Boca Raton Pastor Investigated by Church for Alleged Past Inappropriate Relationship With Teen

Palmbeach ^ | Kyle Swenson

[Morgana]

For the past year, a pastor at a Boca Raton church has been serving up the good word from the pulpit while higher-ups in the faith look into allegations that he was sexually involved with a teenager in the 1980s.

Kirk A. McCormick has been a pastor for the past 18 years at Grace Community Church, a Presbyterian congregation on West Camino Real. But in early June, the pastor abruptly "renounced the jurisdiction" of the congregation's parent body, the Presbyterian Church (USA).

McCormick's decision came just as testimony was to begin in an inner-church trial over the accusations. By bailing from the faith, McCormick dodged the proceedings -- which leaves the matter in a kind of unresolved middle ground.

The allegations stem from McCormick's time as an assistant pastor at a church in Newport Beach, California, in the late 1980s, when McCormick was in his late 20s. The alleged victim was a 17-year-old member of the church's youth group at the time. It wasn't until 2012, in a letter addressed to the church in California, that she revealed her alleged sexual relationship with McCormick.

"I don't think she stipulated whether it was wanted or unwanted, but we stipulated that it was inappropriate," says the Rev. Ben Sorensen, an associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Fort Lauderdale who steered the investigative committee that dug into the charges. After the allegations were first brought to the church's attention, Sorensen's committee began investigating. Sorensen claims that police in California were also alerted then. McCormick was allowed to continue on at Grace Community while the investigation ground on.

[MeganC]

This happened over 20 years ago and, IMHO, is a tad questionable at this point.

[Gay State Conservative]

Why is it that you never hear about this stuff happening in “conservative” or “reform” synagogues,Unitarian/Universalist “churches” or Wiccan “covens”?

[Morgana]

Actually you do hear about it in conservative synagogues!!

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/the-spirit-of-things/4860798

The Spirit of Things: Sexual abuse in Hasidic Jewish community

Ultra orthodox Hasidic Judaism is known for its festivals, its religious piety and its large families.

So when child sexual abuse rocked the tightly knit Hasidic Jewish community in Melbourne, facing up to it has been slow and difficult.

Hear the full story with Manny Waks on The Spirit of Things, this Sunday at 6pm.

[latina4dubya]

i think so too...

[PAR35]

40 year old woman discovers she was wronged?

[flaglady47]

This smells. I hate it when they drudge up something done when people are young and foolish, 20-30 years later and make it seem as though it was just yesterday. Geez, just let it go with an apology. I don’t know many people who haven’t done something in their youth that they would not regret today. Life is a learning process. The problem comes if they never change their ways.