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Mike Pilavachi

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Mike Pilavachi
MBE
Pilavachi in 2022
Born
Michael Pilavachi

(1958-03-07) 7 March 1958 (age 66)
Alma materSt Mellitus College
ReligionChristianity
ChurchChurch of England
Ordained
  • 2012 (deacon)
  • 2013 (priest)
Laicised2024
Congregations served

Michael Pilavachi, MBE (/ˌpɪləˈvɑːtʃi/ pill-ə-VAH-chee; born 1958)[1] is a British charismatic evangelist, former Anglican priest and author. He is the co-founder and former leader of the Soul Survivor charity based in Watford, England.

Pilavachi founded the Soul Survivor summer festivals in 1993, which subsequently ran every year until 2019 and grew to a yearly attendance of around 32,500 young people. Pilavachi was known for encouraging direct contact with the Holy Spirit and practising this at the festivals. Pilavachi and others from his former church established the Soul Survivor Church, Watford, where Pilavachi served as pastor.

In May 2023, Pilavachi was suspended from ministry while under investigation for safeguarding concerns, having stepped back from ministry the previous month. In July 2023, Pilavachi resigned from his role at Soul Survivor Watford, and in September the investigation concluded that Pilavachi had abused his power in the Church to foster inappropriate relationships with young men. Pilavachi had participated in full body massages while straddling the young men and participated in wrestling matches of up to 20 minutes at a time.

Ministry

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Soul Survivor

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Main article: Soul Survivor (charity)
Pilavachi speaking at the Soul Survivor festival in 2009

The Soul Survivor summer festivals started in 1993, after Pilavachi saw the success of New Wine and was inspired to create a festival for young people to experience charismatic Christianity. The early festivals were supported by St Andrew's Church, Chorleywood, and were held at the Bath and West showground. A group from St Andrew's went on to establish a permanent Soul Survivor church in Watford, where Pilavachi served as pastor. During the summer festivals, Pilavachi encouraged active interaction with the Holy Spirit.[2]

The festivals continued yearly until 2019,[2] when Pilavachi announced that the Soul Survivor conference would be ending, after the Soul Survivor team felt that God had told them to stop.[3] In the final year, around 32,500 young people attended over three separate week long festivals.[2]

Ordained ministry

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Pilavachi trained for ordination at St Mellitus College, an Anglican theological college in London. He was made a deacon in the Church of England at St Albans Abbey on 1 July 2012, and ordained a priest the following year.[4] He served as a curate at St Peter's Church, Watford, in the Diocese of St Albans from 2012, and was made an honorary canon of St Albans Cathedral in 2016.[4] On 30 June 2020, The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby awarded Pilavachi with the Alphege Award for Evangelism and Witness.[5]

Safeguarding investigation and substantiated allegations

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On 2 April 2023,[6] Soul Survivor Watford announced that Pilavachi had "stepped back from all ministry" while "non-recent safeguarding concerns" were investigated by the Church of England National Safeguarding Team and the diocese of St Albans.[7] On 28 April, the phrase "non-recent" was removed after more recent concerns had become apparent.[6] Pilavachi resigned as a director of the Soul Survivor charity on 4 April.[8]

Also on 4 April, The Daily Telegraph reported on the concerns, adding that the allegations were related to inappropriate messages and intimate relationships with young adults involved in Soul61, a Christian gap year project.[9] On 1 May and 12 May, The Telegraph released further reports detailing the allegations. They alleged that Pilavachi straddled young people to apply full-body oil massages, engaged in up to 20 minute long wrestling matches and preyed upon a "conveyor belt" of young attractive men who he made feel "special".[10][11] According to The Telegraph, there were allegations by over 100 people spread across three decades, with the most recent in 2020.[12][13] The Times stated that concerns about Pilavachi's behaviour were first raised with Soul Survivor leadership in 2004 but were not followed up.[14] On 15 May, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said he was "deeply conscious of the impact" of the reports and backed the Church of England's investigation as being independent from Soul Survivor.[15]

Pilavachi was suspended as an employee of the Soul Survivor charity on 20 May,[16][15] and on 11 July, Pilavachi resigned as Associate Pastor of the Soul Survivor Church in Watford. In a Facebook post announcing his resignation, Pilavachi stated, "I have taken this step because the Church needs to heal and I have realised that my continued presence will hinder that process" and "I seek forgiveness from any whom I have hurt during the course of my ministry."[17]

