Category: News

The letter in late March exposing the secret, evil life-style of Dean Bruer has opened the flood gates of complaints about the corruption in our ministry. Many are eager for prompt changes to be made. While legal issues must be dealt with immediately, issues of power and doctrine will unfortunately take more time. Many of our overseers are resisting any type of change to their power structure, and change can only be done after they have faced the legal system. We must first allow the judicial system to remove the abusers and those in authority who systematically covered up those abuses. Like the Canadian elder, I have chosen to remain anonymous to avoid excommunication until the current group of overseers have been cleansed or removed, as things could soon get very messy. I have realized for years that “Truth” is a mixture of God’s way and man’s rules, with that mixture varying from individual to individual.

The book The Life and Ministry of Edward Cooney 1867-1960 (available free online) provides valuable history on our ministry. It was written by a convert of Cooney and is probably biased towards him, and it may be biased against the other main character, William Irvine, but I do find it very informative. In 1899 Irvine and others left their preaching in “organized religions” to form the “Go Preacher” group.  By 1901 Cooney and Irvine were preaching together (workers came to US in 1903 and to Canada in 1904).

By 1907 Irvine was claiming to be the “living witness” meaning only those who professed through him or through one who had professed through Irvine could go to heaven. He was described as a dictator and a new pope. By 1914 Irvine was confronted about his weakness for women, and when asked to step aside as the leader and to remain in the ministry, he refused and left entirely. His lieutenants immediately started carving up the English-speaking world for their areas of command, using the same organizational structure that Irvine had ruled with. Cooney objected to the organizational structure and said that all should be led by God’s spirit. Cooney was finally excommunicated in 1928 for refusing to be in step with the other workers. He then preached among outcasts in the English-speaking world until his death; this part of the book left me with an empty feeling that something else was wrong.

It took only 8 years for what apparently started out right to become corrupted by ego and greed. This partially corrupted ministry has now gone on for 116 years, and it will take some time to change. God has immense patience and uses many tools, including man’s legal system, to do His work.

In the weeks following the letter about Dean Bruer, multiple workers in our region preached about the “authority of the ministry”, its justification and the need to maintain it. I assume those instructions came from our overseer, who rather than seeing the fallacy of pushing this authority chose instead to double down on the power structure. This current style of authority came not from God or Jesus, but from William Irvine. Matt 20:25-28 – Jesus warned against this very situation. Some overseers have been honest and spirit-led, some are now seeing the light and encouraging cleansing, and others will fight to the bitter end to maintain their control. Like others, I have professed and have been spiritually fed in an imperfect fellowship under a partially corrupt ministry. Therefore, I do not want to give this fellowship up or be forced out during this painful time of cleansing.

Even though not often used in meeting or in conversations, the key word is “control”. If the workers can convince us that they are the toll-booths on our way to heaven, they can control many aspects of our lives, including where we go to meeting, who we meet with, etc. Workers cannot control my relationship with God, but they can try to control how my spouse and I appear; therefore, the shallow emphasis on form and appearance. A form is necessary when a foundation is being formed. Once the foundation has solidified (Jesus) the forms are no longer needed and are removed. Forms are only left on if there is a low confidence in the material in the foundation (man’s rules).

If some workers think they can control people’s salvation, it is a small step from their point of view to take advantage sexually of someone lower than them. Instead all should esteem others better than themselves; we don’t go around abusing someone we esteem higher than ourselves. The current rash of sexual abuse cases stem from: 1) human nature; 2) an organizational structure that elevates the overseers and workers way above the friends; and 3) a culture of cover up that used to mean no earthly consequences.  Point 3 is currently changing thanks to efforts of many, including this website. Point 2 must change and change is painful. Point 1 will never change, although a correct ministry will result in more spirit-led decisions and less decisions made by human nature.

Some friends, several workers and many overseers have a lot to lose on this earth through this cleansing process, and they will resist in many ugly ways. Let the judicial system do the heavy lifting, placing several oversees and workers behind bars. Then the remaining ones should be more receptive to discussing with the friends a spirit-led ministry as taught by Jesus. An attempt at that discussion today might be counter-productive.

WINGS note: This letter was written by a very concerned friend.

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After reading the most recent letter that captured so well the problem enshrined in exclusivity, I feel compelled to write. Silence at this point is complicity.

