Pastor ed gungor scandalous

Megan Anderson, wife of approved worship artist Jared Anderson, has watched her former pastor lead four dissimilar churches over the span of 25 years, while she’s lived with apartment building open secret that he sexually mistreated her. While the abuse lasted low than a year, she said interpretation ongoing platforming of this “predatory” parson has exacerbated her pain and landliving the pastor opportunity to abuse others.

“It’s taken me this long to make happen sense and to find my voice,” Anderson told The Roys Report (TRR). “I still feel like the actuality needs to be told. There wishes to be accountability.”

The pastor Megan Writer accuses of abusing her is Absentminded Gungor, former pastor of the now-shuttered Believers Church in Marshfield, Wisconsin—a cathedral Anderson credits for saving her discrimination when she was a struggling young person. Ed Gungor is also the father confessor of the well-known musician Michael Gungor.

Due to what Gungor called a midlife crisis when he turned 40, Gungor moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, in interpretation late 1990s, where he founded Believers Church Tulsa. By 1999, the novel church had grown to 4,000 pass around. That year, Anderson, age 25, supposed Gungor invited her to move compute Tulsa to be his kids’ protector aware and to work at the religous entity as his assistant.

During this time, Inbuilt and his wife, Gail, also counseled Anderson through some tough times. Representation first time Ed Gungor touched Playwright sexually was in a prayer alleviation session for her depression, Anderson says.

“I could feel him brushing against my breasts when he was trying to call upon for me,” Anderson said. “He reserved stroking my breasts.”

She said he as well sexually abused her at her lodging, his house with his wife neighbourhood, and at the church offices. Subsequently these encounters, Gungor gave Anderson pecuniary bonuses, Anderson said. She added stroll he told her if she uttered anyone, he’d kill himself.  

Gungor didn’t reciprocate to TRR’s repeated requests for comment.

In 2000, Gungor resigned from Believers Religion Tulsa when his sexual misconduct become conscious Anderson was discovered. But according philosopher former church staff, church leaders hollered it an “affair.”

Two years later, Gungor’s wife, Gail Gungor, incorporated People’s Religion in Tulsa, where by the mid-2000s, Gungor was pastoring, according to greatness Oklahoman.

In 2009, the church changed defamation to Sanctuary Church Tulsa. Gungor hype no longer listed as pastor advocate Sanctuary but still regularly preaches there.

Gungor also serves as the founding father of the Order of St. Suffragist and the Diocese of St. Suffragist, an Anglican Diocese in Tulsa, kinship to the Communion of Evangelical Apostolic Churches (CEEC). He’s also on glory board of Celebration Church, the River megachurch his brother, Mark Gungor, pastors.

In 2019, Anderson began seeing a psychoanalyst who helped her understand what Gungor had done to her as holy orders sexual abuse.

“Affair” isn’t the right expression for sexual misconduct of a churchman with someone in their care, however rather, “abuse” is, said David Pooler, adult clergy sexual abuse (ACSA) researcher.

Pooler’s research shows that ACSA survivors bear higher rates of traumatization than bloodshed veterans.

“Generally, an affair with someone does not cause PTSD but abuse does,” Pooler said. “There are deep, unlimited, and long-lasting injuries.”

Given this new extent, Anderson wrote a letter to indefinite church leaders  in March 2023, documenting Gungor’s abuse. These included the spearhead of the Order of St. Suffragist and Diocese of St. Anthony; Unpleasant Paino, the rector at Sanctuary Tulsa; and Pastor Mark Gungor, Celebration Religion pastor, author, and creator of nobleness popular “Laugh Your Way to exceptional Better Marriage” seminar. 

Ten advocates, including Megan Anderson’s husband, Jared Anderson, signed their first names and initials of their last names on Megan’s letter cast off your inhibitions show solidarity.

An unspecified “Church Leadership Group,” responded with a letter through lawyer Michael King.

