Clyde T. Corneille, a professing man in Louisiana, was convicted on 10/21/2024 on the charge of indecent behavior with juveniles.
Clyde was given a 5 year suspended sentence (meaning he does not serve time in prison unless he offends again within a given period of time), 3 years probation, and permanent placement on the sex offender registry.
Clyde was originally arrested for this offense in October of 2020. He was allowed by Louisiana overseer Robert Eberhardt to attend Effie convention in 2021 and 2022. Robert was aware of the allegations against Clyde. Those in attendance were not informed by church leadership about Clyde’s arrest and pending charges. In 2023 he was asked not to attend convention due to increased pressure from concerned church members.
Additionally, Robert allowed Clyde to attend fellowship meetings after his arrest and made no attempt to inform members of his meetings until pressured to do so several years after his initial arrest.
Survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA) have often suffered silently for many years. Many haven’t been believed when they did report the abuse, or felt that they wouldn’t be believed, or were deliberately told to keep quiet. If disclosure occurs eventually, recognition that the abuse did occur and caused significant harm can be an early step in healing but in many cases trauma requires professional therapy.
Therapy is funded by state agencies or insurance in certain countries, but usually only to a limited extent and only in narrow circumstances. In some countries, therapy is very expensive. WINGS is aware of one ex-worker requiring therapy that is likely to cost $35-50,000.
Individual cases may justify differing levels of ministry funding. e.g.
1. Where abuses occurred in circumstances under ministry control: up to 100% of funding as needed by survivors:
abuse by workers;
abuse that occurred at conventions, special meetings, gospel meetings, and fellowship meetings;
where any abuses were known by the ministry but action was not taken.
2. Church-related abuse. Partial funding:
abuse by church members upon church members;
abuse by elders vetted and selected by the Church should attract higher amounts of partial funding.
3. Non-Church related abuse. Optional funding:
abuse by non-Church members upon Church members.
The ministry is widely believed to control significant funds, millions of dollars in some states. In a limited number of regions, the ministry has contributed to funding for therapy. However, most overseers have generally refused to provide financial support for victims of CSA, on the basis that:
The ministry is not an organisation, therefore they are not responsible;
They have no money;
The funds were donated for the maintenance of the workers, not for any other purpose, (although funds have been used for the maintenance and upgrade of convention grounds).
Friends are aware that international travel by workers, such as for convention tours, costs a lot but is readily funded by the ministry. Some believe that it is past time for the ministry to prioritize supporting victim survivors with ongoing therapy needs. This may include cancelling or curtailing ministry funded travel, at least for a few years, and to divert the funds to therapy for victim survivors.
Right now, the best way to support the ministry is to support groups who are helping survivors of abuse, both by encouraging worker funds to be provided and by also making private donations to these organisations.
The following analysis was forwarded to The Brave Truth Australia & New Zealand. WINGS thought it important information to share. The analysis was created by survivors to highlight the stunning cost of travel to have keynote speakers at conventions in Australia & New Zealand, and the number of therapy sessions that could have been funded instead. The same exercise could be undertaken for travel in all other regions.
From the people who gathered this information…
Footnote: Purpose of this exercise
To highlight the huge cost of moving workers around during convention season and to respectfully pause to consider being victim centric and channel funds towards mental and emotional wellbeing, and support for those who have been minimised and/or forgotten. To also counter the many horrible abuses, coverups and deceit which have been costly, more than money could afford or fix.
Putting victim care as a priority, would be an act of goodwill and honest acknowledgement and a first step in the right direction of love and likeness to Jesus.
The cost of flights: A ballpark figure only and were calculated using, in most instances, the most direct flight to/from home port then subsequent internal flights using low to average economy class fares. Not all travel legs and not all workers had flight costs due to travelling partly or exclusively by car.
There would be additional costs such as travel insurance, stopovers, domestic flights in home country etc.
Many may also have onward flights and costs for further convention routes, costs of which are impossible to calculate. This was an estimate of the AUS/NZ component only, then home again.
How would we administrate and accomplish the distribution of funds for mental health care and psychological support, amongst a group so broad and so broken?
That would be step two – we’ve missed step one.
In the interest of transparency, please disseminate widely, for open respectful discussion and for quiet personal honest self-examination and reflection.
Former elder of secretive 2×2 Christian sect sentenced to 120 years in prison
An ABC News investigation into the 2×2 Church, a Christian sect so secretive most people have never heard of it, has uncovered allegations of child sexual abuse and coverups.
An ABC News yearlong investigation into the 2×2 Church, a Christian sect so secretive most people have never heard of it, has uncovered allegations of widespread child sexual abuse and subsequent coverups.