I applaud all those who have courageously shared their experiences as victims of abuse; sexual, physical, emotional and spiritual. We have heard from current and former workers, and current and former members of our fellowship. I say “our” as one who was raised going to meetings and has spent the last 30 years as an active participant.

How much longer is an open question. It is fully understandable that most, if not all who have shared their pain and their experiences choose to remain anonymous. I choose to sign my name to this letter. These are my thoughts and convictions, and mine alone.

To be clear, I am not a victim of abuse, at least not the most direct kind. But unlike many previous authors, I am angry.

I have brushed against abuse and abusers for my entire life, under the auspices of those entrusted with spreading the gospel, but did not know it. At least three known pedophiles spent significant time in my home as a child, teenager, young adult, and now as a father with my own children. None were known to me or my family, but all were known to the overseers at the time.

This only counts those that admitted their proclivities and crimes, not the generational monster that was Dean Bruer, who also spent a significant amount of time in our home, or any who have not yet been named and brought into the open. For a “never” event, that is far too frequent. It must also be acknowledged that what has been revealed in the past two months has been grudging at best, and had Dean not died, would not be known. That is inexcusable.

We keep hearing about the example of King David and giving grace to sinners as a way to pardon the repeated missteps in past and prior handling of abuse. Annaias and Saphira (Acts 5:1) are the examples we should be discussing. They intended good for the nascent Christian community by selling their property and donating the proceeds, but withheld money and lied, first by omission, then by commission when confronted. Both were struck down in that moment.

There are consequences for actions. I don’t pretend to know any person’s status with God, and believe that anyone can find and follow their own revelation and conviction. God is the final arbiter for all, but from a human perspective, nearly the entire current leadership has lost my respect and confidence.

As horrifying as the crimes of pedophilia and sexual abuse are, as tragic as it is that multiple workers and friends have endured their own emotional and spiritual abuse, as egregious as it is that endemic denial and deflection have pushed a Christian ideal into the realm of abuse, we are still discussing symptoms, not the root of the problem.

The foundational problem in our fellowship remains the insistence that we are the one true way, the only Christians doing it right. The most common term used to self-identify is “the Truth”, which says it all. This reeks of pride and self-righteousness. It also creates a clear and immediate in-group and out-group (with approximately 8 billion people in the out-group) and a moral and spiritual imperative.

I will go further than prior posters and say that as long as this pervasive and damaging doctrine exists, no substantive change is possible. It is not enough to say that it is spoken less frequently or directly, or hear it preached less forcefully from the platform at convention. It has clearly and cogently been spoken for generations, with concomitant and lasting damage. Redaction needs to be equally clear and forceful.

There is a legacy of sanctimony, hypocrisy, and refusal to allow change directly tied to this dogma, and a level of spiritual coercion that cannot be overstated. If salvation hangs in the balance, there is simply no choice–one belongs to this fellowship and toes the line, or one winds up in hell. The current crisis, the slowly unfolding nuclear implosion enveloping the church, is the fruit. Matthew 7 lays bare the truth–false teachings lead to bad fruit. As Matthew suggests, those trees need to be cut down and burned.

However, it is impossible to be an agent for change when no alternative exists. The level of change needed is more than structural, it is seismic. The ecumenical church that many of us wish for is so far from the current structure that it might as well be a fantasy. We need our own Martin Luther to nail his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of a church. But we don’t have a church building of course, another facet of which we are inordinately proud.

Second, as so many have pointed out, the pervasive denial of a power structure or hierarchy is almost as damaging, and a simple way to avoid responsibility. We are apparently not one body in Christ, but 18 geographic bodies (in the U.S. at least) with their own Ordnung, following a roughly similar tangent as Christians. Very simple way to pass the buck, and hyper-convenient way to pass abusers on without dealing with their actions.

 Our workers have the authority to assign location of fellowship, elders in those meetings, and who can or cannot take part. They have the authority to say who can and cannot take the emblems, the most direct and physical connection to Christ. They are the gateway to baptism, the closest thing we have to admission into the legacy of Jesus’ life. That is power, and when combined with a dogma that states we are God’s chosen people, it is a truly singular form of power. The overseers control every facet of the lives of those workers in their sphere of influence. They decide whom to allow to enter the ministry, where they labor, who their co-workers will be, and when/if they are dismissed from the ministry. That is clearly power.

