Update: Eastminster Presbyterian Church’s (EPC) Investigation Found at least 23 Victims of Past Sexual Abuse and Is Offering Help and a Service of Lament. Some Thoughts About the Victims and the Church’s Response.

Posted on by June 10, 2025avatar

Woman crying in church. Photo by cottonbro studio: pexels

“We have a strange illusion that mere time cancels sin…But mere time does nothing either to the fact or to the guilt of a sin. The guilt is washed out not by time but by repentance and the blood of Christ: if we have repented of these early sins, we should remember the price of our forgiveness and be humble.” CS Lewis.

I apologize for saying it is a PCA church. It is an EPC church. The source I used to verify was incorrect, and I should have double-checked it.

They’ll get over it!

Approximately 17 years ago, I discovered that there were 13+ in their early teens (some say as many as 30) in my Reformed Baptist Church who were molested by a Southeastern Baptist Seminary student. There is so much more to that story, but I want to concentrate on the above quote. I was distressed by how the church handled the situation and began asking numerous questions. The church had no intention of providing counseling for the teens. The above quote was the answer an elder gave my husband as to why they wouldn’t get counseling. I knew that there were many potential long-term consequences for the victims, but my concerns were not considered valid.

Last July, I met Tyson Stuart and wrote his story. From 1994-1998, Tyson Stuart and Other Boys, Were Molested by Bodie Weiss at Eastminster Presbyterian Church, Wichita, KS. Will the Church Finally Do the Right Thing? Tyson transparently told me the story of being molested by Bodie Weiss, a youth pastor at Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Wichita, Kansas. Please read his story. Tyson also expressed concern that there were other teen boys whom Weiss molested.

Bodie Weiss eventually moved on, but

Bodie was eventually let go after Tyson went away to college. The church still recommended him to others.

Some parents complained to the church about Bodie’s relationship with their kids. The kids were upset and defended Bodie against these “attacks.” It seems to me that Bodie trained them well. Eventually, the leaders apparently witnessed Bodie using the cabin to be alone with the boys.

There was an “undefined incident, and Bodie was let go from his position at the church. He would go to another church, and it is alleged that Eastminster recommended him!

There is an allegation that there was a lawsuit against the church and that there was inevitably an NDA, and everything went quiet. Folks, there is no place for NDAs in the church. If that happens, someone who was harmed is not allowed to speak. How could a church think this is what Jesus would do in such circumstances? There is an international effort to stop NDAs in churches that claim to follow Jesus.

Tyson has needed regular counseling as he began to understand that Bodie abused him.

He has spent an enormous amount of money learning to deal with the fact that he was groomed and abused at Eastminster. As Tyson grew older, he began to understand that he was manipulated by Bodie to be abused. This is a normal progression. The older Tyson tells the younger Tyson that it is OK to talk about what happened.

I was quite upset about Tyson’s story, as it had parallels to my own experience in my former church. That experience led to this blog.

My call to Eastminster

Here is what I wrote.

Today, I called the church to tell them I was writing about what happened with Bodie. I said that there were other kids abused as well. I had great hopes that a pastor would speak with me and express concern for the lifelong pain and confusion that Tyson and others had experienced. After all, what would Jesus do upon receiving such a call? Would He go quiet and call the lawyers? I don’t think so, but who knows what gives in churches today. I wonder if they care that Stuart no longer attends church because of his experience. I think I understand the phrase “frozen chosen” better.

What I didn’t say is that I did speak with a woman who was there alone, managing the church in the absence of pastors. I was upset when I spoke with her because I believed that it was likely that there were many more abuse victims. I said something to the effect that even though the current leaders were not at the church when it happened, they had a responsibility to find out what happened and make amends. Eastminster “now” is responsible for Eastminster “then.” I plan to write a post on this concept soon.

I made sure they knew I was publishing a post.

I could tell that I hit a nerve.

My suggestions to Eastminster

I wrote the following.

What should Eastmnster do?
Yes, I know the pastors and church leaders have changed. However, as CS Lewis said in the quote above,” time doesn’t cancel sin.” I believe the church has a moral and spiritual duty to discover and reach out to all they can find who participated in Bodie’s youth group. What does that look like? Maybe they’ve already done so?