During the investigation, ABC News spoke with dozens of alleged victims of child sexual abuse across more than 30 states.
Photo – Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry
As part of the ongoing investigation by law enforcement, Raymond Zwiefelhofer was convicted of 10 counts of possessing child sexual abuse material and was sentenced to 120 years in prison last month.
“In total, there were 87 files that were determined to be child sexual abuse material or sometimes known as child pornography,” Catherine Fu, a Maricopa Deputy County Attorney, told ABC News. “The 10 charged files were a combination of photos and videos, and they were all depicting children under the age of 15 engaged in either exploitive exhibition or sexual conduct.”
Zwiefelhofer, 61, maintains his innocence.
He was a tech CEO in Arizona, but he was also a member of the 2×2 Church, according to ex-members ABC News spoke to. He was an elder in the community on and off for decades.
“I’m not guilty. Again, I like to get that – make that clear,” Zwiefelhofer said during his sentencing hearing. “I would love to know how the jury found that I knowingly did this.”
ABC News reached out to Zwiefelhofer’s attorney multiple times for comment and did not hear back.
“An elder leads a group of members in their home through church services,” Cynthia Liles, a private investigator, told ABC News. “I would say there are almost always children present in the home meetings.”
Nationwide, it is illegal to possess child sexual abuse material. The minimum sentencing in Arizona is 10 years for one count. Zwiefelhofer was sentenced to 12 years for each count. “The 2×2 Church has a significant problem with child sexual abuse,” Liles said. “It’s systemic.”
Liles has been looking into allegations of abuse within the insular community for years, and says she works regularly with the FBI.
“I have notified the FBI of over a thousand accounts of child sex abuse and sex assault within the 2×2 Church community,” Liles told ABC News.
A group photo at a 2×2 Church convention in the early 1900s. Courtesy of Cherie Kropp-Ehrig
What makes the 2×2 Church so unique is the way it operates. Ministers of the church, known as workers, live with members in their homes, usually for a few days at a time.
Many former members ABC spoke with say some of the church leadership knew about abuse allegations, but did not report it to the proper authorities. Instead, the leadership would often move alleged abusers to different states.
While there is no singular head of the church, ABC News did reach out to overseers – the dozen or so men in charge of the community. While ABC News did not hear back from the overseer of Arizona who oversaw Zwiefelhofer, the former and current overseers with whom ABC News did speak all denied that widespread sexual abuse has been taking place within the 2×2 community.
The FBI announced their investigation into the 2×2 Church in February, encouraging anyone who thinks that they might be a victim to come forward with information.
In a rare and exclusive interview in June, ABC News sat down with the FBI.
Eugene Kowel, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Omaha Field Office, is leading the worldwide investigation into the organization known by outsiders as the Two by Two church.
“Let’s say you arrest one person, two people. Is that it?” ABC News’ Kyra Phillips asked.
“The FBI focuses, in general, on bringing cases from local to global,” Gene Kowel, the Special Agent in Charge of the investigation, said. “The FBI doesn’t stop at just an initial arrest. We will follow the evidence wherever it leads.”
“Raymond Zwiefelhofer is one of most likely thousands,” Liles said. “We’re getting reports of child sex abuse and sex assault committed by the highest level in leadership down to the regular members.”
“Hopefully there will be more arrests and convictions coming,” Liles said.
WINGS Note: Bill Easton was a worker in the folowing areas: 1967 Hauraki Plains 1968 Waikato 1969 South Taranaki 1970 Auckland 1071 Central Otago 1972 Auckland 1973 Southland 1974 South Canterbury 1975 Wellington Willie Phyn and Nathan McCarthy were the senior workers at the time Easton left the work with the advice “in strong terms to marry quickly and start a family.” Church members were not advised why Easton was removed from the work.
Northland man jailed for 13 years over historic sexual abuse of six boys
William Stephen Easton, known as Bill Easton, in the dock at the Kaikohe District Court today. Photo: RNZ / Amy Williams
A former minister of an underground sect has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges
The charges are of historical child sex abuse spanning four decades
The religious group known as the Two by Twos, or The Truth, is also under investigation by the FBI for historical child sexual abuse
Warning: This story covers sexual abuse of multiple victims.
A Kerikeri man who abused six boys in repeated, premeditated offending while he was part of an underground sect has been sentenced to 13 years in prison.
William Stephen Easton, known as Bill Easton, has been sentenced in the Kaikohe District Court on 55 charges related to historic sexual offending against children.
The 80 year old was a minister of the Two by Twos, also known as The Truth, a secretive Christian sect.
Judge Brandt Shortland told Easton the level of his offending was “unprecedented”.
