Five years ago, charismatic teacher Jonathan Welton’s misconduct caught up to him, imploding his multinational ministry. Now, Welton is staging a ministry comeback, backed by prominent Christian author Danny Silk, who claims Welton is “completely transformed.”
But the women who say Welton groomed and abused them, and some of his former board members, say Welton hasn’t changed or apologized. And they fear he’ll continue his predatory ways.
Welton is best known for his books and his now-defunct online teaching ministry, Welton Academy. The ministry crashed in 2018 after several women alleged Welton had a pattern of unwanted physical advances, sexually explicit remarks in texts and social posts, and sexual misconduct.
Renee Bosco, former chief operations officer at Welton Academy, told The Roys Report (TRR) that Welton suggested via text that she repay a debt to him by “giving blowjobs.” Another former staff member, Dawn Weaver, claimed in an article posted online that Welton would give female staffers “strangely long” back rubs.
One female staffer, who wished to remain anonymous, told TRR that Welton forcibly groped and kissed her while the two were on a ministry trip. (She said she did not consider criminal charges because her immigration status was unclear at the time.)
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Whistleblowers persistently raised concerns about Welton’s behavior to Welton Academy’s advisory board. In September 2018, the board shuttered Welton Academy. Welton then submitted to a probation process overseen by a new board of advisers, led by marriage-and-parenting author Danny Silk, who’s also a senior leader at the controversial Bethel Church in Redding, California.
In a September 18, 2018, letter announcing the closure of Welton Academy, Silk stated: “Jon is not fit to be a leader, nor is he safe to have access to other people’s vulnerability.”
Yet Silk — who told TRR that his “area of expertise” is working with people who have an “anointing and calling from God” but then “blow up their lives” — said he wanted Welton to “find restoration.”
Now, five years later, Silk claims that restoration has happened. He fully supports Welton’s return to ministry, which is rapidly moving forward.
Welton is co-leading an online coaching group for The Bulletproof Husband, a secular program helping men rebuild their marriages, and he’s slated to publish a book by that name.
Welton also has started an online coaching group called Indestructible Leaders. And on May 28, Welton emailed supporters that “a fully edited and updated version of all the Welton Academy school videos is being created.” His website states that “Better Covenant Academy” is coming soon.
Yet several of Welton’s alleged victims claim Welton has not changed, nor has he ever offered them a specific apology.
Similarly, a former member of Welton’s board, Bible teacher Eric Gregson, describes Welton as an unrepentant narcissist. Gregson warns that Welton’s return to ministry will give the teacher access to offend and harm again.
Welton’s ‘transformation’ journey
In 2018, just after he was removed from ministry, Welton and his wife separated for three months. While separated, his wife gave birth to the couple’s third child.
Welton was reunited with his family on Christmas 2018, but admits he hadn’t yet changed. “If I had been restored at that time, I guarantee I would have repeated my patterns and hurt the Body of Christ again,” Welton said on a podcast released in June 2022.
In October 2019, Danny Silk released his latest book, titled Unpunishable: Ending Our Love Affair with Punishment. The last three chapters recounted Welton’s restoration story up to that point. It stated that Welton was “halfway to recovery” and implied that Welton would soon be fully restored to ministry.
Welton’s presumed return set off alarms for several whistleblowers, and Silk’s book compelled Weaver and Bosco to go public with their stories on a blog. “The voice of any of Jon’s victims is completely absent from the book,” Weaver told TRR.
Similarly, Gregson, a member of the probationary board for Welton, was shocked. “To recount a ‘healing process’ that wasn’t even complete: it was wrong,” Gregson said. “Danny in his ministry has handled many scenarios well, but he underestimated Jon.”
Silk told TRR he has no regrets about the content of Unpunishable, which is still in print and available widely. “That book is not a court case,” Silk said. “I’m not trying to defend Jonathan or ignore his victims. I’m trying to present: here is how you work with fallen, broken leaders.”
However, in a letter released publicly five months after the book’s release, Silk wrote on the probationary board’s behalf that they wanted to acknowledge “those who were victimized by Jon’s actions.” The letter from March 2020 adds: “The victims who have shared their story should not be discredited or silenced.”
In 2020, Welton joined The Bulletproof Husband, based in Ontario, Canada. According to Silk, the Bulletproof Husband is not faith-based but has valid methods. “It’s like Alcoholics Anonymous on steroids,” Silk said. “You’re paying these guys to strip you down, hold you accountable, and own your stuff.”