On 6 September, the investigation by the Church of England National Safeguarding Team and the Diocese of St Albans concluded. The investigation substantiated the accusations of massaging, wrestling and abuses of power. The associated press release also stated that Pilavachi had resigned his licence to officiate and therefore could no longer minister in the Church of England.[18] In addition, the report noted that a complaint under the Clergy Discipline Measure, had been taken out against Pilavachi, which related to "verbal interactions with a vulnerable person" and was ongoing at the time of publication.[18] In January 2024, this investigation concluded and the Church of England gave Pilavachi a written warning for his conduct.[19] They clarified that Pilavachi had no authority to minister, but could return after being "fully risk assessed".[20][19] However, by September 2024, he had been fully laicised.[21]

Following concerns of the Church of England's objectivity in their investigation,[22][15] in November 2023, Soul Survivor commissioned the law firm Landmark Chambers to provide an independent report into Pilavachi's conduct.[23][24] The report was published on 26 September 2024, and verified the reports of coercion, wrestling matches and intimate massages.[25][26] It also suggested that his "spiritual celebrity" may have been a factor in the failure to stop his behaviour.[27]

In April, Matt Redman, an early worship leader at Soul Survivor, released the documentary "Let There Be Light" on his YouTube channel, which documented his experiences of abuse by Pilavachi.[28]

Personal life

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In the 2020 New Year Honours, Pilavachi was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to young people.[29][30] As of September 2023, Pilavachi's MBE has not been revoked, despite calls to remove it after the safeguarding allegations were substantiated.[31]

Pilavachi has stated that his celibacy enabled certain work which he would not have been able to balance with having a family.[32]

Books

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  • Live the Life (1998)[33]
  • Walking with a stranger, discovering God (1999)[34]
  • My first trousers, growing up with God (1999)[35]
  • For the audience of one, the soul survivor guide to worship (1999)[36]
  • Weeping before an empty tomb, struggling with God (1999)[37]
  • Afterlife, facing the future with God (2000)[38]
  • Life, death (and everything in between) (2001)[39]
  • Wasteland?, encountering God in the desert (2003)[40]
  • When Necessary Use Words, Changing Lives Through Worship, Justice and Evangelism (2007)[41]
  • Storylines: tracing threads that run through the Bible (2008)[42]
  • Life Beneath the Surface, Thoughts on a Deeper Spiritual Life (2011)[43]
  • Storylines, your map to understanding the Bible (2013)[44]
  • Everyday Supernatural: Living A Spirit-Led Life Without Being Weird (2016)[45]
  • Lifelines: sound advice from the heroes of the faith (2018)[46]

