 1994 | page = [https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780872499966/page/25 25] | publisher = Univ of South Carolina Press | isbn = 9780872499966 }}</ref> contrasting PDI with the Vineyard Church. The theological focus gradually shifted during the mid-1990s and it was later suggested that the increasing New Calvinism of PDI was a major factor in Larry Tomczak's departure from the movement.<ref name="bluesman">{{cite news | url = http://www.charismamag.com/display.php?id=369 | title = Charisma Magazine | access-date = February 9, 2008 | date = July 2000 | publisher = Charisma Magazine }}</ref><ref> {{cite book | last = Tomczak | first = Larry | title = What Do You Believe About How People get Saved? | year = 1998 }} </ref>

Although reconciled with C. J. Mahaney in 2011,<ref name="sovereigngraceministries.org">{{Cite web|url=http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/blogs/sgm/post/A-letter-from-Larry-Tomczak-on-his-reconciliation-with-CJ-Mahaney.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920164724/http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/blogs/sgm/post/A-letter-from-Larry-Tomczak-on-his-reconciliation-with-CJ-Mahaney.aspx|url-status=dead|title=A letter from Larry Tomczak on his reconciliation with C.J. Mahaney|archive-date=September 20, 2011}}</ref><ref name="christianitytoday.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/julyweb-only/sexmoneypride.html?start=2|title=Sex, Money ... Pride? Why Pastors Are Stepping Down|author=Bobby Ross Jr.|work=ChristianityToday.com|date=July 14, 2011 |access-date=July 14, 2015}}</ref> Tomczak earlier described the parting of ways with Sovereign Grace Ministries as "an unbelievable nightmare" during which his family "were threatened in various ways if [they] did not cooperate with [PDI/SGM]... A letter was circulated in an attempt to discredit me and to distort the events surrounding my departure."<ref name="ra"> {{cite book | last = Tomczak | first = Larry | title = Reckless Abandon | page = 15 }}</ref> Other notable charismatic figures, such as Lou Engle, founder of The Call prayer concerts, and Ché Ahn, pastor of Harvest Rock Church in Pasadena, California, also ceased to be formally associated with PDI during this period.<ref> {{cite book | last = Poloma | first = Margaret M. | title = Main Street Mystics | page = 177 }}</ref> As of 2008 the group identified itself as "a family of churches passionate about the gospel of Jesus Christ... with a strong doctrinal basis that is evangelical, Reformed, and continuationist."<ref> {{cite web | url = http://www.sovgracemin.org/About/AboutUs.aspx | title = Sovereign Grace Ministries--About Us | access-date = June 20, 2008 }}</ref> This move towards Reformed (or Calvinist) doctrine is illustrated by Sovereign Grace's partnerships with Reformed theologians—such as John MacArthur, Mark Dever, and John Piper—in events like the Together for the Gospel Conferences.<ref> {{cite web | url = http://www.t4g.org/2008 | title=T4G 2008 Conference | author = Together for the Gospel | access-date = February 28, 2008 }}</ref>{{Vague|date=April 2013}} In the summer of 2009, Detweiler, who had left the SGM board in 2009, released a series of documents detailing numerous grievances with Mahaney, including concerns about Mahaney's leadership style. On July 6, 2011, Mahaney announced that he would be taking a leave of absence as a team reviewed charges brought against him of "pride, unentreatability, deceit, sinful judgment, and hypocrisy." One of the purposes for this period included reconciliation with former SGM ministers. Larry Tomczak reported that Mahaney had gone out of his way to rebuild their relationship after 13 years of estrangement.<ref name="sovereigngraceministries.org"/><ref name="christianitytoday.com"/><ref>{{cite web|title=C.J. Mahaney Takes Leave Over 'Serious' Charges|work=Charisma News |url=http://www.charismanews.com/us/31503-cj-mahaney-takes-leave-over-serious-charges|access-date=February 8, 2012}}</ref> On January 25, 2012, Mahaney was reinstated as president of the organization by the board after three review panels found no reason to disqualify him from his role as president, or to "call into question his fitness for gospel ministry."<ref>{{cite web|title=Sovereign Grace Ministries Reinstates C.J. Mahaney as President|url=http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctliveblog/archives/2012/01/sovereign_grace.html|publisher=Christianity Today|access-date=May 10, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Mclean|first=Mickey|title=C.J. Mahaney reinstated at Sovereign Grace|url=http://online.worldmag.com/2012/01/26/c-j-mahaney-reinstated-at-sovereign-grace/|publisher=World Magazine|access-date=February 8, 2012}}</ref>