Welton “walked through all six stages of The Bulletproof Husband in four months,” Welton’s website states. It adds that Welton’s wife, her psychologist, and Silk “were witness to (Welton’s) transformation.”
Silk said he worked in tandem with the coaching that Welton received, addressing alleged abuse perpetrated against Welton during his childhood. “I have a special set of skills,” Silk said. “It took probably three and a half years for Jon to finally get to the particular broken spot in his character and his heart.”
In June 2021, Welton posted a statement online signed by Silk, which touted Welton’s “transformation.” When TRR asked about the timing — two years and nine months after the probationary board’s work began — Silk did not respond.
Silk also announced in that statement that Welton’s board of advisers had dissolved and that the “limitations that were implemented in the beginning of this process are no longer in place.”
At the time, Silk said Welton “has no plans to re-enter any positions of ministry” and “has agreed to include me in any conversations about any movement in that direction in the future.”
Welton resumed frequent social media posts on his public Facebook page after a nearly three-year hiatus. One of his first posts was to promote Silk’s just-released online course for Unpunishable. Welton also let his fans know that a popular book of his would soon be available on Amazon and that he felt his books were still helpful.
Alleged victims say Welton is serial sexual predator who hasn’t changed
Welton’s alleged victims and former board members remain skeptical of Welton and Silk’s claims of transformation. They say his pattern of predation stretches back more than a decade. And this isn’t the first time Welton has claimed to be a changed man, they add.
In 2011, Welton was fired from charismatic ministry Global Awakening in Pennsylvania, after admitting to sexual misconduct with a female ministry intern. Speaking on his podcast in June 2022, Welton admitted to what he called “a physical affair with an intern.” He said he “spent a year off of ministry and went through a restoration process.”
In 2012, Welton published a book titled Eyes of Honor, and claimed in an interview that he had a “Saul to Paul transformation” in his view of women. That year, Welton also restarted speaking in charismatic churches and conferences and began promoting his nascent online school.
According to Bosco, the former Welton Academy chief operations officer, Welton also began using the ministry as a means of attracting women to abuse.
As online students signed up, Welton recruited staff members from that pool, Bosco said. “He picked out women that matched his preferred look and type,” she added.
At its height in 2016, the multinational online teaching ministry had 11 staff members — nine of them women, mostly in their 20s. Welton’s staff worked remotely in a half-dozen U.S. states and two foreign countries, and were called upon monthly to join Welton on ministry trips and twice annually for large events in upstate New York.
Several of those women say Welton used his position to groom and then abuse them.
Bosco recalled that Welton once taught in a staff meeting “how valuable 20-second hugs were to human physiology, like our hormones.”
“We were so naïve, it’s embarrassing,” she said.
Similarly, Gregson, a Bible teacher in California and former member of Welton Academy’s “Fivefold Ministry Council” of advisers, told TRR that grooming was a feature of the theology Welton taught. “The way he positioned himself with the young women was that he was a spiritual father,” said Gregson. “And fathers show affection to their children.”
Bosco said that, upon being named chief operations officer, numerous female staffers told her of Welton’s sexual harassment: “They came to me and said, ‘Hey, Jonathan sends me messages with kissing emojis then tells me to delete them. What should I do?’”
Bosco added that Welton set up a private Facebook group for a select number of female staffers. One alleged victim told TRR that Welton asked the group to “send him a selfie every day for 21 days.” Welton also used that private group to share sexually suggestive memes.
One former staff member, Dawn Weaver, told TRR that Welton repeatedly initiated lengthy hugs, back rubs and hand-holding, which she has written about publicly for years. Weaver left the ministry in August 2016, after an epiphany in prayer.
But she said she was pulled back into Welton’s orbit in January 2017, when she says he touched her in a public setting. Weaver described the encounter in an online article as “psychological and spiritual manipulation.”
These women told TRR that Welton has never substantively apologized to them.
“When he is supposedly apologizing, Jonathan doesn’t mention any of the things that he’s sorry for or the things of which he’s taking ownership,” Weaver said. “It just comes across as very hollow and self-serving.”
Another woman who asked to remain anonymous, “Jane Doe,” was a student from South America in Welton’s online school who was then recruited to be a staff member. The woman told TRR how Welton made sexual advances towards her and touched her repeatedly.
When she questioned his touching, Welton allegedly said she was being too religious. “He was the man of God, the apostle, the seer — so I trusted him,” Doe said.
