Type to search

#ChurchToo Church Featured

MorningStar Accountability Group Calls for Rick Joyner’s Resignation

“I will not abandon my post except by His clearly revealed will,” Joyner said.

Avatar photo

EDITOR’S NOTE: You can listen to this story by clicking the link above.

A group of former MorningStar church members, students, and staff members have signed an open statement calling for MorningStar founder Rick Joyner to resign, among other accountability measures.

Rick Joyner at the Sept. 15 service at Morningstar Fellowship Church in Fort Mill, S.C. / Video screenshot

The statement, published by MorningStar Accountability Now on September 23, follows the filing of three lawsuits by victims who alleged child sexual abuse by Erickson Lee during MorningStar programs. The lawsuits also seek to hold the ministry liable for not preventing the alleged abuse.

“We strongly condemn the MorningStar Board, its leader Rick Joyner, and other executive church leaders for their inadequate response to grave allegations,” the open statement says. “Their attempts to ignore, downplay, and discredit victims and the severity of their claims are not only morally reprehensible but also betray the trust placed in them.”

Joyner responded via email on October 5 to Emily Elston, a leader of the MorningStar Accountability Now group. “I am the one God gave to raise up MorningStar, and I will not abandon my post except by His clearly revealed will,” he said.

The accountability statement has over 200 named signatories, some of whom are former teachers at the church’s Comenius School for Creative Leadership, as well as church attendees, Morningstar staff, and others affiliated with the Morningstar School of Ministry.

Destiny Edwards, who attended CSCL from 2002 to 2006 and helped initiate the accountability statement, had a wonderful experience and holds many of her teachers in high regard. “I have no axe to grind with Rick Joyner,” she told MinistryWatch, but she is discouraged by the “cavalier attitudes” of the ministry’s leadership toward the sexual abuse allegations.

“I hate for the legacy of the ministry to be tainted by pride and hubris when repentance is called for,” Edwards added.

In addition to calling for Joyner’s resignation, the statement also calls for an independent audit of the MorningStar board, the credentials of its members, and its policies and procedures.

MorningStar does not file an informational Form 990 with the Internal Revenue Service where the board members’ names would be listed, nor does it have them easily accessible on its ministry website.

Edwards noted that the lack of information available about the ministry’s leadership and its financials creates more credibility issues.

The accountability statement also calls for an independent audit of the ministry’s child protection policies and for the audit results to be released publicly.

MorningStar should implement mandatory training on sexual abuse against minors for all staff and volunteers who interact with children, the statement says.

“Sharing these policies publicly would go a long way in building credibility,” Edwards said. “Rick Joyner has an incredible opportunity to be the hero and end a cycle of corruption that has plagued the church.”

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.

On September 24, MorningStar’s leadership released a statement saying they “stand with the victims” and are “fully committed to their healing and restoration.”

“[S]ome accusations are extreme and unfounded,” the MorningStar statement asserts, but it stopped shy of identifying any specific “unfounded” accusations. Nor did MorningStar provide specifics in response to an inquiry by MinistryWatch.

The statement claims MorningStar is working with independent third-party investigators to examine its policies and practices. It does not name the investigators.

The ministry also claims to operate with “strong safeguards, including mandated training and compliance with legal standards.”

In response to criticism of its leadership, MorningStar said it is committed to accountability, integrity, and learning from past “challenges and failures,” but added that it will “resist unjust or unfounded accusations.” Again, no specific “unfounded accusations” were identified.

MinistryWatch obtained the results of a survey reportedly conducted in September within a social media group of homeschool families associated with MorningStar.

The results showed that 33% of the families had decided to leave because of the recent allegations and another 37% had not yet decided what they would do.

When asked about their comfort level with leaving their children to participate in MorningStar children’s programs, a majority said they would either not take their children to the programs or  were not comfortable with their children being left in the children’s programs.

On October 7, Elston, one of the accountability’s groups founders, published a message revealing that Joyner had responded to some of her concerns by email.

The email “strongly suggests that currently he is not open or flexible to other ways of responding to the current situation,” Elston said.

In the email, which Elston attached to the message, Joyner claimed that outside organizations and the ministry’s insurer have not found any negligence by MorningStar.

“Bad things happen to people, and we’re very sorry about it, and would like to find anything reasonable we could have done better to have prevented this,” Joyner wrote.

“[M]y authority in ministry did not come from you or the people you have rallied, and no amount of pressure from you can legitimately take it from me,” he added about the call for his resignation.

“Absent significant MorningStar actions toward ensuring transparency, accountability, and prevention of abuse in the future, continuing to support this organization may contribute to continued abuse,” the open statement concludes.

Anyone wishing to reach the MorningStar Accountability Group can connect through the group’s website. Edwards said they are committed to helping connect victims to resources.

MorningStar did not respond to MinistryWatch’s multiple inquiries before the time of publication.

TO OUR READERS: Do you have a story idea, or do you want to give us feedback about this or any other story? Please email us: [email protected]

Tags:
Avatar photo
Kim Roberts

Kim Roberts is a freelance writer who holds a Juris Doctorate from Baylor University. She has home schooled her three children and is happily married to her husband of 25 years.

    1