“It was very serious offending over a long period of time. The aggravating features are clear, the premeditation, the vulnerability of the young people, the absolute betrayal of trust of…children of people who looked up to you, that admired you, that respected you, because of your position in your church.”
Judge Shortland said the fact there were six victims and the offending happened consistently over many years indicated how serious it was.
Easton’s offending spanned four decades and took place around the country, involving six victims who were boys at the time. The youngest was seven.
“The predatory nature that was consistent over a long period of time and the consistency of the offending can’t be overlooked,” Judge Shortland said.
He said there was a clear power imbalance, so much so that one of the survivor’s parents did not believe them when they disclosed the abuse because of the position Easton held.
After the sentencing, the police’s lead investigator for the prosecution Detective Constable Mark Reid acknowledged the victims and their families and the ordeal they have been through.
“While the man responsible for the offending has been sentenced, police understand that no conviction will ever take back what has happened,” he said.
“He was a well-known figure in his community for many years and in continual contact with children and young people.”
Easton’s lawyer Doug Blaikie said his client acknowledged the victims and the harm his offending had caused.
He read out Easton’s apology letter in court, which said he had “deep and heartfelt regret” for his actions that caused harm he now understood.
“I can never forgive myself for this; all I can say is I’m sincerely sorry. Every day I face remorse and regret…and now face the consequences.
“I know my actions were wrong but I failed to acknowledge and understand how wrong.”
Blaikie said Easton’s offending occurred in the context of a young man growing up in a church and society that regarded homosexuality as “deviant”.
He said Easton left the position of minister of the church in his early 20s because he could see his actions were not consistent with the church’s teachings.
Blaikie said he sought counselling from the church which “today would be regarded as totally inappropriate” because Easton was advised in strong terms to marry quickly and start a family.
William Stephen Easton during an earlier court appearance. Photo: RNZ/Peter de Graaf
Easton was emotionally conflicted as a person of homosexual disposition but that did not excuse his behaviour.
“There was clearly a power imbalance between Mr Easton and all of his victims and he exploited that power imbalance for his own sexual gratification.”
Judge Shortland acknowledged his guilty plea and letter of apology.
“There’s nothing mitigating about this offending. In many respects there was no other place but to be honest about what has been said and I appreciate that.”
‘It has caused me emotional harm for most of my life’ – survivor
It was a harrowing morning in court for the six victims and their families, as four victim impact statements were heard – all chose not to read these aloud themselves.
Before the victim statements were read, Judge Shortland said this would be an emotional day and difficult for many.
For much of the sentencing, Easton sat with his head in his hands.
One survivor who is now in his 70s said he had been abused by Easton from the age of 12 at his parents’ home.
“My relationship to the offender was no more than that he was a minister of religion who often stayed in my childhood home where he was held in high regard by my parents,” said his statement.
“I told my parents but they did not believe me, instead accusing me of telling dreadful lies of this highly revered young man.”
The survivor said the sexual abuse had taken away his innocence and left him imprisoned by memories for 50 years.
He said he constantly required company, otherwise, he was tormented by flashbacks and became suicidal.
“I fear how this may have ended up if the authorities and other victims hadn’t helped us bring Bill to justice.”
Another survivor whose statement was read in court said he was 22 years old when Easton sexually abused him nearly 50 years ago and it had burdened him ever since.
“It has caused me emotional harm for most of my life with some days being worse than others.”
Easton was a person of trust whom he looked up to and should have known better.
Another survivor, now in his 50s, said he was a young high school student when Easton offered him a school holiday job that he was initially pleased about.
But he said that “quickly turned to fear and anxiety” when he realised Easton had taken him to an isolated area to sexually abuse him.
“What possessed you to take advantage of a young vulnerable boy with realistically nowhere to escape to?”
The survivor said from that time forward his life changed, he self-harmed and tried to run away from home to escape the abuse which continued for two and a half years.
He said he feared he may have contracted AIDS and for the following decade, would donate blood so that it would be tested.
He disclosed the abuse to police in September 2023.
“Explaining what you had done to me was hard. Hard to relive those experiences, but not hard to provide facts, when, where, what. I can never forget what you did to me.”
The survivor said he was open to restorative justice in the future.
Another survivor, in his 60s, said he was a young, shy, naive 15 year old when Easton sexually abused him.
“You were a member of our church ministry and had just been released from duty. As children we were taught to respect, trust and look up to our church ministers,” his statement said.
“You began taking an interest in me, taking me for drives in your vehicle…it was at this time that the abuse started.”
The survivor said he did not disclose the abuse at the time and still got flashbacks when he felt “abhorrent” about what happened to him and that had affected his ability to form close friendships.