Early in 2012, Sovereign Grace Ministries announced their intention to relocate their headquarters from Gaithersburg, Maryland, to Louisville, Kentucky, citing Louisville's lower cost of living as well as the growing connection with the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in town.<ref>{{cite web|title=Controversial church with Southern Baptist ties moves headquarters to Louisville|url=http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20120419/FEATURES10/304190090/Controversial-church-Southern-Baptist-ties-moves-headquarters-Louisville |publisher=The Courier Journal|access-date=May 10, 2012}}</ref> Some critics have suggested that the move may have more to do with the fractured state of the organization's relationship with the SGM flagship church, Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sovereign Grace Ministries Relocating Headquarters to Kentucky|url=http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctliveblog/archives/2012/05/sovereign_grace_1.html|publisher=Christianity Today|access-date=May 10, 2012}}</ref> Later in 2012, the movement's former flagship, Covenant Life Church, departed from SGM, a decision supported by an overwhelming 93%<ref>{{Citation | title = Maryland megachurch secedes from Sovereign grace ministries | newspaper = The Christian Post | date = December 20, 2012 | url = http://www.christianpost.com/news/maryland-megachurch-secedes-from-sovereign-grace-ministries-87028/}}.</ref> of voting members.<ref>{{cite web | date = November 21, 2012 | title= Flagship Church Votes to Leave C.J. Mahaney's Sovereign Grace Ministries | work= Christian Research Network |url= http://christianresearchnetwork.org/2012/12/21/flagship-church-votes-to-leave-c-j-mahaneys-sovereign-grace-ministries/}}</ref> Additionally, the Sovereign Grace churches in Indiana and Altoona, PA, Sarasota and Daytona Beach, FL and Charlottesville, VA cut ties with the movement during this period. Daytona Beach's pastor Jesse Jarvis noted a "leadership culture characterized by excessive authority and insufficient accountability" as rationale for the church's departure.<ref>{{cite web | work = The World mag | date = Nov 2012 | title =Troubled ministry |url= http://www.worldmag.com/2012/11/troubled_ministry}}</ref> The Indiana church was one of the charter members of SGM. About 80 churches from the United States and around the world remained in the organization. By March 2013 approximately 20 churches had left Sovereign Grace Ministries.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Murashko|first1=Alex|title=Up to 20 Churches Leaving SGM; Mahaney Response Compared to Watergate Scandal|url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/up-to-20-churches-leaving-sgm-mahaney-response-compared-to-watergate-scandal-92298/|website=www.christianpost.com|date=March 13, 2013}}</ref> During that same month C.J. Mahaney announced "that he would step down as president of SGM's beleaguered network of churches."<ref name="Mahaney-Harris-Resign">{{cite web|last1=Weber|first1=Jeremy|title=C. J. Mahaney, Joshua Harris Resign from Gospel Coalition after SGM Abuse Conviction|url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2014/may/c-j-mahaney-joshua-harris-resign-from-gospel-coalition-sgm.html|website=www.christianitytoday.com|date=May 19, 2014}}</ref>

In January 2015, Joshua Harris, leader of SGM's former flagship church Covenant Life Church, resigned as lead pastor, saying he planned to attend seminary to pursue more formal education and connection to other branches of Christianity. He believed that "the isolation of Covenant Life, and of a small cluster of churches of which it was a part, may have fed leadership mistakes, including the decision of pastors—himself among them—to handle a child sexual abuse case internally instead of going to police."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Boorstein|first1=Michelle|title=Pastor Joshua Harris, an evangelical outlier, heads to mainstream seminary|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/long-an-outsider-popular-evangelical-pastor-heads-for-the-mainstream/2015/01/30/31827364-a881-11e4-a7c2-03d37af98440_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=January 30, 2015}}</ref>

