Bethel Church leadership has acknowledged allegations of misconduct against Shawn Bolz, a minister associated with the megachurch until 2019, and apologized for their inaction.
Bolz is accused of mining social media for his prophecies delivered during church services. He is known for revealing personal details about attendees, which he has claimed are miraculous revelations.
Bethel leaders also said they were aware of sexual harassment allegations against Bolz. According to a church statement, a former employee disclosed claims of inappropriate behavior by Bolz in 2019.
“The truth is, we have hurt and scared people because we did not tell the truth early enough, long enough or loud enough,” Bethel minister Dann Farrelly said during a Jan. 25 service in Redding.
Church leaders published a statement describing their knowledge of allegations against Bolz after Christian content creator Mike Winger released a nearly six-hour YouTube exposé. Winger said multiple former employees accused Bolz of sexually explicit and inappropriate behavior.
“We are clear that we are not responsible for Shawn’s sin, he is. But we are equally clear that we are responsible for our sins, actions, and inactions after the fact,” the church said in a statement.
Kris Vallotton, senior associate leader at Bethel, said three former members of Bolz's team corroborated sexual harassment allegations in 2019.
“This was a culture within Shawn’s team,” Vallotton said in a statement.
That same year, European church leaders offered evidence that Bolz misled congregations with his claims of prophecy.
“We platformed him because we believed in him, and when he failed, and failed to repent, it was our responsibility to tell people that we no longer trusted him in order to protect them,” Vallotton said.
Bolz did not immediately respond to a request for an interview. His website notes he is on sabbatical.
“As a ministry we would never condone and we would refute that we would ever find information online to prophesy over people,” a page titled "Statement of Commitment to Prophetic Integrity" on Bolz’s website says.
Bethel, home to a popular Christian music label and the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, says it has about 11,000 members.
Church leaders encouraged members experiencing abuse to report incidents online, using Bethel’s Safe Church tool. The church’s website notes that people should contact law enforcement in a situation of active abuse.