In the meetings, the hierarchy is clear, with women at the bottom and men/elders on the next rung. Within the ministry, the hierarchy is also quite clear, with all women at the bottom, younger men on the next step up, and exclusively older/experienced men at the top. To deny this structure exists is disingenuous at best, outright malfeasance at worst. There is no system of feedback or accountability, so combined with a dash of narcissism, the result is a recipe for abuse of all flavors with no recourse.

I believe that the majority of those attending meetings are good and loving people with well-intentioned ideals. I believe the same can be said of the majority of workers, who are willing to give their lives in service to this ideal. I believe the current church structure has strayed so far from the stated ideal that it is untenable. I am angry and believe there is a silent majority in the church who are in accord but has no voice. Until the problem is named, change is not possible. Once named, change remains a far-off and potentially unreachable goal, but honesty is a start.

Jonathan Olson

May 28, 2023

Our purpose is to help our fellowship move forward in the spirit of healing.

Who we are:

We are experienced professionals living throughout the States and Provinces of North America.  We are psychologists, clinical social workers and professional counsellors who specialize in child and adolescent counselling, marriage and family counselling, trauma counselling, sex therapy, school psychology and generalists in mental health and addiction therapy.  Some of us are in private practice, some work for school systems, some are in public health, some specialize in the foster care and adoption process, some work in inpatient psychiatric settings, and some have worked in forensics and the criminal justice system.

How we can help:

We can help with mental health referrals and provide resources specific to our areas of expertise. We are not law enforcement or investigators, and we cannot engage in those processes. 

We have/can:

• Answer mental health questions.
• Advise on Child Sexual Abuse laws.
• Advise on duty to report and reporting procedures.
• Provide Child Sexual Abuse/Sexual Assault information and resources for these requests.
• Consult with workers on disclosure protocols.
• Assist in making referrals to mental health professionals.

Resource website currently being built.

Contact us:

professingtherapistsgroup@gmail.com

From: Perry Pearson [email address redacted]
Date: Wed, May 24, 2023  
Subject: Letter to Dakota friends
To: Perry Pearson [email address redacted]
Cc: Paul Haakenson [email address redacted]

Dear North & South Dakota Friends,

We would like to share with you what we discussed at our staff meeting on May 19th. The information below has been reviewed and accepted by all workers on our staff.

Several topics we covered and will discuss here are as follows:

• Reporting concerns of child sexual abuse (CSA)
• Guidelines regarding sex offenders’ attendance in meetings
• Current and additional child safety training for the Dakota staff
• Accountability for workers’ behavior in the home

Since being notified in March of Dean Bruer’s crimes, the Dakota workers have received no allegations of child sexual abuse/sexual abuse (CSA/SA) against anyone in the ministry in the Dakotas. We are aware this is a widespread issue with allegations presented in other states. We encourage any victims to reach out to available resources to begin your journey toward healing. The Dakota workers support you and will respect your confidentiality in this process.

A few available resources:

National Suicide & Crisis Hotline: 988 (Call or Text)

RAINN (National Anti-Sexual Violence Organization): 800-656-HOPE (4673) or online.rainn.org (Live Chat)

These hotlines can assist you in connecting with appropriate resources in your area.

Reporting Concerns of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA):

The safety of children is everyone’s business. Mandated reporters are required by law to report any reasonable suspicions of child abuse or neglect to the authorities. Anyone can and should report reasonable suspicions of child abuse or neglect. According to the laws in North and South Dakota, workers are not considered mandated reporters. However, we intend to respond as mandated reporters and report all suspicions and concerns of CSA. We were advised to report suspicions and concerns to Child Protective Services so that the report is brought to the correct people and the appropriate action can be taken immediately.

RAINN Hotline (They will direct you to the appropriate reporting jurisdiction):800-656-HOPE (4673)
North Dakota Child Abuse & Neglect Reporting (M-F 8am-5pm): 833-958-3500
South Dakota Child Protective Services (M-F 8am-5pm):877-244-0864

If you believe a child is in IMMEDIATE danger, call 911

Guidelines Regarding Sex Offenders’ Attendance in Meetings:  

We will continue to work within full compliance of each offender’s parole restrictions within North and South Dakota. Each situation varies and has its own concerns; however, there are a few general guidelines we will be putting in place, in addition to any legal restrictions that may be associated with their case:

• There will be NO registered sex offenders at any ND/SD convention.
• The people in the meeting will be consulted before an offender attends. No one will be in meeting with an offender against their wishes.