=== History of name changes ===

Sovereign Grace Churches was known as "People of Destiny International" until 1998.<ref> {{cite news | url = http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1998/april27/8t515c.html | title = News Briefs | work = Christianity Today | access-date = February 29, 2008 | date = April 27, 1998 }}</ref> British restorationist leader Terry Virgo says that Larry Tomczak and C. J. Mahaney, leaders at the time, had become "increasingly uncomfortable" with the "People of Destiny International" name, and it became "PDI Ministries".<ref> {{cite book | last = Virgo | first = Terry | title = No Well Worn Paths | page = 145 }}</ref> In 2002, the group adopted its next name of "Sovereign Grace Ministries."<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030210075701/http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/about/new_name.html|url=http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/about/new_name.html|title=PDI Becomes Sovereign Grace|author=C.J. Mahaney|archive-date=February 10, 2003|work=sovereigngraceministries.org|access-date=July 17, 2015}}</ref> In December 2014, executive director Mark Prater announced that the group's name would change to "Sovereign Grace Churches", to reflect its newly changed structure.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/blogs/sgm/post/Transitioning-to-Sovereign-Grace-Churches.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150421070551/https://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/blogs/sgm/post/Transitioning-to-Sovereign-Grace-Churches.aspx|title=Transitioning to Sovereign Grace Churches|author=Mark Prater|archive-date=April 21, 2015|work=sovereigngraceministries.org|access-date=July 14, 2015}}</ref>

== Church planting == Church planter Fred Herron described the PDI/SGM church planting method of founding new churches: a pastor leads a group of members to relocate to a different city and form, or ''plant'', a new church.<ref>{{cite book | last = Herron | first = Fred | title = Expanding God's Kingdom Through Church-Planting | year = 2003 | pages = 73–74}}</ref>{{Self-published inline|date=July 2011}} The first church adoption was in Cleveland Ohio. North Coast Church formerly called Crossroads Christian Community was founded in 1980. It was a growing fellowship of 200 people but lacked the apostolic oversight for greater growth. Co-pastors Steve Witt and Bob Cohen invited an "Apostolic Team" the fall of 1980 to come and assist in "apostolic restructuring." Steve Witt's father had been influential in Larry Tomczaks salvation and transfer from Cleveland to DC area. A team arrived in April 1981 of 11 people, including Tomczak and family. They stayed for one year before returning to Washington, D.C., leaving behind a team to oversee and develop North Coast Church. North Coast thrived and grew until its ultimate demise decades later. For many years, PDI did not adopt existing churches, but later altered its policy. SGM adoption of an existing church begins with the development of a relationship with leadership and continues with dialogue to evaluate the doctrinal and practical compatibility of Sovereign Grace with the church desiring adoption.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/ChurchPlanting/ChurchPlantingFAQ.aspx#02 |title=SGM Church-planting FAQ |publisher = Sovereign grace ministries | access-date= September 3, 2009}}</ref>