  • An effort should be made to contact as many people as possible who have spent time in that ministry. They should ask the victims to come forward to the church.
  • Eastminster should be aware that it is likely that there were many more molested who did not come forward. It is inevitable when dealing with a paraphilia.
  • Eastminster should contact any churches Bodie came from or went to and alert them of the probability of more victims.
  • The church should offer to help them by paying for counseling for all who were harmed. Tyson has come forward via this post.
  • They should have a third-party, independent investigation to evaluate the church’s safety protocols. GRACE is one such group.
  • They should make an announcement in church and offer apologies from the church for what happened.
  • Eastminster cannot pretend this didn’t happen. The church body has a responsibility to be the church to those abused.

I assumed these suggestions would be relegated to the bowels of the internet.

Tyson recently contacted me and informed me that he had been told the church was conducting an investigation. I asked him to let me know the outcome.

The church investigation uncovered at least 23 victims.

I must admit that I was stunned to see the church actually acknowledge its responsibility and attempt to address what happened in the past. Let me add that the abuse of the victims is in the past for the current leaders at Eastminster, but the abuse is very much a part of the past, present, and future for the victims. Here is their letter to Tyson. (I apologize for the quality of the reprint.) Please note that The Wartburg Watch is mentioned in Line 3 as contributing to the reason for an investigation into the abuse.

In addition, the church has posted a statement online, reiterating much of what is in the letter above, along with a plan to hold a service of lament on June 22nd.

  • They did an investigation and found many victims.
  • They are offering counseling to the victims.
  • They are getting training for the church with Ministry Safe.
  • The plan is a service of lament for the church’s former indifference to victims who are hurting.

I am awestruck by this unexpected response. It is rare to see a church take responsibility for the past, and they have done so to the best of their ability. May many other churches do the same. 

What to expect in light of this response.

Tyson said his wife, in response to the above, said something to the effect of “They are telling you what you already knew. You were abused.” I think this was an astute observation.

I would expect the following responses, etc.

  • Anger and frustration will be expressed as victims feel vindicated for the abuse they experienced and the indifference of the church until this point.
  • There will be anger about the leaders in the past who allowed Weiss to move on and even recommended him to other churches.
  • Remember that this response is understandable because of the church’s abject failure to respond 30 years ago.
  • The church’s response is commendable, but it is essential to remember that all churches should respond in this manner. Sadly, many do not expect a church to do what is right.
  • There is apt to be some media attention due to the number of victims. The church would do well to say that this is the response every church and institution should take when being confronted about past abuse reports.
  • The church would also benefit from having an open-ended conversation with the victims, allowing them to express their concerns. Some have lost their faith due to the church’s indifference to their abuse and the pain and suffering they have experienced over the past three decades. Here are the long-term consequences that arise from sexual abuse. Perhaps MinistrySafe can also educate the church in this area.
  • There may still be members of the church who were members in the past. They will need to understand why ignoring the reports about Weiss was wrong.

Thank you for taking my concerns seriously. My former elder was wrong. Victims do not get over it, and that is the storm the church is currently walking through. May God guide the church as it navigates its past, while seeking to become a Christ-honoring, caring, and alert community.

Comments

Update: Eastminster Presbyterian Church’s (EPC) Investigation Found at least 23 Victims of Past Sexual Abuse and Is Offering Help and a Service of Lament. Some Thoughts About the Victims and the Church’s Response. — 57 Comments

  11. One of the positive aspects of the church’s letter is their plan to have “Safe Sanctuary” training for all their attendees, not just staff and volunteers with youth. I contacted my Diocese’s “safe environment” coordinator at some point in the last year or so (my life’s a blur) about offering their training – which covers not only youth protection but standards for any vulnerable person (handicapped, elderly, bereaved) – to our whole parish. His reply was positive in general, but, “We don’t have a program for that yet.” I need to follow up.

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  12. Well done, Dee! And well done, Eastminster session.

    R: It must be — there are women elders. The PCA doesn’t have women elders. But they sure don’t make their denominational affiliation clear on their website.

