Ravi Zacharias International Ministries to Change its Name, Remove Founder Content
Ravi Zacharias International Ministries will change its name and remove content from late founder Ravi Zacharias from its website and social media platforms, RZIM CEO Sarah Davis said in a statement.
Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias died in 2020. RNS photo illustration by Kit Doyle
Davis said the organization will discontinue the use of “The Zacharias Institute” brand immediately and that content to be removed includes publications and videos.
An independent investigation and subsequent report compiled by law firm Miller & Martin PLLC previously confirmed that Zacharias, who died in May 2020, had engaged in improper sexual conduct.
Davis said the ministry has begun what is expected to be a months-long independent assessment by management and compliance consulting firm Guidepost Solutions to “understand all areas of unhealth in our organization so that we can take that learning and do everything we can to prevent any kind of abuse in the future.”
Guidepost will evaluate practices including the handling of any former abuse allegations as well as the organization’s structures, culture, policies, processes, and finances, Davis said.
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Davis added that the yet-to-be-renamed organization does not plan to comment on any of Guidepost’s recommendations until the process is complete but has planned periodic updates to share “the steps we are taking as we seek to walk a path of repentance, restitution, learning, and serving.”
The organization has hired Rachael Denhollander to serve as victims’ liaison and is providing multiple ways for affected individuals to file information or complaints, including at lighthouse-services.com/RZIM.
It also has agreed to pay severance to any staff member who resigned “for reasons of conscience” during the Miller & Martin investigation.
“We continue to grieve deeply for the victims who have been treated in ways that are completely antithetical to the gospel. We also painfully and increasingly recognize organizational failures that have occurred and the repentance that needs to take place in both heart and action,” Davis said.