“I feel that you have taken advantage of my naivety when I was young, when I was learning to find my own way in life. Instead you took away my ability to trust others.”
The offender and the sect
Easton was a minister of the Two by Twos, also known as The Truth, an underground Christian sect, from 1966 until he was removed from the group’s leadership in 1976.
However, insiders have told RNZ that Easton remained part of the group, attending meetings in members’ homes, until last year.
He was also listed until recently as a real estate agent on the Harcourts Bay of Islands website.
In September its director, Scott Cousins, said Easton was no longer with the company.
“Bill Easton advised us of the historic charges against him, which occurred prior to his association with our company. He immediately left our organisation. We were shocked and appalled by these charges and this remains the case,” he said.
Easton was arrested as part of an investigation into accusations of sex offending by members of the Two by Twos.
The group is being investigated by the FBI.
Police initially charged him with 17 indecent assault and sexual violation offences that occurred between 1964 and 1981, involving four victims.
A further 38 charges were laid in September relating to two more victims.
The Two by Twos have about 2500 members and 60 ministers in New Zealand.
It is not registered as a charity and had no official name or church buildings.
A hallmark of the group is that its itinerant ministers travel in pairs and stay in members’ homes.
Where to get help:
Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason.
Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO (24/7). This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends.
Youthline: 0800 376 633 (24/7) or free text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz
What’s Up: free counselling for 5 to 19 years old, online chat 11am-10.30pm 7days/week or free phone 0800 WHATSUP / 0800 9428 787 11am-11pm
Asian Family Services: 0800 862 342 Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm or text 832 Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm. Languages spoken: Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi and English.
The below letter was recently sent from the MN/IA staff. The following document includes the “Statement of Purpose” and resources. The Statement of Purpose claims that “We have found the New Testament instructions to the Lord’s people to be a perfect code of conduct, if faithfully applied.” WINGS is not aware of any New Testament instructions specifically about prevention of, or responding to, child sexual abuse. The workers and overseers history of failure to prevent, or respond properly to Child Sexual Abuse, suggests that application of man’s interpretation of selected bible verses is not an adequate basis for dealing with Child Sexual Abuse.
The overseer of this region is Titus Lehman.
Dear Iowa and Minnesota friends,
We appreciated our convention season again this year. The helpers who were sent brought us bread for our souls and it was special to have time together. We are encouraged again to sow the seed and do what we can in our fields. We appreciate everyone who was a part of our conventions, including those who were not able for whatever reason, and listened on the conference call. We keep in our hearts those who chose not to attend. We respect your choice knowing the reasons vary greatly. We do care about you all!
Most of you have received the new workers list by now. Many of us are headed to new areas of labor and are looking forward to getting gospel meetings going again and getting acquainted with new people and places. We are glad for open homes and we also respect any who have reservations about who enters their homes. Please, feel free to help us know how you feel about having company.
LaVerna has moved into an apartment in Pella and has been busy reaching out to the folks who are her new neighbors there. We certainly wish her the best. It’s a big adjustment, no doubt.
David leaves November 18th and returns February 18th for conventions in India, Bangladesh, Dubai, and a few other spots. We will enjoy following along. Dean and Kyle are going to Manitoba/Saskatchewan for the special meeting rounds. They will be away from the end of November through December.
Much time and effort has been spent searching out, reviewing, and exploring what our staff and fellowship’s responsibility is in regards to CSA/SA. Thank you for your patience in this process.
In May of 2023 a policy was written for immediate needs. It helped us at the time with situations which arose. Since then we realize it just doesn’t apply to and cover every situation. We have chosen to discontinue its use and dependence on it.
Last year a group of workers and friends explored the possibility of a policy for our fellowship. We contracted with the GRACE group, which has been helpful for other organizations. They provided a policy draft in December. After reviewing this draft, we found it did not meet the needs of or rightly represent our fellowship. Above all, with prayerful consideration, it was clear the Lord was not giving peace with these efforts. In respect to God, we have discontinued working with GRACE group for policy development. The time spent with them was not wasted as we learned much helpful information about these subjects.
All of us are more educated, aware of the impact of CSA, and alert to inappropriate behavior. It is imperative to move forward in that understanding. We would like to share our simple statement of purpose. It is attached to this email. Also attached is a document with resources and reporting information.
The following policy was initially drafted by GRACE, and modified through a review process that included approximately 50 volunteers, as well as 4 workers (Titus Lehman, John Simons, Marla Freesemann, and Roy Williams). A decision was then made by ministry leadership to abandon the policy.
[Wings Note: Wings cannot thoroughly vet therapy funds or helplines connected with our fellowship, but we applaud all who are working to support survivors.]