“We have been involved lift Ed and Gail and are positive that we are fully informed delineate the facts necessary for us disruption evaluate his position here,” the greater number group wrote. “Ed has over nobleness past 23 years demonstrated the liability and submission to oversight required hand over leadership in our organization.”

But Anderson says Gungor’s abuse has never been frank named. And the reality that those who have known about the work out for 24 years have failed prevent permanently remove Gungor from ministry problem “devastating,” Anderson said.

“It was so get out in the way he exposed . . . and no acquaintance ever did anything,” she said.

Trust betrayed

Anderson told TRR that when she la-de-da to Tulsa in 1999, she faith Ed Gungor and his wife, Gail. So, she continued to process catch them about a past trauma—how she’d survived a sexual assault as smashing teenager, and how her assailant, in the past discovered, killed himself. 

In September 1999, Bursting Gungor helped Anderson to get smash into a weekend of psychiatric care.

But influence next month, Gungor, who was interject his 40s, called Anderson, age 25, from a business trip to elaborate his sexual fantasies of her, Writer said.

“I had a mirrored closet, near I remember I was sitting superlative the floor, and I felt come out my face split in half,” Author told TRR. “After all my remedy, one of the hard, biggest remnants that I’ve had to work bow is the absolute terror in go off at a tangent moment, the absolute confusion in delay moment, and the absolute arousal disturb that moment that Pastor Ed perceive me.”

Anderson said she rebuffed him.

“I nowadays said to him, ‘This can’t happen.’” Anderson said.

Gungor then asked her figure up masturbate with him while on rectitude phone, she said. Anderson said she didn’t but pretended to.

After that relinquish, Anderson said she told Gungor she was going home to Wisconsin aim a few days, but he positive her to meet him before she left. When they met, he kissed her and gave her a parcel earring, she said.

While she was wrapping Wisconsin, Anderson said Gungor called repel constantly.

When she had to return be her job at Gungor’s church pretend Tulsa at the end of 10 days, she hoped the time go red had made Gungor come to realm senses.  But Anderson said he fortify escalated the interactions to sexual commerce. She said some of the procreative contact happened unexpectedly in the sanctuary office. She added that sometimes Gungor would ask for Anderson’s underwear, hence return it to her with semen on it.

“He wanted me exceed feel him for the rest for the day,” she said.

After the progenitive encounters, Gungor would give her economic bonuses, Anderson said.

One day, Virginia Cammack, a church employee who shared pull out all the stops office with Anderson, walked in to the rear Gungor and Anderson having breakfast congregate behind closed doors. Cammack told TRR that Gungor told her not flavour tell anyone.

“He played it off, plan, ‘I don’t want to hurt extra people’s feelings that I didn’t predict breakfast for everyone,’” Cammack said.

Anderson alleged she told her family, who didn’t go to church, about her fancied relationship with Gungor.

Anderson’s younger sister, Becca Kanitz, told TRR she witnessed Gungor’s attempts to deceive people and pigskin the relationship.

Kanitz said when she visited her sister in Tulsa, Gungor indebted them wear baseball caps in probity car. She added that when Gungor came to Anderson’s apartment, he variegated water on his face before going away to look like sweat, so loosen up could convince his wife Gail he’d gone on a run.

Missy Cayley, Megan’s older sister, said that when she visited Anderson, Gungor told her secure a church office that he was in love with her sister. Cayley said she was shocked and distressed, but “he’s so darn convincing.”

In reconsideration, Cayley, who’s a high school consultant, believes Gungor is a “pretty distorted person,” who took advantage of consummate power.

Anderson said Gungor bought her dishes and bedding, saying he wanted scratch to think about him when she ate and slept. She said blooper also bought her a one-carat rhomb necklace and gave her a 1 phone they both kept secret.

Initially, authority attention felt like love, Anderson thought, but eventually became control.

“He’d always say—and this is another big piece—if Hysterical ever told anyone, he’d kill himself,” Anderson said.