== Sovereign Grace Music == {{Infobox musical artist | name = Sovereign Grace Music | background = group_or_band | origin = Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. | genre = {{hlist|CCM|contemporary worship music}} | years_active = {{start date|1984}}–present | label = Sovereign Grace Music | website = https://sovereigngracemusic.org/ | current_members = * Bob Kauflin * Mark Altrogge * Steve Cook * Vikki Cook * Pat Sczebel * Joel Sczebel * Doug Plank * Jonathan Baird * Ryan Baird * Meghan Baird }} Sovereign Grace Churches also operates Sovereign Grace Music, based in Louisville, Kentucky, where contemporary worship albums have been released every few years since the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://worshipmatters.com/2016/07/20/whats-happening-with-sovereign-grace-music/|title=What's Happening with Sovereign Grace Music|last=Kauflin|first=Bob|date=July 20, 2016|website=Worship Matters|language=en-US|access-date=December 22, 2018}}</ref> Sovereign Grace Music is directed by worship leader Bob Kauflin, a former member of Christian band Glad, and is known for lyrics grounded in biblical doctrine.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/sovereign-grace-music-mn0000888786/biography|title=Sovereign Grace Music {{!}} Biography & History|website=AllMusic|language=en-us|access-date=December 22, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/erik-raymond/sovereign-grace-music/|title=Sovereign Grace Music|last=Raymond|first={{!}} Erik|website=The Gospel Coalition|date=January 17, 2007 |language=en-US|access-date=December 22, 2018}}</ref> Kauflin employs many other songwriters and pastors from other churches to aid in the songwriting process for Sovereign Grace Music.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.weareworship.com/us/worship-leaders-2/sovereign-grace-music/|title=Sovereign Grace Music {{!}} WeAreWorship USA|website=We Are Worship|language=en-US|access-date=December 22, 2018}}</ref> In 2011, Sovereign Grace Music's album ''Risen'' charted at No. 41 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart. Since then, five other albums have charted, the highest being ''From Age To Age'' (2012) at No. 25.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/sovereign-grace-music|title=Sovereign Grace Music Chart History|magazine=Billboard|access-date=December 22, 2018}}</ref>

== Controversies == === Cult allegations === Some former members and critics have described Sovereign Grace Churches as having ''cult-like'' characteristics, citing the authority historically exercised by founder C. J. Mahaney and accounts from former members who said dissent or criticism of leadership was discouraged.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sovereign Grace Ministries, riven by conflict, seeks to change |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/sovereign-grace-ministries-riven-by-conflict-seeks-to-change/2011/08/19/gIQAJuXt7J_story.html |work=The Washington Post |access-date=5 March 2026}}</ref> Journalistic coverage of controversies surrounding the organization has also noted accusations of "dictatorial conduct" within the movement that estranged former members and were compared to cult-like behavior.<ref>{{cite web |title=Controversy follows Calvinist group |url=https://baptistnews.com/article/controversy-follows-calvinist-group/ |website=Baptist News Global |access-date=5 March 2026}}</ref> Supporters of the organization dispute this characterization and have denied allegations of systemic wrongdoing.<ref>{{cite web |title=C.J. Mahaney Breaks Silence on Sovereign Grace Ministries Lawsuit |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/2014/05/c-j-mahaney-breaks-silence-sovereign-grace-ministries-sgm/ |website=Christianity Today |access-date=5 March 2026}}</ref>

