26 SEPTEMBER 2024
Response to the publication of the independent review report
Last year we wrote to you about the Church of England investigation into safeguarding concerns relating to Mike Pilavachi, former leader of Soul Survivor. The investigation team described these substantiated concerns as an abuse of power which spanned over many years of his ministry. Following that initial investigation, the Trustees of Soul Survivor commissioned an independent review by Fiona Scolding KC, which has been published today.
As previously mentioned, Pete and Bee Hughes were on staff at Soul Survivor ministries between 2002 and 2005, with Pete as the Associate Director. Pete, and his brother Tim, raised concerns related to the safeguarding allegations by reporting these to the Trustees of Soul Survivor in 2004. Pete and Tim therefore provided evidence in both investigations and released a statement in February 2024 that shared some of their experiences of abuse from their time at Soul Survivor.
The results from the independent review have now been published and is available here.
The original NST results and statement can be found here.
We want to acknowledge the bravery of those who came forward and shared their stories in each of these situations. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have been impacted both directly and indirectly, and with all victims and survivors of exploitation and abuse.
We are conscious that many in our church family and team at KXC have been formed by the ministry of Soul Survivor and will have been impacted in different ways following the news of these safeguarding issues. If you’d find it helpful at all to speak to someone on our pastoral team do get in touch with us at pastoral@kxc.org.uk.
As the report highlights, good governance within the church is crucial for maintaining transparency, accountability and solid ethical practice. It enables us to live out our vision, mission and values while safeguarding the interests of the community.
Core policies and structures related to good safeguarding and governance at KXC include:
Experienced and empowered Trustee board, made up of highly skilled internal and external voices from a range of professional backgrounds.
Whistleblowing Policy. This provides a formal process for staff to report any areas of concern within the church, predominantly related to issues around employment.
Complaints Policy. This provides a formal process for members of the congregation to report any areas of concern within the church.
360 Appraisal reviews for Senior Leadership. Our Senior Leaders and Associate Team are given a 360 review by a Trustee each year, which includes feedback from those that they line manage.
Safeguarding Oversight and Training. KXC is supported by the Diocese of London’s Safeguarding Team who provide formal training and ongoing support. This includes the provision of ongoing training and support for Trustees, Staff, and any volunteers working with children or vulnerable adults.
You can read KXC’s safeguarding and governance information here.
The latest report includes recommendations for best practices in the governance of Bishops Mission Orders, and over the coming months, we will work to understand if this can lead to further enhancements of our governance and safeguarding practice at KXC.
Please do reach out if you would find it helpful to speak to someone on our pastoral team at pastoral@kxc.org.uk.
If this news has raised concerns for you that are outside of the remit of this investigation, thirtyone:eight has an independent safeguarding helpline where someone will listen to what you have to say, and can provide compassionate and clear advice. They can be contacted on 0303 003 1111.
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PREVIOUS UPDATES
4 MAY 2023
Email sent to KXC church family regarding the safeguarding investigation into Mike Pilavachi
You may be aware that an investigation into safeguarding concerns relating to Mike Pilavachi - the co-founder and former leader of Soul Survivor - was announced a few weeks ago. A number of statements have been issued regarding the investigation on behalf of the Church of England National Safeguarding Team, St Albans Diocese, and the Soul Survivor Watford trustees.
We want to acknowledge the pain for any potential victims of wrongdoing and the bravery of those who have come forward. We are conscious that many in our church family at KXC will have been formed by the ministry of Soul Survivor, so news of allegations may be difficult to process. If you have been affected by the news and feel like it would be helpful to speak to anyone on our pastoral team, please do email us at support@kxc.org.uk. The Mind and Soul Foundation have written these helpful thoughts on how to walk through moments such as this, when our faith in the church or its leaders are shaken.
In any investigation of this kind there is a process that must be followed and it is essential that all elements are conducted in a full and robust way to ensure the best possible outcome for all. If you have any safeguarding concerns related to this investigation, please contact Jeremy Hirst at the Diocesan Safeguarding Team at safeguarding@stalbans.anglican.org or Judith Renton, Ian Bowles or Anthony Clarke at the National Safeguarding Team at safeguarding@churchofengland.org who will listen to what you have to say. Please be assured that any safeguarding concerns raised will be treated with the utmost sensitivity.
If this news has raised concerns for you that are outside of the remit of this investigation, thirtyone:eight has an independent safeguarding helpline where someone will listen to what you have to say, and can provide compassionate and clear advice. They can be contacted on 0303 003 1111.