Current and Additional Child Safety Training for the Dakota Staff:

We are all helping each other be accountable. We do not need to live in fear, but we do need to be aware. We discussed several different child safety programs that would be a benefit for us to take.

• All of the ND/SD workers are certified in the Ministry Safe program. This has been ongoing since 2010. It is renewed every 2-3 years.
• All of the ND/SD workers will take the ND mandated reporter training by May 31, 2023 and retake it every 2-3 years.
• All of the ND/SD workers will take the Youth Protection Training offered by Boy Scouts of America before June 8, 2023 and retake it every 2-3 years.
• All workers transferring to our staff from other areas or starting in the work will take the above training also.

We are also asking all of our elders and wives to take the Ministry Safe course. [names redacted] in Sioux Falls will be managing the course for the elders and any of the friends that wish to take it. If you are interested in taking the course, please contact them at [email address redacted].

We invite anyone who would like to educate themselves to also take advantage of these resources.

Ministry Safe: https://ministrysafe.com
North Dakota Mandated Reporter Training: https://mandatedreporter.pcand.org/index.html
Youth Protection Training: https://www.scouting.org/training/youth-protection

Accountability for Workers’ Behavior in the Home:

We want to do all we can to be a safe ministry.

• We recognize that it is safest when two (or three) workers work together in a field.  We commit to doing this in our work except in rare, unavoidable circumstances.
• Workers will not purposefully seek to be alone with children in secluded areas.
• Workers’ activities with minors will be with parental consent or involvement.
• Workers will be respectful of personal property.
• If you, for any reason, are uncomfortable with a worker in your home, please communicate with us and alternative arrangements will be made.

We cannot change what has been done in the past, but we can do our very best to improve the future. It is important to us that you are comfortable with us in your homes and with your families. Please communicate with us regarding your comfort level and concerns, and know we will listen and respect your boundaries.

Things we would like to encourage you:

• If you observe a worker alone too much, please approach them and/or alert other workers.
• If you see inappropriate behavior in a worker, please tell someone you trust.
• If you are not comfortable with what has been asked of you, say NO.
• If you see that any of the items outlined above are not being adhered to, please tell someone you trust.

Thank you for sharing your concerns with us so that actions can be taken to alleviate them. We have outlined initial steps to address the CSA/SA issues. We realize it is just a start. We are committed to follow through and know there are more conversations to have and actions to take. Please continue sharing with us and making suggestions so that the ministry and the meetings can be a safe place for all.

Sincerely,

Your staff of workers in the Dakotas

WINGS Note: This is a series of emails between Cynthia Liles, Merlin Affleck and Michael Hassett, with an introduction by Cynthia.

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Hello everyone,

As you may know, we’ve been working diligently behind the scenes to protect the community and expose wrong doings. Sadly, in many instances when we are advocating on behalf of survivors, our voices are not being heard by those currently in authority. We feel the pattern of stonewalling by leadership continues even today, as evidenced by the following email exchange. After two months of working on this crisis, it is evident that new leaders who are willing to be ethical, transparent, caring, and operate with integrity are necessary.

We need your help!

Please use your voices to demand accountability and change from leadership.

Please note that as of 5/28/23 there has been no response from either Merlin or Michael.

Forwarded Conversation

Subject: Walter Burkinshaw/Leanne McChesney

————————

From: Cynthia Liles <email redacted>
Date: Sat, May 20, 2023 at 10:14 AM
To: Merlin Affleck < email redacted >, Michael Hassett < email redacted >
Cc: Lauren Rohs < email redacted >, Sheri Autrey < email redacted >

Dear Merlin and Michael,

Merlin, as you know, the Walter Burkinshaw victims have been very distressed to learn that Walter is still allowed in meetings. There are criminal cases pending against him for pedophila, which you are aware of. Last week I left a detailed message for Ben Collyer, who I understand is one of the workers in Walter’s field, explaining how distressing it is to the victims to know Walter is in meetings. I have not heard back.

Society expects institutions to keep their communities safe — especially the children. You may say, “Oh, he’s an old man and he’s in a wheelchair,” or “he’s not in meetings with children.” To the victims, that shows you are standing with the perpetrator and not with them. In addition, I have worked on cases where perpetrators were still abusing children well into their 80’s. Pedophilia is not something that goes away with old age.