On a ministry trip in July 2018, Doe claimed, Welton trapped her in an Airbnb room, pulled her close to him on the bed, and kissed her neck as he pressed his body against her. When she resisted, she says Welton told her, “You are my daughter and I love you as a father,” before he let her leave.
Doe said she never pressed charges against Welton because her immigration status was uncertain at the time. But within six weeks, she left the ministry and moved several states away. Bosco told TRR that Doe’s life was “really torn apart by Jonathan.”
Doe said Welton has never owned or apologized for what he did.
In a statement to TRR, Welton disputed the account. “On this (trip), I invited a staff member to come hang out in my room where we laid on the bed together and cuddled and talked for about 15 minutes,” said Welton. “This was wrong and completely inappropriate of me, and I own that. But there was zero sexual contact or conduct. And in no way was she compelled by force.”
When asked about this incident, Silk said he is “familiar with it.” He added: “I think there’s probably some ‘he said, she said’ going on there.”
Former board member claims Welton’s ministry reboot violates prior agreement
Gregson, who served on the Welton Academy advisory board and the probationary board headed up by Silk, told TRR he thinks Welton is unrepentant.
“He admits to being an abusive narcissist, but his behavior patterns haven’t changed,” Gregson said. “Not only is Jon not better. Now he has been armed with more information that this guy is going to use to manipulate people.”
Welton’s ministry reboot as Better Covenant Academy, using newly rebranded Welton Academy videos as a launchpad, particularly concerns Gregson. Gregson said it violates a verbal agreement Welton made with the probation board of advisers, which has since disbanded.
“Part of the agreement with the board was that Jonathan was not allowed to have access to the Welton Academy group or members or any of the assets,” Gregson said. “We understood that he was never going to build his empire again.”
In an apology video posted in June 2021, Welton made a similar statement. “Welton Academy is dead. It’s gone. It’s never coming back,” said Welton.
However, now Welton disputes Gregson’s claim and told TRR that he and “several members of the board of advisers” with whom he checked did not recall any such agreement. Welton added that “all stipulations from that time period” expired when the board dissolved.
In a spring 2020 statement on behalf of the probationary board, Silk referred to an outside expert and clinical psychologist, Dr. Ron Young of Trove Global Impact Foundation, as “available to help” and advising the board. Young had “donated hundreds of hours to women who have reached out to him about their experience with Jonathan,” Silk wrote.
However, in an email obtained by TRR dated May 11, 2021, Young stated: “After talking with Jonathan, I resigned from the new board that Danny Silk was creating because I believe he had not changed.”
One month later, Silk released a statement dissolving the probationary board.
Welton: ‘God built me to lead’
In a statement to TRR, Welton admitted he “manipulated and used others as my narcissistic supply through unwanted physical advances.” He added that he “said countless horrible things, which I deeply regret” and “hurt and destroyed the hearts of wonderful people that I loved dearly.”
But in his podcast recounting recent years, Welton seems to absolve himself of past actions. “I was living completely controlled by the pain,” he said. “My pain and behaviors were not me, but the real me was so buried and imprisoned within me that I didn’t even know who that was.”
In a Facebook post in February, Welton claimed that “God built me to lead” and “to not be a leader is for me to be inauthentic.”
Weeks ago, Welton shared his testimony at The Gate Church in Charlotte, N.C., and then shared the video online. John Matthews, pastor of The Gate, noted in his remarks that well-known author Silk had endorsed Welton being “restored.”
TRR asked author Wade Mullen about Welton’s apologies and statements. “An apology, or confession, in its purest form, will surrender the offender’s reasons for destructive behavior,” said Mullen, who developed the SCORE method of defining apologies. “It will center the story of the wronged parties, who alone should have the power to extend forgiveness.”
When TRR asked Silk about the alleged victims and Welton’s critics, Silk responded, “They’re back there in history. They’ve not been walking with (Welton and his wife). I was on Zoom calls once or twice a month for years. None of these other players stayed. And I watched the evolution of a transformed life.”
Silk added: “The Bible tells me it is possible that people can be literally transformed, and that’s what I am sticking to.”
Freelance journalist Josh Shepherd writes on faith, culture, and public policy for several media outlets. He and his family live in the Washington, D.C. area.
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24 Responses
I guess my question would be:
Based on what evidence do some feel he is “restored and transformed?”
And based on what evidence do other feel he is not “restored and transformed?”
Are there no objective criteria involved in this process at all?