References

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  1. ^ Silverman, Rosa; Leake, Natasha (2 October 2024). "How Soul Survivor's predatory pastor Mike Pilavachi hid in plain sight". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Soul Survivor: Farewell in the Big Top". Church Times. 13 September 2019. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  3. ^ "Soul Survivor summer festival to end in 2019". BBC News. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Michael Pilavachi". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Archbishop of Canterbury's awards". Church Times. 3 July 2020. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Latest Updates". Soul Survivor Watford. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Canon relating to Mike Pilavachi 'steps back' during safeguarding investigation". Church Times. 3 April 2023. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  8. ^ Swerling, Gabriella (11 April 2023). "Christian youth festival founder quits charity amid 'inappropriate massage' claims". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  9. ^ Swerling, Gabriella (4 April 2023). "Christian youth festival founder quits over 'inappropriate massages' claim". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  10. ^ Swerling, Gabriella (1 May 2023). "Victims of Christian 'cult' leader speak out for first time". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  11. ^ Swerling, Gabriella (12 May 2023). "'I introduced hundreds of young men to him': US Christian leader's fears over festival vicar". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  12. ^ Swerling, Gabriella (2 May 2023). "Allegations against Soul Survivor vicar are recent as well as historic, Church admits". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 24 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  13. ^ Swerling, Gabriella (7 June 2023). "More than 100 people come forward to accuse Christian 'cult' leader of abuse". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  14. ^ Gatens, Katie; Burgess, Kaya; Hellen, Nicholas (7 June 2023). "Soul Survivor: Church knew about 'teen massages' for 19 years". The Times. Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  15. ^ a b c McMenemy, Rachael; Lewis, Katy (23 May 2023). "Watford Church of England youth leader suspended in safeguarding probe". BBC News. Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  16. ^ "Christian youth festival founder suspended after 'inappropriate massages' claim". The Telegraph. 21 May 2023. Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  17. ^ Thornton, Ed (11 July 2023). "Canon Pilavachi resigns as Associate Pastor of Soul Survivor, Watford". Church Times. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  18. ^ a b "Concerns substantiated in Mike Pilavachi investigation". The Church of England. 6 September 2023. Archived from the original on 7 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  19. ^ a b "Mike Pilavachi receives written warning after alleged misconduct". Church Times. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  20. ^ "Statement on complaint against Mike Pilavachi". The Church of England. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  21. ^ Team, Communications (10 July 2024). "Statements on Mike Pilavachi and Soul Survivor". The Diocese of St Albans. Archived from the original on 27 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  22. ^ Swerling, Gabriella (16 May 2023). "Archbishop of Canterbury gives 'full support' to Soul Survivor investigation". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  23. ^ "Review". Soul Survivor Watford. Archived from the original on 27 September 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  24. ^ "Appeal from independent Soul Survivor Review". The Church of England. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  25. ^ Scolding, Fiona; Fullbrook, Ben (26 September 2024). Independent Review into Soul Survivor (PDF) (Report). Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 November 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  26. ^ McGuinness, Fintan (27 September 2024). "Soul Survivor: full report published on Mike Pilavachi abuse". Watford Observer. Archived from the original on 29 September 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  27. ^ Maqbool, Aleem (1 October 2024). "Preacher abused his power as 'spiritual celebrity'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 3 October 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  28. ^ Swerling, Gabriella (9 April 2024). "Christian singer Matt Redman reveals details of Soul Survivor's Mike Pilavachi abuse for the first time". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 26 September 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  29. ^ "New Year Honours: Hertfordshire". ITV News. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  30. ^ "No. 62866". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 28 December 2019. p. N21.
  31. ^ Swerling, Gabriella (15 September 2023). "Victims say Soul Survivor vicar was 'wolf in sheep's clothing' who should lose MBE". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 5 March 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  32. ^ "Talking To Mike Pilavachi". Jesus Army Magazine. January 2005. Archived from the original on 17 March 2005.
  33. ^ Pilavachi, Mike; Borlase, Craig (4 June 1998). Live the Life. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 978-0340713853.
  34. ^ Pilavachi, Mike; Borlase, Craig (31 December 1999). Walking with a Stranger: Discovering God. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 978-0340735343.
  35. ^ Pilavachi, Mike; Borlase, Craig (1999). My First Trousers: Growing Up with God. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 9780340735350.
  36. ^ Pilavachi, Mike; Borlase, Craig (1999). For the Audience of One: The Soul Survivor Guide to Worship. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 978-0340721902.
  37. ^ Pilavachi, Mike; Borlase, Craig (1999). Weeping Before an Empty Tomb: Struggling with God. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 978-0340735367.
  38. ^ Pilavachi, Mike; Borlase, Craig (8 June 2000). Afterlife: Facing the Future with God. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 978-0340735374.
  39. ^ Pilavachi, Mike; Borlase, Craig (19 July 2001). Life, Death (and Everything in Between). Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 978-0340785928.
  40. ^ Pilavachi, Mike (2003). Wasteland: Encountering God in the Desert. Kingsway Publications (published 4 July 2003). ISBN 9781842911389.
  41. ^ Pilavachi, Mike; Hoeksma, Liza (7 May 2007). When Necessary Use Words: Changing Lives Through Worship, Justice and Evangelism. Baker Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0830738144.
  42. ^ Pilavachi, Mike; Croft, Andy (18 July 2008). Storylines: Tracing the Threads of the Bible. Kingsway Publications. ISBN 978-1842913840.
  43. ^ Pilavachi, Mike; Borlase, Craig (29 August 2011). Life Beneath the Surface: Thoughts on a Deeper Spiritual Life. Bethany House. ISBN 9780830738977.
  44. ^ Croft, Andy; Pilavachi, Mike (1 March 2010). Storylines, your map to understanding the Bible. David C. Cook. ISBN 978-1434764751.
  45. ^ Williams, Hattie (2 September 2016). "Christians' supernatural experiences surveyed". Church Times. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  46. ^ Pilavachi, Mike; Croft, Andy (1 July 2018). Lifelines: Sound Advice from the Heroes of the Faith. David C. Cook. ISBN 9781434711861.
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