October 16, 2024
UOA Therapy Fund Helpline providing nationwide support.
On July 1, 2024, United Open Arms (UOA) launched the UOA Therapy Fund Helpline. UOA is passionate about helping child sexual assault and sexual assault survivors, and believes each survivor matters and deserves the utmost care throughout their individual journey. Confidential business reports from the first two months of operation confirm survivors are reaching out and help is being offered.
The UOA helpline is staffed by RAINN intake specialists. RAINN—the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network—is the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the U.S. The UOA Therapy Fund Hotline’s hours of operation are Monday-Friday, 9am-7pm ET. Calls after hours will be answered the next business day.
By calling the national UOA helpline number (1-888-564-3073), survivors can be assured their call will be answered by specially trained intake specialists from RAINN. Survivors can be reassured their identity will be kept confidential and that their call-in experience will be professional. Survivors will not have to retell their story or name their perpetrator(s), making the experience user friendly and survivor controlled.*
Once RAINN has established survivor eligibility, an independent third party claims administrator (TPA) will contact the survivor for payment details. The TPA will collect money from UOA to send to the survivor’s place of therapy. UOA is not privy to any survivor identity or places of therapy.
UOA is thankful to donors as the fund would not be functional without their generosity. Donors can be reassured that their information is confidential and 100% of their donations go towards therapy costs. Currently, administrative fees and educational costs are being covered by donors who choose to dedicate their funds to cover those costs. Professional volunteers manage the operations for UOA and zero donations are distributed for their work.
Generous folks have been donating in several ways: ● Give Butter with Zelle or credit/debit cards (one time donations or reoccurring auto-pay donations) ● Fidelity Charities ● IRA charitable donations ● Employer Charity Match Programs ● USPS mail and in-person delivery of paper checks
This letter has been issued by the owners of the property where the Belgium convention has been held.
They comment:
Over the past few years, troubling developments have come to light within the church, revealing profound and devastating issues that have shaken this faith community. These issues are not just isolated incidents but have exposed a pattern that demands collective attention, sensitivity, and action. The painful revelations of recent scandals have brought to the surface an urgent need for introspection, accountability, and change.
…. We are convinced that the time has come to make meaningful changes that will not only help towards correcting the wrongs of the past, where possible, but also help ensure a safer, healthier environment for all who are part of this fellowship in the future.
This message is written not out of bitterness, but out of a profound love and concern for this faith community. We hope that by addressing these difficult issues with honesty and humility, trust can be rebuilt and healing fostered where possible. This opportunity to make things right, where possible, should not be missed, to protect and nurture those in this fellowship group, and to take courageous steps toward a future marked by compassion and integrity of which Christ was the perfect example.
Their letter is long as it has details from many years of interactions with workers.
WINGS Note May 2025: The letter has been removed at the request of the authors.
WINGS Note: The Advocates for the Truth team have reported statistics for current allegations against US male workers:
US male workers with allegations who are still living – 100 (active and ex-workers) US male workers with allegations who are deceased – 47 US male workers with allegations – uncertain whether dead or alive – 13 Current total US male workers with credible allegations – 160
The following report provides detailed analysis of prevalence.
Analysis of the Prevalence of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) by Workers John E. VanDenBerg, Ph.D. October 10, 2024
The author’s history in the faith.Please note that I have the same name as my late cousin John T. VanDenBerg who had been removed from the work over CSA issues.
I was born and raised in the church, the third generation on both sides of my family. My great Aunt Grace Hoops was one of the first workers recruited in the U.S. I left the “Truth” (hereafter referred to as the church) over 56 years ago. Even though I am not a follower of the faith, I have seen the value of the church. My own late Mother and her numerous sisters, who were raised in poverty, had much more fulfilled lives due to the consistency of the church and stabilizing nature of going to meetings.
My initial response upon hearing about the CSA scandals was that it happens in all faiths.
However, when hearing that the scandal was a major crisis, I did wonder about the prevalence of abusers among the workers, and decided to examine the rate of CSA within workers. I want to be clear that I do not have the goal of harming the church. Rather, I am hoping that this analysis could be used by church leadership to deal with the current crisis related to CSA by workers, and to inform members and ex-members.
The CSA scandals. I believe in religious freedom, and want each person to choose their own religion as they wish. However, after reading about the large scale of CSA reports and as more victims came forward, I made discrete queries with nine cousins from my very large family. All were born and raised in the church but had later left. I asked them if any had been sexually abused by workers. Just within the nine cousins interviewed, there were five reported incidents with workers, ranging from grooming to rape.
