And I've gotta be honest with you, New Tribes Mission, I am very disappointed in you for not putting out an immediate press release on your website regarding the 58-year sentence of Scott Kennell.
The word "ex-missionary" is being used in the headline of some of the articles about this man. But let's be honest here. Scott was an active member of your mission ON THE DAY HE WAS ARRESTED at the Orlando airport. He has only been an "ex-missionary" for seven months .... since he's been incarcerated.
So this is an issue that relates DIRECTLY to your mission. This was your opportunity to come out loud and clear with a VERY strong statement repudiating this man and his heinous, evil crimes. You could have spoken out for all the world to hear, to insure that everyone knows that you hate all crimes against children, and will not tolerate any of it, ever!
I suppose you were hoping that some of your donors and supporters have not heard of Scott Kennell or his child pornography, or of his arrest or of his sentencing. I suppose you are also hoping that those same people do not know about the GRACE investigation of extensive child abuse at your mission school in Senegal. You probably hope that they also do not know about the lawsuit brought against you by Jane Doe 7, an MK molested for years in the Philippines, which you settled with a financial pay-out. You also hope these same people do not know that there are two other lawsuits by MKs who were also sexually abused, which have been dragging on for a long time because of the stalling tactics of your attorneys. I imagine you also hope these people don't notice that your "independent" investigator, Pat Hendrix, has been investigating other MK schools or yours in three different countries. Or that there is a list of other schools where MKs have also reported abuse that are awaiting your investigations.
True, if you don't mention these things publicly, it is possible that some of your supporters are still in the dark about all of them. They still pray and give and encourage their congregation members to enroll in your training program, oblivious to any controversy.
But even though there might be some who still uninformed, have you not considered that there are others who DO know about all these things, or even about some of them? How do you think it looks to them, when you shy away from speaking openly about these issues, and appear to not be taking a strong stand against child abuse of all kinds, whether the victims are MKs or citizens of your host countries? Wishy-washy, non-committal, evasive, secretive .... does it not concern you that this might be the impression of some people who have known about your mission for a long time, and have invested prayer and finances because they do care about the tribal people of the world? And what about your own members who secretly read this website, who are horrified about the abuse that has gone on, and wish you would come out roaring your repudiation of all those who have hurt children, and your concern for and support of every child who has ever been hurt by someone in your group?
Yes, NTM. I am very disappointed.
I have said it before, I will say it again. I sense that too many of your decisions are now guided by lawyers, and not by the Holy Spirit. Lawyers who are helping you protect your organization and its reputation, no matter how those choices affect yesterday's children.
It is a sad day for the mission I spent almost 50 years in.
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