Matt Redman, a songwriter and worship leader best known for 10,000 reasons (Bless the Lord) has issued a public 500-word Facebook post revealing that he suffered from abuse when at Soul Survivor church in Watford outside London.
“I have spent years trying to fully heal from my time at Soul Survivor – and, painfully, I now know this to be the case for a lot of other people too,” he writes, revealing that he and his wife Beth have spoken to the Church of England team investigating former Soul Survivor leader Mike Pilavachi. “One very important thing I would like to note though – a good number of those who have spoken to the investigation, including my wife Beth and myself, had come forward previously at the time of being mistreated – but were ignored, patronised or gaslit by those in leadership. Historically there has been a failure of care in this area by those in authority at Soul Survivor – which makes this current moment even more critical to get right.”
Pilavachi was one of the founders of Soul Survivor, a charismatic church where Redman served as a worship leader. New Wine, a youth festival in the UK led by Pilavachi attracted 30,000, an event on the same scale as Sydney’s Hillsong conference.
Redman is careful in his post to acknowledge the good that came from theses ministries, despite widepread abuse. “At this point in time over a hundred people have reported being mistreated under Mike’s leadership, and the allegations cover a whole spectrum of harm – physical, psychological, spiritual, etc. In addition to this, Mike has been formally suspended by Soul Survivor Watford church. I know some are having a tough time believing the various accusations – they can create a very uncomfortable tension for those who have only ever had a meaningful and transformative experience at Soul Survivor.”
Pilavachi had announced his resignation from Soul Survivor shortly before the Redman statement.