My credentials and experience with men who commit CSA. I am a retired Ph.D. level child psychologist who has had extensive experience with men who commit CSA. In my consultation within prisons, I have worked with many imprisoned pedophiles. I don’t have extensive experience or training about women who are potential offenders, so I have focused this analysis solely on men.
Reasons why men may commit CSA. Many men with these tendencies become abusers because they were sexually abused as children (there is little evidence that genetics play a role), or they are from a family culture that illegally allows sexual activity between children and adults. Studies of men who commit CSA suggest that power and control by the man over the child is another factor, especially if the man committing the crime knows the child.
The effects of CSA on children. It goes without saying that being sexually abused is a horrible experience for children which often has a severe negative effect over their lifespan. The National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders cites some of the effects of CSA:
Depression and thoughts of suicide
Sexual anxiety and disorders, including promiscuity
Difficulty maintaining appropriate boundaries with others, including enmeshed or avoidant relationships
Poor body image and low self-esteem
In my own work with children who were sexually abused, I have observed that the betrayal of trust is a major factor in later life problems. Someone whom they trusted violated that trust, therefore all others might violate their trust. This can often lead to major relationship problems, including multiple divorces and lack of friends. In the church, workers are often put on a pedestal and are seen as respected authority figures. Therefore, when a worker commits CSA, the betrayal of trust is amplified.
Results of my analysis. I want to qualify this analysis as being limited due to the overall lack of accurate documentation within the church, which has minimal written materials beyond the Bible. I have depended on recently published sources from organizations who are studying and reporting on the CSA scandal within the church. These sources include interviews of former workers (non-abusers) and persons who were abused by workers. In addition, I did extensive interviews with a worker who had been accused of being an abuser and who had been removed from the ministry.
The numbers of workers is recorded differently depending on the source, but the numbers used in the following sections have been verified by at least two sources, but should be seen as approximate.
How many male workers in the US? In 2011, approximately 245 US living workers were males. These numbers are cited as approximate because of new workers coming on, workers leaving the work, and workers who have been removed from the work due to CSA allegations.
The data on overall CSA for men (not just workers). The incidence for all men who have admitted tendencies or who commit CSA is approximately 4% of all men. This data is argued within the field, and many population scientists say it is much higher. For this analysis, I will use the conservative 4% figure.
Applying the overall 4% number to the current approximately 245 male workers in the US. This means that if male workers in the US had the same general prevalence numbers, using the 4% figure, there would be approximately 10 male workers who were perpetrators, compared with all men. Even though there is evidence that CSA by workers has been occurring for many past decades, I have focused on present day workers who are living.
The present number of allegations against male workers in the US. Based on data from monitoring sites reported in the US (the FBI is currently actively investigating CSA within the church), there are currently allegations or convictions against over 100 living male workers in the US (unduplicated).
Prevalence of CSA for US male workers. This means that male workers who are alleged or actual perpetrators are over-represented many times compared to the percentage of all men. Again, the core data on workers is not well reported, and these are primarily allegations and not convictions, but I am comfortable saying that the prevalence of potential or actual CSA perpetrators who are workers is much higher, at least ten times higher, or 1,000 percent higher than the number of all men who have tendencies or who commit CSA. These numbers are estimated due to the lack of precise data, but I am using conservative data regarding CSA for workers.
Possible reasons for the high prevalence of reported CSA by workers.
Workers often stay in homes with children. Workers, by church policy, do not have homes of their own, but instead stay in the homes of members. For workers with these tendencies or who are actual CSA perpetrators, this gives them access to children on a regular basis. In some instances, individual workers may stay in a particular home for weeks or months. Workers do not have their own families by requirement. One worker I interviewed said that he had been raised in a large family with many children, and upon entering the ministry, was always glad to be around children. This does not mean that these workers are more likely to commit CSA, but if they are already conditioned to see children as sex objects, they would have high levels of access to children.
Celibacy requirements. Workers are supposed to be celibate, and they often enter the ministry between 19 and 24 years old. Many will have had no or little experience with sexual relationships. This means that many if not most workers would experience sexual repression. This does not mean that sexually repressed men are more likely to commit CSA, but it says that those who are inclined to do so may also be sexually repressed.
Lack of formal training on physical contact with children. Workers I interviewed reported zero actual training in this area, with no formal written guidelines on touch, hugging, etc. Workers who are visiting in homes are often highly valued guests, and children often idolize them and may initiate physical contact with them such as hugging or sitting by them. Any training done is largely through mentorship from their companion worker, who is often an older and more experienced worker and who may or may not address these issues.
In contrast, in graduate school to become a child psychologist, I was extensively trained on what was appropriate contact with children. For example, we were to avoid any physical contact such as hugging. We were not to see client children outside the physical or nearby presence of their parents or guardians. Violation of these rules would have meant we would be asked to leave the graduate program.
