Type to search

Culture Ministry News

Kanakuk Petition Reaches 15,000 Signatures

Petition asks that victims be released from non-disclosure agreements

Avatar photo

A petition drive whose organizers hope to force Kanakuk Ministries to release sexual abuse victims from non-disclosure agreements they signed as part of financial agreements has now reached 15,000 signatures.

The petition is a part of the FactsAboutKanakuk.com website.  The website claims that “Kanakuk’s reputation and reach conceals a dark secret.  For decades, Joe White and other camp leaders knew about and facilitated sexual abuse against scores of children.”

The website also includes links to court documents for lawsuits in which Kanakuk and senior staff members, including Joe White, were named as defendants.  The website maintains that “non-disclosure agreements and significant financial settlements have concealed the truth in order to preserve a ministry brand and economic engine.”

Kanakuk Kamps and related non-profit organizations had revenue of about $31-million for the fiscal year ending Aug. 31, 2019 (the latest available).  That figure makes it one of the largest Christian camps in the country.  Even so, it was a significant decline from the prior year, when revenue was about $35-million.

Access to MinistryWatch content is free.  However, we hope you will support our work with your prayers and financial gifts.  To make a donation, click here.

The FactsAboutKanakuk website petition demands that individuals and families who have settled with the camp be released from any non-disclosure agreements or “similar clauses.”

MinistryWatch is on record opposing the use of non-disclosure agreements in ministry settings.

Tags:
Avatar photo
Warren Cole Smith

Warren previously served as Vice President of WORLD News Group, publisher of WORLD Magazine, and Vice President of The Colson Center for Christian Worldview. He has more than 30 years of experience as a writer, editor, marketing professional, and entrepreneur. Before launching a career in Christian journalism 25 years ago, Smith spent more than seven years as the Marketing Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

    1