=== Claims of abuse cover-up === {{overly detailed|section|date=April 2026}} In late 2012, a lawsuit in Montgomery County, Maryland was brought against Sovereign Grace Ministries, making accusations of a conspiracy to cover-up child sex abuse.<ref name="washpostjan2013">{{cite news|title=Suit accuses Sovereign Grace Ministries of covering up alleged child sexual abuse | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/lawsuit-accuses-neo-calvinist-church-movement-leaders-of-child-sexual-abuse/2013/01/14/6e671764-5e94-11e2-90a0-73c8343c6d61_story.html | newspaper = The Washington Post | first=Michelle|last=Boorstein|date = January 14, 2013}}</ref> The plaintiffs claimed that church leaders, including Mahaney, did not report accusations of misconduct to the police.<ref name="washpostjan2013"/> Larry Tomczak, a co-founder of SGM, who left the organization in the late 1990s, was alleged to have abused and assaulted a child in the form of administering corporal punishment over a period of twenty-five years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2013/01/15/lawsuit-accuses-pastor-of-abuse/1566390/|title=Lawsuit accuses Tenn. pastor of abuse|website=www.usatoday.com|language=en|access-date=February 4, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baileygreer.com/tennessee-pastor-accused-of-abuse-in-lawsuit/|title=Tennessee Pastor Accused of Abuse in Lawsuit|date=January 18, 2013|website=Bailey & Greer|language=en|access-date=February 4, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.charismanews.com/us/37967-charismatic-leader-explains-corporal-punishment-abuse-charges|title=Charismatic Leader Explains Corporal Punishment Abuse Charges|last=Publisher|first=Steve Strang|website=Charisma News|language=en|access-date=February 4, 2020}}</ref> Tomczak was investigated and no charges were filed against him. All others named in the lawsuit were investigated by law enforcement, and no charges were filed.<ref name="washpostjan2013"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Bailey |first=Sarah Pulliam | date =May 24, 2013 |title = Evangelical leaders stand by pastor accused of abuse cover-up |newspaper=Religion News Service |url= http://www.religionnews.com/2013/05/24/evangelical-leaders-stand-by-pastor-accused-of-abuse-cover-up/}}</ref> The plaintiffs only asked the court to determine whether or not there had been a conspiracy to cover up abuse. Judge Burrell found that any conspiracy to cover-up should have been brought within the time frame of the alleged abuse. Therefore, all of the claims by the Maryland plaintiffs were dismissed in May 2013 because the statute of limitations had expired, three years after each turned 18; the claims by two Virginia plaintiffs were still within the statute of limitations.<ref name="wjlamay2013">{{cite web | title =Sovereign Grace Ministries, Class-Action Civil Lawsuit involving Child Sex Abuse | work = WJLA | date = May 2013 | url= http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/05/sovereign-grace-ministries-class-action-civil-lawsuit-involving-child-sex-abuse-88894.html | access-date = May 23, 2013}}</ref> An appeal of the lower court's decision was heard by the Maryland appellate court in May 2014, and the lawsuit was again dismissed when the court found that the Plaintiff's attorney had filed the appeal too early. On September 24, 2014, Maryland's highest civil court, the Court of Appeals, denied certiorari, effectively ending the case.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Lee|first1=Morgan|title=sovereign-grace-sex-abuse-case-appeal-dismissed-by-marylands-court-of-special-appeals|date=July 2014|url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/sovereign-grace-sex-abuse-case-appeal-dismissed-by-marylands-court-of-special-appeals-122587}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://caselaw.findlaw.com/md-court-of-special-appeals/1671245.html|title=DOE v. SOVEREIGN GRACE MINISTRIES INC (2014) | FindLaw|accessdate=July 30, 2023}}</ref> All charges brought by the Maryland plaintiffs were dismissed by Maryland Circuit Judge Sharon Burrell, permanently barring plaintiffs from ever bringing those or related charges in Maryland civil court again at any time in the future. During the hearing, Judge Burrell referred to an affidavit filed by Brent Detwiler supporting the claims of the plaintiffs as "vague and irrelevant". The court also found that the "Covenant Life School" sued by the plaintiffs did not exist during the time frame of the alleged abuse.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://casesearch.courts.state.md.us/casesearch/inquiry-index.jsp|title=Maryland Judiciary Case Search Disclaimer|website=casesearch.courts.state.md.us}}</ref>{{Full citation needed|date=October 2024}} As reported in ''Time'' magazine (February 2016), Susan Burke, the lawyer for the victims, plans to file another lawsuit in Virginia, involving the two individuals from that jurisdiction.<ref name="TimeMagazineSexAbuse">{{cite journal|last1=Dias|first1=Elizabeth|title=Inside the Investigation into Child Sexual Abuse at Sovereign Grace Ministries|journal=Time Magazine|date=February 16, 2016|url=https://time.com/4226444/child-sex-abuse-evangelical-church/}}</ref>