The “forgiveness” culture of the church itself. The culture of the church is largely based on the principle that as frail humans, we are weak compared to God. The messages from workers are often centered on the notion that even professing members have to guard against so-called “worldly” tendencies or faults. As a professing young teen, I was often told I was to be humble and to realize that I was a sinner at heart. I was trained that these sins would be forgiven with the proper repentance and profession of faith, no exceptions. Repentance of sins is frequently mentioned in the New Testament. Repentance is key to being forgiven of sins.
This means that workers who commit CSA, admit their offenses, and who repent having done them, will almost always believe that even if their CSA were a sin, they would be forgiven. This blanket forgiveness could subtly encourage deviant behaviors. In a sense, these core forgiveness beliefs could be a form of grooming, of minimizing the actual deviant behaviors, similar to what perpetrators often do in preparing victims for abuse.
What must be done? Apparently, there is some controversy within the overseers (senior male workers who oversee the ministry in a region or province) and workers about what should be done to prevent CSA or how to intervene with workers who have allegations or convictions for CSA. Some overseers have led efforts to ensure safety of children, but others have down played the dangers and numbers.
In my professional opinion, speaking as a former church member and an expert in CSA areas, the church must be reformed in at least the following areas:
The culture of the church must support unconditional protection of children, with constant vigilance about ensuring potential offenders are not around children.
The church must establish key standards for how to determine if a worker has committed CSA, to avoid false or inaccurate accusations, or to ensure that actions must be taken. If there is a reasonable suspicion that CSA commitment has occurred, law enforcement and child welfare authorities must be notified.
Once their offenses are verified, offending workers must not be allowed back into meetings or conventions. As an alternative, offending workers should be restricted to meetings with other offenders or adult church members who volunteer to join these meetings.
No workers should stay in homes with children. This would be a controversial decision, but if the church is serious about child protection, it must be implemented. Of course, in the course of being ministers, workers will be around families, but removing staying in homes would increase the protection of children.
The leaders of the church must never move offenders to other areas or countries, but rather remove them from the church.
Overseers and others who recruit young workers should weed out potential workers who have sexual attraction to children. This will require development of written criteria for becoming a worker. The church must develop and teach standards around workers’ physical contact with children and ensure that all new workers know and follow these standards. Overseers have selected a standardized instrument to use in this regard. If implemented with all workers, this would be a positive step.
End Note: Sources. The 4% figure used in this analysis comes primarily from the United States Sentencing Commission (2021), one of the most accurate of the sources for this type of information. Since the majority of sexual crimes go under-reported, the 4% figure is cited as conservative. In the literature for males who are sexual offenders, prevalence figures from reliable sources range from 3% to 16%. Even though the exact prevalence percentages are elusive, I stand by my statement that “I am comfortable saying that the prevalence of potential or actual CSA perpetrators who are workers is much higher, at least ten times higher, or 1,000 percent higher than the number of all men who have tendencies or who commit CSA”.
Submitted by John E. VanDenBerg, Ph.D. For comments about this analysis, contact John at jevdb1@gmail.com
This article is of primary interest to current and former members of the church known as “The Truth”, “2×2’s, “The Fellowship” etc. There are various names because there is no official adoption of a name.
Readers who are familiar with this group will also be aware of the cataclysmic events of 2023. It started in March with the revelation that a senior, highly respected top leader was found (post mortem) to have engaged in a sordid secret life of sexual activity, some of it allegedly criminal. This rocked everyone who heard it, and led to a chain reaction of survivors of child sexual abuse and other abuses bravely stepping up to reveal a systemic problem of widespread abuse. As reports kept coming in, mostly to a newly formed group called Advocates for the Truth (AFTT) https://www.advocatesforthetruth.com/ headed up by ex members, one of whom is a professional investigator. The numbers of alleged perpetrators are staggering, considering the relatively small number base across the world (well under 100,000 today and shrinking quickly over the last 1 1/2 years). It is estimated that the rate of offenses in this group is significantly higher than other established church groups, and somewhere around 3-4X the rate of the Roman Catholic Church. There are many reasons why abuse is worse in this group but that is another large subject.
As an early board member in 2009 of a group called WINGS for Truth https://wingsfortruth.info/ which advocates for child protection standards as well as working to support survivors, educate, and raise awareness, I wasn’t shocked at these events and revelations. We already knew that this was a huge systemic problem and as a group, we put in countless hours to raise awareness and offer solutions. While I wasn’t shocked, I did register some surprise that the problem is somewhat bigger than what I expected.