Merlin, I also understand that you may have a written confession from Walter. Any and all written documentation from Walter admitting his crimes is key evidence and should be turned over to law enforcement as soon as possible. If it is true that you have such a statement from Walter and you haven’t turned it over to law enforcement, it begs the question: Why are you protecting a pedophile?

I also understand Leanne McChesney is attending meetings. She also has criminal charges pending for sex crimes against children.

It is highly probable that Walter and Leanne have sexually abused other children that have not yet come forward. The friends have a right to know about the charges against alter and Leanne. Please do the right thing and notify the friends in Canada and anywhere else Walter and Leanne have been.

Best,

Cynthia

Cynthia L. Liles
Private Investigator
liles.cynthia@gmail.com
503-334-6866
lilesinvestigations.com

———-

From: Merlin Affleck < email redacted >
Date: Sat, May 20, 2023 at 6:23 PM
To: Cynthia Liles < email redacted >

Hello Cynthia,

I do not have any written confession from Walter. It was at my encouragement that he willingly went to the RCMP himself 2 or 3 years ago and spoke to them directly. Be assured that his case has been in professional hands for a long time already.

Yours truly, Merlin

———-

From: Cynthia Liles [email redacted]
Date: Sat, May 20, 2023 at 7:23 PM
To: Merlin Affleck < email redacted >, < email redacted >
Cc: Sheri Autrey < email redacted >, Lauren Rohs < email redacted >

Hello Merlin,

You state you encouraged Walter to turn himself in to the RCMP two or three years ago. He must have confessed to you? There are two NEW cases filed against Walter. Your account of his verbal confession would be key evidence. Will you agree to contact the RCMP in Vernon and Wainwright to give a statement?

You did not address the other subject of my email. Will you agree to notify the friends that Walter and Leanne have charges against them for pedophilia and remove them from meetings?

Thank you,

Cynthia

———-

From: michael hassett < email redacted >

Date: Mon, May 22, 2023 at 3:29 PM

To: Cynthia Liles < email redacted >

Hello Cynthia,

Our friends in the area where Walter lives are all aware of the accusations against him. They were informed when he first moved to the town.

Michael

———-

From: Cynthia Liles < email redacted >

Date: Mon, May 22, 2023 at 9:19 PM

To: michael hassett < email redacted >, Merlin Affleck < email redacted >
Cc: Lauren Rohs < email redacted >, Sheri Autrey < email redacted >,
Darryl Doland < email redacted >

Hello Michael and Merlin,

I’m sorry — there must be some confusion. I didn’t ask if the friends in Walter’s area were aware of the accusations against Walter. I was letting you know that it is very distressing to his victims to know that he is still attending meetings. Neither one of you have acknowledged in your replies that this news may be upsetting to the victims and neither one of you have asked what you can do for the victims. That tells me your focus is not on the victims. In fact, it tells me you could care less about the victims. If you cared about victims, you would notify the friends in Canada of the pending charges against Walter and Leanne and ask victims to come forward

Merlin, you say you had Walter turn himself into law enforcement a few years ago. I’ve read the minutes of your April 6, 2023 meeting in Kelowna, B.C. You acknowledge Walter committed crimes. I understand he confessed to you. Do you realize Walter denied everything to law enforcement? It dawned on me after our last email exchange that if he had truly confessed when you sent him to law enforcement, he would have already been charged and most likely entered into a plea deal. I’ve confirmed that did not happen because he denied everything.

So, again, are you willing to give a statement to law enforcement in the new cases that have been filed? If not, why not? Your actions are very confusing to me. I do not understand why you would choose to stand by a pedophile instead of the victims who were innocent young children when they were sexually abused by their overseer — the most trusted position in the hierarchy of the Truth. I also noticed in your minutes that you felt Walter’s crimes were on the “low end” of the crime scale on a scale of 1-10. The actual act of sex abuse against a child has absolutely nothing to do with the trauma response. I have worked on hundreds of these cases and have witnessed this phenomenon many, many times. One child who is anally raped can have less of a trauma response than that of a child fondled by the same perpetrator. Again, the actual act has no correlation to the trauma response. It is not up to us to determine the severity of trauma inflicted on victims.

Cynthia —

Cynthia L. Liles
Private Investigator
liles.cynthia@gmail.com
503-334-6866
lilesinvestigations.com