Dave. My wife and I have mutually exclusive views of Paul (of Tarsus). She views Paul affirmatively, and as having been “restored and transformed”; while I view Paul as manifesting, and concerningly so, the same authoritarian zeal in all chapters of his life. How we each approach current Christianity, then much affected by our disagreeing views of Paul. Our disagreeing reflects our respective persons, our respective believing and faith, so subjective throughout, and without any objective ground to land on.
It seems to me that Welton and Silk are involved in mutually affirming each other’s business model. Welton can make use of Silk’s reputation to argue for his restoration and transformation as Christian teacher. Silk might secure enhancement of reputation, if and as Welton is viewed as transformed and fit for restoration. Both possibly have constituencies of supporters who might cheerlead this outcome. So subjectivity all the way there.
I think Silk is taking a big risk. As Welton’s offences seem really grubby and sexually immature and documented.
Welton’s understanding that: ““God built me to lead” and “to not be a leader is for me to be inauthentic.””; is a particularly strong red flag for me. As our personal experiencing of God, cannot be separated from our own individual psychology; I am worried by a sense of a God evoked by narcissistic psychology, worried about the teaching about God that might result. Just as I am worried by a person who only becomes “authentic” when they are allowed to take the lead in our collective approach to and understanding of God.
My sense is that Welton’s teaching about God, is unlikely to be separable from his sexual immaturity. Both made inadequate by narcissistic impulse. The return itself also subject to that impulse.
I have more questions than answers here. As an observer of this situation, I keep hearing his accusers saying he’s not different. How close to Him are they currently to even make that claim? Everyone deserves a second chance, but not everyone is willing to extend it. I guess we will all sit back and see how the future plays out. I pray for all parties involved, that everyone would experience the awesome grace and love of Jesus.
No one deserves a second chance to harm people. They don’t need to be close to him to know if he’s apologized to them for the harm he’s caused them, or made amends.
I have read several of Danny Silk’s books and I appreciate much of what he has to say, but I think the last few chapters of Unpunishable are … odd. And I was a little perplexed when I realized that he was so highly hopeful for Welton when (at the time I read the book) only a couple of years had passed — I would have thought that it had been several. Two-three years is not nearly enough time for a long-term abuser like that to have truly done the work required to change. I think Silk has really had the wool pulled over his eyes, and his endorsement of Welton is a big mistake.
Danny Silk knows what he is doing, He is an enabler. Like Bill Johnson. They value a false anointing over character.
A woman having endured this kind of abuse will hope for change for the perpetrator. Even if she is not currently “close” to him, she can get a good sense of whether his current statements and public behavior are indicative of change or if they are giving off the same old vibe. So if these women are noticing the same things that they previously observed, I would pay more attention to the victims in the situation than to what the abuser is proclaiming as he tries to rebuild himself in public perception.
He wrote the best selling Seer book while in bondage to sexual sin see Eyes of Honor, his teachings on the 5 fold and preterism is absolutely false and dangerous. Then he sexually harasses female employees. Why do you think he has an entitlement like Todd Bentley to be restored? Character matters to the Holy Spirit. The reason Welton and Bentley acted in a perverse manner is because they were not anointed. Both Bentley and Welton should never be allowed in a pulput or in leadership or teaching postion so it is clear that their behaviour is not tolerated.
If I hear a ministry leader say something like this: “Welton claimed that “God built me to lead” and “to not be a leader is for me to be inauthentic,” ” I don’t care who says they’re restored, I don’t trust them as far as I could throw them. Not when “leader” to them means “guy on a platform who writes books and publishes his face on the internet.”
Yes. Define leadership! The world’s definition (which is clearly also Welton’s definition) is much different than God’s. I think it is interesting that Welton chose these words: “God built me to lead” and “to not be a leader is for me to be inauthentic.” Welton is old enough to be the father of of these young women, yet his vocabulary is exactly like a teenager or college student in these words. He is gaining their trust and loyalty by speaking their language. When we see grown men talking and acting like teenagers, we should be warned that they are conniving at something abusive.
“When asked about this incident, Silk said he is “familiar with it.” He added: “I think there’s probably some ‘he said, she said’ going on there.” ” Ugh. He means, “I don’t believe the victim’s account, despite knowing I’ve been working with a predator with a string of victims.” Silk is an enabler and fully complicit in whatever harm Welton does next. There’s no evidence of true change in Welton if he’s not repenting to his victims, denying any of the allegations that make him look particularly bad, and explaining away his predatory actions as him being a victim powerless to act better due to his past pain. When will we wise up to such obviously shallow, self-serving “transformation” narratives.