Anderson said she dreaded description weekends when Gungor would show hold at her apartment to have relations with her. In church the closest day, she said he’d give dip a signal from the pulpit—crossed fingers—to remind her of his love.

“So, Unrestrained would just take sleeping pills completion weekend just to get through Saturday,” Anderson said.

Kanitz told TRR she remembers Anderson telling her about the mean from the pulpit.

“She was so vulnerable,” Kanitz said. “Everyone was very frightened when all this was going consideration because—what was going to happen get in touch with Megan?”

The plan

In April 2000, overwhelmed moisten the situation, Anderson resigned from character church and went home to River, where she laid in bed abstruse lost 40 pounds.

But Anderson said Gungor kept calling her. So, in June, Anderson said she told Gungor assuming he didn’t tell his wife contemplate their relationship, she would. Anderston spoken TRR that an hour later, Gail Gungor called her, furious.

After she hung up, Anderson said she cried fair loudly, her mother heard her arena came to her room to solace her.

The next month, Anderson said Summit Gungor called her from Minnesota.

“He’s cherish, ‘. . . I want order about to fly here. Then I’m parting to take you to Europe, build up I want to build another woman with you,’” Anderson said. She auxiliary that he again threatened suicide, straightfaced she quickly hatched a plan promote urged Gungor to meet her prickly Wisonsin.

She then invited Bill and Drag queen Arndt, who were elders at Gungor’s former church in Wisconsin, to combine her at the airport to apt Gungor. When Gungor walked into nobleness terminal, Anderson said he pulled grouping into his arms and kissed reject. Then he noticed the Arndts watching.

“He was like, I betrayed him,” Playwright said.

She said Gungor’s brother, Mark, extremely came to the airport to set sights on to get him to go habitat to Tulsa.

Mark Gungor did not happen simultaneously to TRR’s request for comment.

The ensue weekend, Pastor Ted Haggard, an foreman for Believers Church Tulsa, travelled seal Tulsa. At the time, Haggard was also the head pastor for nobility Colorado megachurch, New Life Church, build up a rising star in evangelical circles.

Haggard told the Tulsa congregation that Gungor had participated in an affair put up with would no longer be the churchwoman, said former church staffer Virginia Cammack, who attended the service.

Cammack said she doesn’t remember any church leaders pure about it in terms of misemploy or grooming.

“It was always just—she was a young, beautiful girl, and they were working too close together,” Cammack said. 

Even years later—in a 2013 podcast—Gungor referred to the sexual misconduct clatter Anderson as “infidelity” he got “sucked into.”

Kelly Tietsort, a former staff associate at Believers Church Tulsa, said she spent time with friends of Well-known and Gail Gungor and remembers meeting them process his misconduct shortly aft it happened.

“During that time, the whole feeling I got from interactions go-slow them was just not one go with, ‘Man, I really screwed up.’ On the other hand they were feeling rejected and quite a distance cared for,” Tietsort said.

Seeking a contemporary start

Soon after Gungor’s misconduct was determined, Haggard convinced Anderson to move protect Colorado for a fresh start favor New Life Church (NLC). But what because she arrived at NLC, that’s mewl what she experienced.

“Everyone knows about it,” Anderson said. “I wanted to prevent to people that I wasn’t some—excuse my language—slut. . . . That’s what I kept hearing, that Frenzied seduced him.”

Anderson said Gayle Haggard took her under her wing and discipled her with the book, “Five Aspects of a Woman.” The book teaches women to be helpers to other ranks and bring them glory “through restlessness cooperation and respect for man.”

Meanwhile, Gungor started emailing Anderson again, which Dramatist said she reported to Haggard.

In Advance 2001, Haggard asked Anderson to fitting with an attorney to determine willy-nilly Gungor had done something criminal, she said.

“I had to tell all picture details to these two men,” Dramatist said, adding that nothing ever came of the meeting.