Reports resulted in the fall of many leaders, some at the top of regions, others were senior well known leaders both in the ministry group and in the congregant group. Almost all alleged criminals and abusers were men, but there were a small number of women. Many of them were connected at the senior level, enough to raise suspicion that there was an active conspiracy to advance child sexual abuse (CSA), sexual abuse (SA) and other abuses. While it is doubtful that there was a formal sex ring but what is almost certain is that there was(is) a lot of “I won’t tell on you if you don’t tell on me”. Secrecy and cover-up is embedded in the culture of this group and this is normal practice everywhere at all levels. I won’t explain how I see the way this culture developed as it is out of the scope of this article, and it is a subject with a lot of detail. Needless to say, transparency and accountability is foreign to this group and strongly resisted.
Then, the media picked up on this. A couple of smaller media outlets produced articles. Then the BBC (UK) published a well written article on it with a case study and the credibility of the issue soared. Major stories by the CBC (Canada) came out and was on The National, their national TV broadcast. ABC (US) did a piece on it. There have been many other publications by the media in North America, New Zealand and Australia with more to come.
All of this resulted in the establishment of a US-wide FBI investigation with a call to receive reports. https://forms.fbi.gov/2×2 The FBI is taking reports from around the world and will share with their partners in other countries.
In 2023, we observed a wide variety of responses from the upper leadership. It was a spectrum from trying to evade the subject completely, to perfunctory response, to minimal effort to reform, to some very good work headed up by two top leaders in the US. The latter two were supported by professionals in developing child safety guidelines and some excellent work was the result. It was our hope that these two regions would lead the way to enacting child safety practices, from which other regions would follow. By December 2023, it was all rejected by the leadership everywhere in North America. The leadership then took a defensive posture of even more opaqueness than ever, presumably waiting for the storm to blow over and things could get back to the way they were. Somehow, in spite of all the light shone on this, the forces of darkness prevailed. How can that be?
The reasons why all the revelations and efforts to reform changed nothing and became even more regressive is related to two things: one is the patriarchal structure of the group, and the other is certain unique doctrines that are deeply held by most members.
Here is the organizational structure:
The Ministry: Male overseer, male minister, female minister
The Laity: Male elder, male deacon, male member, female member
Sexual abuse practices and crimes are vastly dominated by males, so such a deeply patriarchal system is inherently conducive to the perpetuation of these crimes. After I touch on the doctrinal issues, I will circle back to this structure and explain how the resistance to change actually works.
The main doctrinal item that is not only the root cause of many problems in this group but also the main factor in resistance to change is the “exclusivity doctrine”. That is, only people who meet and become approved by this ministry group are saved and will go to heaven. Most readers will recognize that a doctrine like this is a huge tool for potential abuse on members, but I want to explain how it is also a barrier to change. Among the most fervent believers in this group, mostly the ministry group and a large minority of the laity, will do almost anything to protect the delusion that they are the only saved people in the world and that the group must be protected at all costs. When this becomes the main priority of the core of the group, then virtues such as compassion, justice, truth, humility and others become at best secondary, and often discarded to protect the system and structure. Any change threatens the core belief so it is deeply resisted.
One other belief that causes resistance to reform is that this group started out in 1897 as a very loose, “spirit led” group with little organization and little interest in money. It is a fascinating history best recorded by the meticulous owner of this website: https://www.tellingthetruth.info/home/ “No organization, no money” became a deeply held tenet, and a matter of righteous pride. In spite of the fact that the group became more and more organized and more money oriented, the core believers today still adhere strongly that “we are not an organization like all the ‘false’ churches”. Any document, no matter how sound or professionally produced, is anathema to this core group as it smacks of organization to them and makes them too much like the “false” churches. It attacks their core beliefs.
Now back to the organization. The ministry and the laity have a sort of symbiotic relationship. The ministry approves the laity for admission to the fellowship and effectively, heaven. The laity in turn provides the accommodations and money for the ministry to do its activities. When the progressive members seeking child safety guidelines were rejected, it wasn’t a matter of the sole rejection by the ministry leadership. There is a significant hardcore of members and elders who rejected the efforts to keep children safe. Evidence suggests that they applied enormous pressure on the ministry group to reject reform. These members are the ones who, even if all the progressive members left, would keep the ministry in operation. So rejection became an existential matter for the ministry. Hence the rejection of changes that would help keep children safe.
The end result of this is that no changes are visible as far off into the future that we can project. The conditions for a high probability of abuse remain firmly in place, perhaps even worse than before.
My main hope now is that our efforts to educate and raise awareness will inform parents to be very vigilant and alert to grooming practices that so often lead to catastrophic abuses that destroy vulnerable children. Parents, please be informed and teach your children.
WINGS for Truth 