==== Maryland State Senate committee hearings (March 2016) ==== {{overly detailed|section|date=April 2026}} {{Over-quotation|section|date=April 2026}} On March 8, 2016, two individuals testified before the Maryland State Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee regarding the Sovereign Grace Ministries lawsuit.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://mgahouse.maryland.gov/mga/Play/a9f27731c6154dba89be9a34830f95421d|title=JPR_3_8_2016_meeting_1|website=mgahouse.maryland.gov}}</ref> Charlotte Ennis, a member of the church, testified that the lawsuit was, "an egregious, and even bizarre, $50 million class action suit alleging child sexual abuse and cover up that was undoubtedly false." According to Ennis, the lawsuit originally asked for $50 million in damages, but as the deposition and discovery process went on, "the plaintiffs tried hard to settle out of court for a much lower sum". She testified that the defense had refused to settle out of court requiring that the case be heard in court on its merits. As a result, the case was dismissed. Ennis testified only about the Maryland plaintiffs. (Ennis testified that in addition to her personal involvement with the Palmer situation she had a professional background as a Research Manager for a news organization).

1. In the Palmer case, brought by Renee Palmer Gamby, Ennis testified that, <blockquote>Documentation was found showing the family of one plaintiff was immediately advised to notify authorities. Witnesses (I was one) were prepared to testify under oath to that fact. That child was abused at age 2 by a babysitter whose case was criminally prosecuted in 1993.</blockquote>

2. In the case brought by Robin Roe (pseudonym), Ennis testified that, <blockquote>Another church plaintiff was never abused, (her sister was abused by her father who was prosecuted in 1987), but that plaintiff claimed the church had incarcerated her, ruining her life. Actually, she was charged and imprisoned by state and federal authorities for crimes of fraud, theft, drug possession, drug trafficking, and weapons concerns. Predictably, the judge questioned her very legitimacy as a plaintiff. The actual victim did not participate in that lawsuit.</blockquote>

(Allegation Number 57 of the lawsuit reads, <blockquote>As a result of the Church's conduct and misrepresentations, Robin Roe was not cared for by loving and responsible adults, but instead was incarcerated in a juvenile half-way house with criminal juveniles.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/970485/22706864/1368737527397/Doc+1+-+Original+Class+Action+Complaint+Oct+17+2012+1.pdf?token=BiBmeMyFBh6nTwPilyc0zvmfUJY%3D|title=Action complaint|website=sqspcdn.com|access-date=30 July 2023}}</ref></blockquote>

3. Ennis testified that, "A third plaintiff eventually withdrew her allegations, admitting they were false."

4. Regarding the alleged pedophile ring at the church's school Ennis testified that, <blockquote>Investigators found that the supposed ringleader teacher was not even at the school for the majority of that year. He was in the hospital because his back was so bad he couldn't walk. The actual teacher was the accuser's own mother. The allegations included closets and rooms that did not match those in the school building. To date the police have filed no charges against anyone in that case.</blockquote> Ennis testified that regarding the three plaintiffs alleging charges of multiple cases of child sex abuse and rape at the church school, "Not one of those plaintiffs has filed criminal charges even though there is no criminal statute of limitations in Maryland. False criminal charges can result in a jail term or hefty fine, however." Ennis went on to testify that an "extensive and undoubtedly expensive" investigation was conducted by the Montgomery County Police Department but no charges were ever filed. A subsequent examination of the case, conducted by an independent investigator, found that the allegations of child sex abuse detailed in the lawsuit "likely never happened at all" (except for the two which had been promptly reported and prosecuted several decades earlier).At the same Senate hearing another individual, Terry Mayo, also testified. Mayo testified that her husband was one of the accused in the Sovereign Grace lawsuit and that "she and her husband had experienced the nightmare of false accusations." His accuser was plaintiff Heather Thompson Bryant. Mayo testified, <blockquote> In 2013, in a lawsuit against our church, a woman accused my husband and three others of molesting her twenty-five years earlier. She didn't remember the alleged “abuses” before her thirties, and then believed she was recovering lost memories. She also imagined that 18 people witnessed the abuse, and she listed them by name. However, none of those named supported her stories of abuse. Montgomery County police investigated and filed no charges. After eighteen months, an independent investigator concluded her accusations likely never happened. But that didn't spare us from a witch hunt. In the initial months, the accused were labeled child sex offenders and the story of the abuse, truth be damned, was aggressively promoted in news, radio and social media. 1) We received online threats that flyers would go out to our neighbors, “informing” them of the “pedophile” at our address. 2) Anonymous calls were made to business clients, threatening them for doing business with us. 3) Online forums ripped us to shreds. 4) Minor children, suffocated by public reaction, suffered horribly. 5) An un-accused spouse was laid off and later denied another job. 6) People withdrew from us, or fell silent. 7) Questions harassed us: Could we lose everything financing a defense? </blockquote>

