Ethnos360 Sued by Alleged Abuse Victim

Lawsuit claims she was fraudulently induced to participate in investigation.

Ethnos360, one of the largest missionary agencies in the country, has been sued by a child of missionaries who says she was abused while her parents served in Indonesia.

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Kayla McClain, 25, claims she was abused by an Ethnos360 missionary, Nate Horling, between 2005 and 2010.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story contains instances of sexual abuse that might be triggering/disturbing for some readers.

Her lawsuit asserts claims against Ethnos 360 for negligence, negligent training and supervision, fraud in the inducement, and vicarious liability for the alleged abuse committed by Horling.

“Once again, Ethnos360 faces a lawsuit for failing to protect a child from sexual abuse — and for its deeply inadequate response when the survivor courageously came forward,” Boz Tchividjian, the attorney representing McClain, said in a statement to MinistryWatch. Tchividjian is also founder of Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE).

“Our client, like far too many others, was not kept safe. But through this legal action, she is now seeking the accountability and justice that were long denied to her,” he said. “Survivors deserve to be heard. They deserve safety. They deserve justice. This lawsuit is a step toward making that a reality—not just for our client, but for others still waiting to be seen and believed.”

In 2005, McClain’s parents served as missionaries with Ethnos360 in Indonesia after completing their missionary training.

The McClains lived in Salatiga, Java, Indonesia from May 2005 to May 2007 to complete their in-country language training.

During this period, Kayla McClain became acquainted with the Horlings, another missionary family living in the same housing area provided by Ethnos360. The Horlings had a daughter the same age as McClain.

According to court filings, McClain often felt uncomfortable around Nate Horling, who would stroke her hair and give her prolonged full-body hugs. Horling’s child, identified in the complaint as E.H., allegedly initiated indecent play with McClain during which they would take off their clothes and touch each others’ private areas while Horling watched from the doorway.

Horling allegedly told McClain she had a “very pretty body” when her clothes were off and that it “made him want to do things with it.” On at least one occasion, Horling unzipped his pants and took out his penis while hugging and kissing McClain, but then apologized and told her not to tell anyone.

McClain also claims Horling showed her lewd pictures and videos of children in the Ethnos360 office while she sat on his lap and he touched her vaginal area.

In 2007, the McClain family moved to another area of Indonesia — Sentani— away from the Horlings.

But in 2009, the Horlings also moved to Sentani, and McClain said Horling’s abuse began again, leading to Horling raping McClain in a closet, after which Horling allegedly blamed McClain.

Another sexual abuse encounter between Horling and McClain allegedly occurred during an Ethnos360 conference in 2010.

“As a direct and proximate result of the sexual abuse inflicted on [McClain] by Horling as a young child, [McClain] began acting out the sexual acts she learned from Horling on other missionary children. Likewise, several other missionary children began acting out sexual acts on [McClain],” the lawsuit asserts.

In 2009, GRACE was hired to investigate allegations of sexual abuse within the ranks of Ethnos360 — then New Tribes Mission. The final report, released in 2010 at the same time McClain was allegedly still being abused, revealed widespread sexual abuse within the organization.

“The GRACE report outlined in detail the substantive and repeated failures of Defendant Ethnos in how the organization and its leadership responded to child sexual abuse allegations and how such failures were the direct cause of profound emotional damages to victims and their families,” the lawsuit states.

Following the report, Ethnos360 agreed to put in place necessary training, policies, and background checks to handle allegations in the future.

In 2012, McClain revealed to her parents that she had engaged in peer-on-peer sexual activity. McClain’s father reported the matter to the Ethnos Child Safety Team in Indonesia. According to the lawsuit, after initial contact, the McClains never heard from the child safety team about further inquiries or offers of professional assistance to their daughter or other minor children.

“Defendant Ethnos acted as if the conduct disclosed by [McClain] was typical sexual exploration between children,” the lawsuit states.