In light of all this, we are particularly aware again of the importance of building and nurturing a culture of accountability and safety across the church. For more information about safeguarding at KXC please visit our website, and do reach out if you feel like that is needed.
Please know that we continue to pray for all of those in our church family who will be impacted by this news.
With our love and prayers,
Pete, Bee & the Associate Team
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9 APRIL 2024
Email sent to KXC church family regarding the statement posted by Pete & Tim Hughes
Dear KXC Family,
Last year we wrote to you about the Church of England investigation into safeguarding concerns relating to Mike Pilavachi, former leader of Soul Survivor. The investigation team described these substantiated concerns as an abuse of power, and spiritual abuse spanning 40 years, relating to Mike Pilavachi's ministry.
Having reported safeguarding concerns to the Soul Survivor Trustees in 2004, Pete and Tim Hughes provided evidence in this investigation and the more recent ongoing independent review being led by Fiona Scolding KC. Pete and Tim have decided now is the time to share some of their personal experiences which we wanted to share with you as part of the KXC community (please see below for full statement).
We are conscious that many in our church family have been formed by the ministry of Soul Survivor and will have been impacted by and respond to this in different ways. We're also aware of other high-profile reports of abuse within the wider church over the past few years and know that many in the congregation have been personally affected in a whole range of contexts.
We again want to acknowledge the bravery of all of those who came forward and shared their stories as part of the investigation into Mike Pilavachi. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have been impacted both directly and indirectly, and with all victims and survivors of exploitation and abuse.
If you'd like to learn more about safeguarding at KXC, please visit our website. Equally, if you have been affected by any of the above and would find it helpful to speak to someone on our pastoral team, please do email us at pastoral@kxc.org.uk.
Sending much love,
The KXC Team
Statement from Tim and Pete Hughes, 9th April 2024.
In light of the bravery Matt and Beth Redman have shown in releasing the documentary 'Let there be Light', we have decided as brothers that the time is right to make the following joint statement:
On the 11th of November 2022, we received an email from the National Safeguarding Team (NST) of the Church of England regarding concerns raised about Soul Survivor and the ministry of Mike Pilavachi. We subsequently met with both the NST (December 2022), to participate in their investigation, and the more recent independent review being led by Fiona Scolding KC.
This journey has been extremely painful for those of us who have been deeply connected to Soul Survivor. Having previously acknowledged the tragic stories coming to light, and the bravery of those who had come forward, we stated that we couldn't comment further on our own experiences as we were contributing to the internal safeguarding investigation. However, we now feel the time is right to share some of our personal experiences.
The ministry of Soul Survivor holds a special place in our hearts. We saw God move in remarkable ways amongst thousands of young people. Mike was a spiritual father figure, mentoring us from our early teenage years through to us both serving in leadership positions at Soul Survivor. His influence, investment and teaching in our lives were significant.
However, much like others, we also both experienced what we now know to be psychological and spiritual abuse at the hands of Mike Pilavachi. Whilst under his leadership we also experienced the wrestling and the massages that have been well documented.
These events have caused years of pain and confusion. Over the last 20 years, we've both been on journeys of healing from the abuse we experienced, through counselling, prayer ministry and a process of acknowledging the abuse and choosing to forgive.
In 2004, we confronted Mike in regard to his damaging behaviour and then subsequently brought it to the attention of the Chairman of the Soul Survivor Ministries Trustees. Our desire was to protect others who may have been impacted by this behaviour and to fight for the spiritual health and vitality of the ministry. Unfortunately, the process was not received well and our concerns were not taken seriously, leading to breakdowns in relationship and eventually to both of us leaving Soul Survivor soon after. We've both been deeply saddened to learn of the stories of abuse that have continued since that time.
Our hope and prayer for others who have experienced abuse at Soul Survivor is that this will be a moment of healing and restoration, as things that have been hidden are being brought into the light. We also hope that this process will provide an opportunity for the Church to learn from the mistakes made in order for the Church to be a safe environment where everyone can flourish and thrive.
18 APRIL 2024
Removal of Mike Pilavachi’s sermon from the KXC website and podcast
KXC invited Mike to contribute to an online conversation shown at a Sunday service where the topic of the discussion was Ministry in the Power of the Spirit, a subject on which the ministry of Mike Pilavachi and Soul Survivor has greatly impacted the UK and Global Church.
In light of the findings of the investigation, we decided to take down the recording of this session not to hide this connection, but because it felt unhelpful to the victims of abuse to be promoting Mike’s teaching within our community.