Mayo also testified that her "husband had contemporaneous records from the 1980s that refuted the allegations." Mayo said, at the close of her Senate Committee testimony, "I was burned by sexual abuse in the early 70s; we’re being burned by the false accusation of it now. An internet lynch mob can go on forever, but the law should protect innocent people from legal charges they can’t defend, like those from the distant past. The current statute gives survivors sufficient time for litigation, and a lifetime to bring charges to criminal court. Survivors and non-survivors alike need legal protection. The law as it stands, does both. Until you’ve experienced your life ripped open by false accusations, please consider that what happened to us can happen to anyone. That puts this proposal squarely in the category of more-harm-than-good." Ennis said, during her Senate Committee testimony, that she was in favor of extending the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse, but that the proposed 2016 bill, SB 69, did not have "enough teeth" to prevent lawsuits based on false accusations against individuals or organizations. Pam Palmer, who organized the lawsuit and is also the mother of plaintiff Renee Palmer Gamby, was present and testified at the March 8, 2016, Maryland Senate Committee Hearing in favor of SB 69. They died in committee following the hearing. The following year a new bill, HB 642, was introduced and passed by the Maryland State Legislature. HB 642, the first bill of its kind to be supported by the Catholic Church in Maryland, extended the statute of limitations to 20 years after the age of majority, but makes it much more difficult to implicate a church or civic organization in a child sex abuse civil suit after the plaintiff turns 25. That bill was signed into law by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan on March 4, 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-abuse-statute-20170315-story.html|title=Maryland delegate's effort to allow child abuse lawsuits clears hurdle|first=Pamela Wood, Erin|last=Cox|website=baltimoresun.com|date=March 16, 2017 }}</ref>

==== ''Washingtonian'' magazine apology ==== A 2016 story in the ''Washingtonian'' magazine by Tiffany Stanley highlights three families who were plaintiffs in the lawsuit and their involvement with Sovereign Grace Ministries.<ref name=":0"/> The article quotes Plaintiff's attorney, Susan Burke, saying that she "plans to file a new suit in Virginia against the Fairfax church on behalf of at least two plaintiffs."<ref name=":0"/> According to the ''Washingtonian'' article, leaders of the formerly SGM-affiliated Covenant Life Church in Fairfax, Virginia that stood accused in the lawsuit (alongside Mahaney and SGM) have "acknowledged the stories of abuse and issued a tearful apology to the families...", going on to say that "senior pastor Mark Mullery blamed the church’s model of reconciliation... [which] resulted in the victim’s family being corrected when they should have been gently cared for as sufferers".<ref name=":0">{{cite news|last1=Stanley|first1=Tiffany|title=The Sex-Abuse Scandal That Devastated a Suburban Megachurch|url=https://washingtonian.com/2016/02/14/the-sex-abuse-scandal-that-devastated-a-suburban-megachurch-sovereign-grace-ministries/|access-date=March 1, 2016|publisher=Washingtonian Media Inc.|date=February 14, 2016}}</ref>