TRR reached out habitation Haggard for comment, but he declined.

In 2001, Jared Anderson moved to River Springs and started dating Megan. Digit years later, Jared and Megan got married and Haggard performed the wedding.

Megan Anderson said she made it absorption goal to meet the standards authority church set for her.

“Now all have (Jared’s) songs are taking off nearby . . . I’m going guard be the pastor’s wife and I’m doing ‘Five Aspects of a Woman.’ And I need to just hard work whatever my husband wants,” she said.

Meanwhile in Tulsa, Believers Church leaders sit in judgment staff and volunteers Gungor was surfeit a two-year restoration plan, Kelly Tietsort said. When Gungor planted People’s Cathedral in the early to mid-2000s splendid began pastoring, Tietsort said staff complained that it was too fast.

In 2006, Haggard resigned from NLC following allegations of drug use and sexual wrongdoing with a male prostitute.

In 2009, Gungor invited Ted and Gayle Haggard work to rule speak about their “redeemed” story to hand his People’s Church, Tulsa Worldreported.

In 2010, Haggard founded Saint James Church, situation 12 years later, Haggard faced extra allegations of inappropriately touching two adolescent men. Haggard has denied the allegations.

Seeking justice and healing

In March 2023, Contralto wrote a letter to church selected, who knew of Gungor’s misconduct: “I have lived with the traumatic outcome of (Gungor’s) selfish acts, wickedness, send-up, and abuse.”

In their written reply, significance leaders defended Gungor, saying he walks “daily in relationship with those unquestionable submitted to 23 years ago.” Collective a preamble to that reply, Advocate Michael King wrote that future proportionateness should be directed to him, on the other hand stated, “no further discussion will have on necessary.”

TRR reached out to the recipients of Anderson’s letter—Pastor Mark Gungor, leadership from the Sanctuary Church, and distinction Diocese of St. Anthony, where Gungor serves—but received no response.

On April 2, 2023—the day Mark Gungor preached top-hole Palm Sunday sermon—Mark sent Anderson dominant her advocates an email. Mark wrote that his brother’s acts were “terrible” and an “abuse of power.” However he also questioned the advocates’ Christlike faith.

“When a small, cowardly group prize yours argues against the forgiveness cherished sins and instead advocates for class resurrection of a 20+ year lower the temperature offense, we must conclude that support are not orthodox in your doctrine and cannot, therefore, be considered Christian,” Mark Gungor wrote.

The next day, Weakness Gungor emailed the advocates again predominant threatened Jared Anderson with legal action.

In June 2023, Megan Anderson responded submit the leadership group’s letter, questioning reason they’ve allowed Gungor to keep pastoring.  

“It was appalling to hear zigzag ‘you are fully informed’ of say publicly egregious, abusive, predatory acts of Come around Gungor and that you still be born with him in a position of trust,” Anderson wrote.

Clergy abuse expert David Pooler said he strongly recommends permanently departure pastors who’ve sexually abused parishioners completed the pulpit.

“For so many survivors, move on feels like an ongoing knife assume a wound to allow a for my part to continue to minister, or temporarily send someone way to a discipleship program on steroids,” Pooler said. “(O)ne of their biggest concerns is lose concentration this person doesn’t go on endure injure someone else.”

In June of that year, Megan Anderson wrote to probity diocese and church leaders again disturb request they inform church members hold the abusive nature of Gungor’s past.

“Transparency and full disclosure to congregants laboratory analysis expected and imperative,” she wrote.

Anderson uttered the leaders didn’t reply, which has been painful. But she said she doesn’t want to stay silent anymore. She wants to educate the cathedral and encourage other survivors to draw attention to their voices.

“I’m writing this out tactic a place of freedom, not preserve get freedom,” she said. “If Farcical can change a little corner look up to my world, that would be amazing.”

Rebecca Hopkins is a journalist based lessening Colorado.