ALLEGATIONS of abuse or “harmful behaviour” spanning three decades at St Andrew’s, Chorleywood, the Charismatic Evangelical church that launched New Wine and Soul Survivor, have prompted the diocese of St Albans to announce a “call for safeguarding information” and a “listening exercise”.
Terms of reference (TOR) published by the diocese on Monday state: “In 2024 and 2025, following safeguarding disclosures made to the diocese of St Albans and St Andrew’s Chorleywood, it became clear that there are likely others who have been harmed in the past and have not been heard.”
The cases were “unrelated to each other, but related in one way or another to St Andrew’s Chorleywood over the period 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s”, it says.
“Individual cases are being handled according to individual circumstances, but it is felt that the information, when considered as a whole, leads firstly to a call for information and, secondly, a listening exercise. These will facilitate the identification of any potential further cases and allow those who wish to engage in the listening exercise the opportunity to do so.”
The TOR emphasise that “individuals may choose to submit information without any expectation of personal interaction. . . Participation in the listening exercise is entirely optional and will only take place where individuals actively wish to be listened to in a personal and facilitated way.”
The public call for information, issued on Monday, includes details of how to contact the diocesan safeguarding team, either anonymously or not. The voluntary listening exercise will entail a written or facilitated conversation with a safeguarding professional, the terms of reference state.
A diocesan press release says that “people can share their experiences in the way that feels safest to them, either securely online or over the phone.” Any disclosures of abuse will be managed according to the Church of England’s current safeguarding code, including referral to statutory agencies where required.
A summary of the “information and themes arising” will be collated, anonymously, and made public, with a planned date of June 2026.
This exercise is being led by the diocese of St Albans with “the full support and cooperation of the PCC of St Andrew’s Chorleywood”, the TOR say.
The diocesan safeguarding team will liaise as necessary with the National Safeguarding Team (NST). It will be “directly managed in confidence” by a safeguarding case-management group (SCMG), led by an independent chair, His Honour Philip Waller, a retired Family Court judge.
Other members of the SCMG are: the Bishop of Hertford; the Archdeacon of St Albans; the diocesan director of communications; the diocesan safeguarding officer; the Revd Jos Perris (an NSM in the Langelei Benefice and safeguarding training co-ordinator and trainer for the diocesan safeguarding team); and three representatives of St Andrew’s, Chorleywood. These are the Vicar, the Revd Tim Horlock; William Seddon, who has worshipped at the church for more than 25 years, served as a churchwarden, and is now member of the parish safeguarding team; and a current churchwarden, Simon Jones.
There will be “strategic oversight” from the diocesan safeguarding advisory panel (DSAP), which, alongside the St Andrew’s PCC, will receive anonymised update reports. Where necessary, reports will be made to the NST, while “serious safeguarding concerns” will managed by the SCMG and reported to the Charity Commission, “in agreement with the safeguarding delegation of trustees at St Andrew’s Chorleywood”. This will be entered on the DSAP risk register, and will be subject to scrutiny within that group.
Among the aims set out in the TOR are to “identify support needs and respond in accordance with a planned survivor care strategy”; to “identify any outstanding risks and respond appropriately”; and to “allow us to understand and address the past with integrity”. The diocese seeks to “identify any patterns or themes in historical experiences that may warrant further attention or a safeguarding response”.
The exercise will include “experiences, disclosures, or information concerning safeguarding concerns or abusive behaviour (including spiritual, psychological, sexual, or physical abuse) that may have taken place in connection with St Andrew’s Chorleywood during the 1980s-2000s” and “concerns relating to individuals formerly or currently connected with the church (clergy, staff, volunteers, or lay leaders)”. It will also consider “institutional or cultural factors that may have enabled harm during that timeframe”.
The document states that it will not include “evangelical theology and practice, except where directly relevant to patterns of harm or unhealthy leadership behaviour” or “re-visiting criminal allegations already dealt with by the police or the courts but it may review how the church/diocese interacted with statutory agencies”.
The exercise has been launched in the wake of a joint investigation by the diocese and the NST that found that Mike Pilavachi, the founder of Soul Survivor, had exhibited “coercive and controlling behaviour” that led to inappropriate relationships, the physical wrestling of youths, and the massaging of young male interns (News, 7 September 2023).
Mr Pilavachi joined St Andrew’s as a youth leader in 1986. The songwriter Matt Redman was 13 when he first met Mr Pilavachi in this context. He has since spoken of enduring “harmful behaviours” from Mr Pilavachi (News, 9 April 2024).
The Vicar of St Andrew’s from 1977 to 1996, the Rt Revd David Pytches, died in 2023 (Obituaries, 8 December 2023). The review of Soul Survivor conducted by Fiona Scolding KC reported that, when Bishop Pytches learned from Mr Pilavachi that Mr Redman was being abused by his stepfather, he organised a meeting with Mr Redman’s mother and stepfather (News, 4 October 2024).
“There was ‘counselling’ of the abuser by way of prayer and referral to counselling of him and his wife. . . It is understood that the nature of the counselling focused upon whether Matt’s mother was to blame for the abuse taking place because of the nature of the marital relationship.” It was a year before the police were informed, at the instigation of a GP.
Bishop Pytches arrived in the parish after serving as the Bishop of Chile, Bolivia, and Peru. St Andrew’s was the first English church that John Wimber, the Vineyard evangelist, attended on his visit to the UK in 1981. His signs-and-wonders ministry had an immediate effect: Bishop Pytches recalled “holy chaos”, during which people fell down in the pews (News, 8 June 2023).
In 1989, the church launched the New Wine festival. A film marking the 30th anniversary described how Bishop Pytches and his wife had experienced “signs and wonders” in Chile, and had “a revelation of how the power of the Spirit could impact their homeland and they longed to see God move in the UK”. The New Wine network now spans 14 countries and more than 1000 churches.
Mr Pilavachi ran the youth work at the first New Wine festival, before launching the Soul Survivor festival in 1993 (he continued to lead the youth work at New Wine for a number of years). A church, Soul Survivor, Watford, was also launched in 1993, as a plant from St Andrew’s.
The call for information and a listening exercise launched on Monday pertains specifically to St Andrew’s, Chorleywood. It does not constitute a review or an investigation.
This week, Judge Waller said: “As chair of the Safeguarding Case Management Group, and as a former chair of the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel and a retired Family Court judge, I know how vital it is that we listen to those who have been harmed.
“This process is about creating a safe and respectful space for survivors to share their experiences, helping us to learn, to act responsibly, and to ensure accountability. I am committed to ensuring that this exercise is conducted with fairness, transparency, and the utmost care for those who come forward.”
The TOR offer reassurance that “a trauma-informed approach will be used in all survivor engagement, ensuring all communication and engagement minimise re-traumatisation”. Anyone with relevant experiences or knowledge is invited to come forward.