=== Nathaniel Morales === In a different case in 2014, Nathaniel Morales, a youth mentor at Covenant Life Church, who "led youth bible studies, directed worship teams, and even attended sleepovers,"<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lewis|first1=Kevin|title=Nathaniel Morales trial: Victim Jeremy Cook testifies|url=http://wjla.com/news/crime/nathaniel-morales-trial-victim-jeremy-cook-testifies-103128|access-date=March 1, 2016|publisher=WJLA Washington DC}}</ref> was convicted of abusing four boys between 1983 and 1991.<ref name=WJLA-2014May>{{cite news|last1=Lewis|first1=Kevin|title=Nathaniel Morales of Covenant Life Church convicted of sexually abusing young boys|url=http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/05/nathaniel-morales-of-covenant-life-church-convicted-of-sexually-abusing-young-boys-103175.html|access-date=July 17, 2015|publisher=WJLA|date=May 15, 2014}}</ref><ref name=WJLA-Aug2014>{{cite news|last1=Carter|first1=Brianne|last2=Lewis|first2=Kevin|title=Judge calls former church youth group leader Nathaniel Morales a 'cowardly pervert' before sentencing him to 40 years in prison|url=http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/08/nathaniel-morales-former-covenant-life-church-leader-convicted-of-sexual-abuse-to-be-sentenced-thurs.html|access-date=July 17, 2015|publisher=WJLA|date=August 14, 2014}}</ref> "Between 1990 and 2007 at least five members of the church’s staff were told of Morales’s abuse. None notified the police."<ref name=":0"/> Subsequently, Covenant Life Church former pastor Grant Layman [Mahaney's brother-in-law] said, while testifying about allegations against Nathaniel Morales, that he [Layman] had not reported the abuse to the police. Layman was not on trial and was not given an opportunity to clarify his remarks in court. Pastors are not mandatory reporters in the State of Maryland. An independent investigator reported that Morales was never a paid employee of Covenant Life Church. Ennis testified before the Maryland Senate Committee that no one had testified during the Morales trial that the church had advised them not to report.<ref name="megachurch-pastor-confesses-to-protecting-child-molester">{{cite web|last1=Lee|first1=Morgan|title=Megachurch Pastor Confesses to Protecting Child Molester for Years|url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/megachurch-pastor-confesses-to-protecting-child-molester-for-years-119877/|website=www.christianpost.com|date=May 16, 2014|access-date=March 1, 2016}}</ref><ref name="DonMorseWashPost">{{cite news|last1=Morse|first1=Don|title=Covenant Life Church pastors face scrutiny over ex-church member's abuse|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/covenant-life-church-pastors-face-scrutiny-over-ex-church-members-abuse/2014/06/01/f439a376-e835-11e3-a86b-362fd5443d19_story.html|access-date=March 2, 2016|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=June 1, 2014}}</ref> In November 2013, SGM issued a statement saying that, years after pastoral counsel was sought, "allowing courts to second guess pastoral guidance would represent a blow to the First Amendment."<ref>{{cite web | title=Sovereign Grace Ministries: Courts Shouldn't 'Second Guess' Pastoral Counseling of Sex Abuse Victims | newspaper = Christianity today |url= http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/january-web-only/sovereign-grace-ministries-courts-shouldnt-second-guess.html | date = Jan 2013 | access-date = May 23, 2013}}</ref> Regarding the accuracy of the plaintiffs' claims, SGM released a statement saying that "SGM is not in a position to comment on the specific allegations at this time, but upon review it appears the complaint contains a number of misleading allegations, as well as considerable mischaracterizations of intent."<ref>{{cite web|title=Updated Statement on Reported Lawsuit |publisher=Sovereign grace ministries |url=http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/blogs/sgm/post/Updated-Statement-on-Reported-Lawsuit.aspx |access-date=May 23, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130821152322/http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/blogs/sgm/post/Updated-Statement-on-Reported-Lawsuit.aspx |archive-date=August 21, 2013 }}</ref>

== References == {{Reflist|35em}}

== External links == * {{official website|http://www.sovereigngrace.com}}

Category:Apostolic networks Category:Christian organizations established in 1982 Category:Evangelical denominations in North America Category:Reformed denominations in the United States Category:1982 establishments in the United States Category:Musicians from Louisville, Kentucky Category:Musical groups established in 1984 Category:Performers of contemporary worship music Category:American Christian musical groups Category:Christian denominations founded in the United States