Could not have said it better. This type of behavior from both of these men is a travesty.
It’s extremely hard for a woman to come forward so for Silk to basically say she may not be telling the truth is continued spiritual abuse. I also know her and talked to several of the women who went through this so I have first hand knowledge of what they went through. And my own experience interacting with him. Only God knows what is in his heart but Scripture tells us we will know by the fruit.
He leads Ian Carroll who has been exposed by Revealing truth, Holly Pivec in NAR extremism, Dawn Hill in here blog and you on Mysticism
Gross. Would not be surprised if it later comes out that Silk is also a manipulator and abuser.
I am ALL for people being restored in the faith- but the church has got to stop putting abusers back in positions to abuse after they’ve disqualified themselves.
George Wallace, the famous segregationist repented. He walked into Dexter Avenue Baptist Church and said “I think I can understand something of the pain black people have come to endure. I know I contributed to that pain, and I can only ask your forgiveness.” He then took action like appointing people of color to his cabinet and voter registration boards. Nothing like this appears to have happened here. I support a victim-first rather than a perpetrator-first approach that does not lead to real repentence and restoration. See USA Today 5/27/22 Nancy French “Survivors, ex-employees say Kanakuk Christian camp ‘ministered’ to its sexual predators” for the consequences of a perpetrator-first approach.
I was just at Dexter Ave Baptist church and got to see the mural. I heard a staff member talk of George Wallace’s apology (no real evidence of repentance) and she said that while she appreciated the words, she was well aware that it was an election season and he was running. She didn’t see it go farther than those words in his life.
Appropriate apologies from men who have done harm are a starting point- but true repentance involves actions and making things right with those that they’ve harmed. We’re too eager to think apologies are enough and the work is done- there’s nothing in scripture that points to that- repentance requires action.
when the church –as in the southern baptists– make a bigger deal over women as pastors/preachers than it does over the sexual abuse going on that shows that there is a BIG problem in christianity and it must be adressed
that problem can be traced back to the erroneous teaching of patriarchy/complementarianism— that men are to be in authority over women. instead of the correct teaching that christ is head over the church and each individual has a personal relationship with, seeks out and is led by His Spirit-wherever that may lead.
It frustrates me to no end that “leaders” like these two throw out Jesus and the Bible for their own private narrative that is really idealistic b.s. Leadership is service, not lording authority over others and telling them what to think and how to behave. 1 Tim. 3 is so very clear on what qualifications leaders must have. People who do not meet these start “ministries” and are eventually caught doing what is evil only to recycle themselves and launch back out there. Rinse and repeat. They treat leadership in ways that contradict Jesus Christ. Throw out biblical instructions. Make excuses. These two men are as doomed as the Pharisees of old. Jesus still cries out to men like Silk, “How will you avoid hell?”
I’ve walked with some of the women who were going through this. The stories are heartbreaking. Also, I was a student at Welton Academy. I had been asked to pray for WA and God gave me a prophetic word … I sent it to them. I later heard from the women on staff, who heard Jonathan directly, say that because of what God showed me, he would speak badly about me and try to discount me and my ministry. They were encouraged, however, because God was making it clear that Jonathan was going to be exposed by the women. You can find it here: https://www.jillmonaco.com/the-movement-at-welton-academy/
Only one time have I witnessed the repentance of a pedophile. It is not something that a survivor could doubt or misinterpret. He was a broken man.
I am only going to say this:
Danny Silk was wrong for what he put in Unpunishable- it was self serving with no CARE or regard to the victims- he had a book deadline don’tcha know- and clearly that trumps the women! Negative press is still press for a narcissist and Danny played right into that need for JW. I wouldn’t trust Danny with a ten foot pole nor his opinions on JW.
AND- I can say FIRST HAND Jonathan is NOT changed based on the unbelievable horrible advice he gave my husband two weeks ago as his mentor in The Bullet Proof Husband. Do NOT go near that program with JW involved in it as it looks like my marriage will not survive and JW is a NUT JOB!!
I was a student in The Welton Academy, lead a local lab, went on two trips w/JW and appreciated his teachings and now have a sick husband being mentored by him! ????
I read both books and enjoyed them. I wanted to believe in his full restoration with the help of Silk but i realize that Silk may have a personal interest in the restoration of Welton, his reputation may be at stake.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMonmnQ4tdw
An Announcment that Welton Academy is back. Reminds me of the plotergeist movie. He’s back.