The Canadian megachurch, The Meeting House, announced it is pausing nearly all ministry activities after the church’s insurer failed to renew its abuse coverage, according to the church website and a church email sent mid-June.

Church leadership said they were not able to secure abuse liability or employment practices liability coverage through their current insurer or any other organizations before their June 30 renewal date.

The news comes two years after The Meeting House, one of the largest churches in Canada, faced a church-wide abuse scandal. The church’s former head pastor, Bruxy Cavey, was arrested and charged with sexual assault, The Roys Report (TRR) reported. Three other pastors have also been credibly accused of sexual misconduct, with two of them receiving convictions.

“The historical incidents and allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse at The Meeting House continue to impact our church today in many ways, including how we are viewed by insurers,” church leadership wrote in the email to congregants.

The leaders said they sought out coverage from “all available insurers in Canada – and some internationally – who work with churches” but were unable to get any, according to the email.  

Now without abuse coverage, the church has paused all person-to-person ministry, including Sunday and mid-week gatherings, kids and youth programming, online and in-person home church, and pastoral counseling, according to the email. The church officially stopped these activities on June 30.

“We do not believe we have a safe and viable way to return to ministry,” the Transition Board and Network Leadership said on the church website.

The church is only providing “curated teaching and worship” on its YouTube channel and mid-week devotionals on its podcast channels, according to the website.

“We know this will be yet another difficult challenge for us to face, and we grieve the need to pause ministry as a church,” church leadership said in the email. “At the same time, we sense God at work in our midst in powerful ways and have tremendous hope in the process of surrendering and listening to the Spirit’s leading as we discern where He is leading us next.”

The leaders added that they feel led to pause ministry for July to discern what next steps God is leasing the church to take in the future.

At its peak, lead pastor Cavey grew the church to 5,000 people across 19 locations, TRR reported. The church now draws around 1,500 people across 12 locations, Christianity Today reported.

If the church is not able to receive coverage in its current form, leaders may explore “hopeful new ways to be churches together in the future,” according to the email.

Church leaders encouraged members to still prioritize spiritual community during this pause. If members want to attend other churches during the pause, the leaders said pastors can give recommendations.

“We are reminded and thankful that ‘the church’ is not an organization or a legal entity; it is a people gathered with a purpose, with Jesus at the center,” the leaders wrote on the website. “People within the community are able to connect with each other socially as private individuals during this pause. However, everyone involved needs to understand that these social activities will not be organized, sanctioned, endorsed, or insured by The Meeting House.”

Church leaders said they will provide another update on next steps by the end of July.

Third-Party Group Discovers 38 Reports of Abuse at Church

The church’s history of abuse started in March 2022, when church leadership asked Cavey to resign as head pastor amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Two months later, police in the Canadian city of Hamilton charged him with one count of sexual assault.

Then in August, an independent investigation by The Meeting substantiated multiple allegations of sexual abuse against Cavey, including one involving a minor.

Cavey is currently awaiting trial on a total of three sexual assault charges, CBC News reported. He maintains his innocence.

In summer 2022, church elders disclosed that three other pastors faced credible reports of sexual abuse.  

Additionally, a third-party victims’ advocate hired by the church discovered 38 reports of sexual misconduct that had largely gone unreported to the congregation, TRR reported. Many of the reports happened years prior.  

The Meeting House faces at least three multimillion-dollar lawsuits involving sexual abuse, The Walrus reported.

At a 2022 town hall meeting, church leaders said in the past the church often focused on the offender before dealing with the victim.

However, in the church’s recent email, leaders said they have been taking steps to “address systemic risk, help prevent abuse, and create a safe environment for staff, volunteers, and congregants.”

This has included implementing new policies and procedures related to conflict and abuse, restructuring governance, introducing new leadership, and improving training and volunteer screening, according to the email.  

While leaders said they have received positive feedback from insurers and experts on its actions, the steps were still not enough for their insurance to be renewed.

At the church’s last meeting on June 23, interim online pastor Chris Chase shared how surprised he was by the news on the online livestream.

“When I heard that news, I was just flabbergasted,” Chase said. “I couldn’t believe it, because we’ve gone through so much, and you think, ‘Oh, we finally got through the valley, we’re cresting up the mountain,’ and then you realize that you’re still in the valley.”

One viewer replied in the comments, “I am heartbroken that former leadership put the current leaders in this position.”

Chase asked viewers to pray for a miracle for insurance coverage to come through, for leaders as they face difficult decisions, and for church members who have experienced years of challenges.

“Pray for one another because, for some, this is as much as they could take,” he said. “They’ve journeyed through, and this might be their breaking point.”

Freelance journalist Liz Lykins writes for WORLD Magazine, Christianity Today, Ministry Watch, and other publications.