Back in the United States in 2019, McClain struggled with her mental health and even tried to commit suicide and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

In 2021, McClain submitted an online form to IHART, a group charged with investigating abuse allegations since the GRACE report.

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According to the lawsuit, IHART was presented as “an independent group,” but was led by Theresa Sidebotham with Telios Law in Colorado, which “has a long history of working for Defendant Ethnos.”

“IHART’s trademark is registered and owned by Defendant Ethnos,” the lawsuit added.

Sidebotham told MinistryWatch, “IHART is an independent process, with an outside coordinator and outside investigators. While it is not a separate organization, the IHART investigations were independent, with multiple checks and balances.”

“Telios Law is not and has never been Ethnos360’s general counsel. I served as the IHART Coordinator, and occasionally have advised specifically on child safeguarding issues,” Sidebotham said.

McClain claims she was interviewed by two IHART investigators on August 9, 2021, for approximately three hours that was very difficult for her to endure. In September, McClain said she was told she would need to complete another interview because her situation was “outside the [first] team’s mandate.”

In November, McClain said she endured another lengthy interview during which she once again was required to recite the details of her abuse.

“[N]either representative demonstrated much, if any, experience with investigating child sexual abuse disclosures and neither behaved in a way that demonstrated knowledge or experience with a trauma informed interview,” the lawsuit asserts.

In the summer of 2023, McClain was once again interviewed about her abuse and the details about the location and her age.

When the IHART “statement of findings” was released in November 2023, it stated, “Investigators determined there was no sufficient corroboration to conclude that [PLAINTIFF] was the victim of sexual abuse by the adult NTM missionary.”

McClain claims the report did not accurately represent the disclosures about her abuse that she made during her three interviews.

About the interviews and conclusions, Sidebotham said McClain reached out to investigators with memories and allegations after the investigation focused on Indonesia had closed.

Sidebotham said the investigators did a screening call with her, but “because that [Indonesia] investigation was closed, we determined it should be handled within the then-current investigation.”

“[W]e arranged for [the interview] to be conducted by a doctoral level counselor with trauma experience,” and McClain’s own counselor also attended to support her, Sidebotham said.

“Investigators were not able to substantiate the allegations. Recovered memories usually indicate trauma of some kind, but can’t be supported factually without some corroboration,” she added.

Because Ethnos was in a position of trust, the lawsuit alleges that it owed a duty of reasonable care to McClain from sexual abuse, but it breached that duty by “fail[ing] to establish, implement, or enforce policies” that would have protected her.

The lawsuit also alleges that Ethnos failed to provide adequate training and supervision of its employees, which resulted in McClain suffering bodily injury, mental suffering, and emotional distress.

In representing IHART as an independent investigation, the lawsuit claims Ethnos induced McClain into participating in over nine hours of difficult interviews.

“[McClain] was made to believe by Ethnos representations that her report would empower Ethnos to identify and hold abusers accountable while also providing [her] much needed services, such as counseling and helping to change Ethnos policies and procedures in order to prevent others from being harmed,” the lawsuit states, adding that those representations were false.

McClain claims her participation in the “disastrous” IHART process led to a significant decline in her mental health.

“Ethnos360 takes allegations of this nature very seriously,” David Doyle, attorney for Ethnos360, told MinistryWatch in response to our inquiry. “The organization’s first concern is the well-being of the individual affected. To that end, Ethnos360 has offered and continues to offer assistance with this individual’s counseling. Ethnos360 will continue to prioritize accountability, as well as the safety of every individual entrusted to its care.”

“The events described in the Complaint are alleged to have occurred nearly fifteen years ago,” he added. “Due to the legal process, Ethnos360 cannot comment further on the details; however, Ethnos360 categorically denies any merit to the allegations made against it in the Complaint. As the legal process unfolds, we ask for privacy and respect for all involved, especially for the individual who has brought this claim.”

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