Prominent Australian Pentecostal megachurch pastors Joel and Ellen Cave are being required to step down from their ministry work after “personal challenges” led to a marital separation, the church announced Sunday.
The church’s board stated that Ellen requested the separation. No infidelity was involved, according to a statement by Dave Weatherall, board chairman.
“Due to some very recent information that has been submitted, the Board has made the decision for our Senior Pastors to step back from all ministry responsibilities,” Weatherall wrote.
TRR reached out to Glow Church and the Caves but didn’t immediately receive responses.
Glow Church, based in Australia’s Gold Coast region, is one of Australia’s fast-growing churches. In 2013. it was one of Australia’s first church plants launched by los scandal-ridden Association of Related Churches (ARC). Joel Cave was also one of the founders for ARC Australasia, which began in 2017.
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The board stated that the time off for the Caves will allow time for healing, including both medical and pastoral “recovery” for Joel.
“The Board has taken this step with careful consideration and prayer, prioritising (sic) our Senior Pastors wellbeing and the health of the church community,” the board stated. “It reflects a need for both Joel and Ellen to focus on their health, healing, and family’s wellbeing during this time. The Board remains committed to walking alongside them.”
The family will remain a part of the church but won’t be doing ministry, the board stated. Moni Alaga, one of Glow’s other pastors, will lead.
“Under the leadership of Pastor Moni, the Board, Elders and staff, we remain committed to Glow Church continuing to move forward in God and will provide stability, guidance and leadership for the church,” the church stated. “We ask for prayer, understanding, and respect for the privacy of Joel, Ellen, the children and the Cave Family.”
ARC is one of the largest church growth networks in North America. ARC teaches its church planters to “launch large” by investing thousands of dollars in slick marketing, professional worship, and quality childcare.
ARC Australasia, which is considered a “global network” of ARC, uses a similar model.
“The success and growth of Glow using ARC strategy and principles proved that these were not only ARC ideas, but Biblically-based, Kingdom strategies for growing healthy life-giving churches,” ARC Australasia’s website states.
But ARC has faced allegations of bullying by a pastor of one of America’s fastest growing churches and multiple allegations of infidelity against a former ARC lead team member. They also include numerous ARC pastors resigning amid allegations of agresión sexual, acoso, or adulterous affairs; and allegations of bullying by former ARC Pastor Andy Wood—Rick Warren’s successor at Saddleback Church.
Glow Church is located in Gold Coast, an east-coast city south of Brisbane known for beaches and surfing. The church grew to include locations throughout Australia, including in Sydney and Melbourne, and in the United Kingdom. Last year, the outlying locations became autonomous, according to Glow Church’s website.
“This has allowed (the Caves) to focus on building and growing leaders to outwork the global vision that God has placed on their life for church planting and Kingdom impact,” the church’s website states.
Glow Church is also a member of the Australian Christian Churches ACC, formerly called Assemblies of God in Australia, according to ACC’s website.
The Caves, who are originally from Sydney, have been married for 24 years and have three children.
Glow’s website describes Joel as an innovative leader who likes to develop other leaders and calls the Caves role models for couples, parents, and young people.
“Their lives inspire others to lift the ceiling of what’s possible with faith while also being very authentic and genuine in all areas of life,” the church’s website states.
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4 Responses
Genuineness and authenticity would presumably require this church to tell us why this is happening, and what sort of ‘healing’, other than medical healing, Pastor Joel needs.
Transparency equals trustworthiness. If he has – just as one possibility – a substance or behavioral addiction – wouldn’t admitting it and getting help be a good example to his followers?
1. “The church’s board stated that Ellen requested the separation.”
2. “No infidelity was involved.”
3. “The Board has made the decision for our Senior Pastors to step back from all ministry responsibilities.”
4. “The board stated that the time off for the Caves will allow time for healing, including both medical and pastoral “recovery” for Joel.
Is this the new church game: What Did The Pastor Do But Won’t Confess?
Tony Evans has entered the chat…
It’s difficult to imagine a mature pastor’s wife filing for separation unless it’s very serious, just as it’s tough to imagine a board throwing a senior pastor out unless it’s very bad.
The interesting detail is the “medical” recovery they claim Joel needs.
How does a pastor’s wife bail on her husband when he has a health problem, unless there’s abuse involved connected to the medical issue.
For example, if he has an alcohol addiction, but isn’t abusive, it’s more likely she would stand by him and help him recover, assuming he would need her support, and she could support him like nobody else.
It could be another addiction, perhaps pills, but whatever the health issue is, it has impacted their relationship.
The Board clearly believes Ellen, and has concluded the medical issue is related to sin; otherwise they would simply announce he was stepping aside for medical treatment.
Ellen probably sees the separation as a last resort, hoping he will finally get serious, get the help he needs, and save their marriage.
The most important thing now is they save their marriage, not their ministry. God gives grace to the humble, so let’s hope they humble themselves and work everything out, his health and their marriage.
I’m really glad the Roys Report is covering abuses in Australia. I’m Canadian but lived there for 12 years and Joel was in a position of authority in the ACC when several people in my ACC church were experiencing severe spiritual abuse, including myself. Joel and his other colleagues at the ACC used many of us for their power dynamics while ‘protecting their own’ and victim-blaming. I’m so sad to read that the same poor behaviour is still happening across the ACC.