    Assuming this is the right website, there is mention of Evangelical Presbyterian Church affiliation in (Article I, Section 2 of) the draft bylaws posted at the site (commendable transparency, IMO).

    https://www.eastminster.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2023-Amended-and-Restated-Bylaws.pdf

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  13. R: there are women elders

    In my humble (but accurate) opinion, the church needs more women elders – they are better at detecting bad boys and abuse. TWW has documented numerous cases where men elders covered and protected abusers in church leadership … women in the mix would have put an end to it! Yep, “godly” women wouldn’t put up with it … but “religious” men do.

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  16. Muff Potter: sexual abuse of minors is a felony in all 50 states

    A former Missouri governor, Matt Blunt, proposed the death penalty for anyone who sexually abused a child. Unfortunately, his legislation failed to make it through the Congressional process in that State after he left office. Jesus talked about millstones; we talk about rights. Abraham Lincoln, talking about slavery rights, said “You do not have the right to do wrong.”

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  29. Jerome: Livestream link (must enter a name and email):

    https://sbcannualmeeting.net/live/

    After decades of Southern Baptist membership (I’m a Done now), I no longer tune into the annual meeting. The New Calvinists (not my theological persuasion) are now firmly in control of all SBC entities, church planting program, and an increasing number of once-traditional SBC churches taken over by NeoCal stealth and deception. The SBC is done; it just hasn’t quit yet.

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  32. JP:
    Dee,

    Here is another link to verify that the previously-submitted obituary was in fact for the correct person, see Page 28:

    https://www.friends.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Spring2021_Focus.pdf

    You are correct. He died, as I said in my first post. However, the discussion about the SOL is essential. Tyson and others are talking about the need to change the SOL in Kansas for the perps who are alive.
    There is one more thing to take into consideration. Bodie may be dead, but those who ignored his abuse of the kids, even sending him on with recommendations to harm elsewhere, could be considered co-conspirators. I hope they are all sleeping fitfully tonight.

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  33. dee,

    You are absolutely correct, as the problem is much bigger than the perpetrator. It’s the system which allows this type of behavior to continue. A church which I was a member of for eight years no longer exists because of similar abuse which apparently was amongst church leadership and spanned multiple generations. Ironically, this church preached “generational transfer” but apparently this primarily applied to their secret sins.

    Thank you for sharing this example of how a church should respond. But the question remains: how many in that church knew of the situation, when did they find out, and what if anything was done at the time? The stuff I have seen behind the curtain at the large A of G church that I attended after the previously-mentioned one, turned me into one of the “dones” (Covid didn’t help either).

    I grew up Catholic, and am familiar with the formerly-secret list of abusers for my own diocese which was released a few years back; one of the lay ministers from my church whom I (thought I) knew well is now in prison for the rest of his life (the trial was within the past 10 years for abuses which happened much earlier than that). I was not abused personally, nor do I know anyone personally who was. But I attended Catholic school for eight years, was an altar boy and a boy scout, and I can certainly see how there were opportunities for such to occur. The shame for children in this situation is a powerful motivator for silence. We would often have visits from priests while we were in class or out on the playground, since the church, rectory, and convent were all adjacent to each other.

    Having spent half my life in the Catholic church, and the other half in the Protestant/evangelical one, I honestly believe that this issue is even more widespread outside of the Catholic church than anyone ever imagined, and is still continuing to this day. And I have been to enough non-catholic churches to have repeatedly heard how superior they are to the Catholic church LOL.

    And while on this topic, let me bring up this relevant point: Many times over the years I have heard “This is a Catholic problem because they don’t let priests get married.” Well anyone who has followed this blog knows that being married does not lessen the risk of such abuse at all. Many convicted serial killers were also married and had families, and appeared normal from the outside.

    One final observation/comment: in my own state (WA), a new state law was just passed which prevents parents from being immediately notified that their children were abused (by a teacher, other student, or staff). One has to ask: WHY???? Who are they protecting?

    We live in interesting times . . . dark times spiritually, indeed. Let’s all keep shining the light where it is most needed.

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  34. I was involved in this abuse as well and I am good friends with Tyson, have been for 30 years. My abuse was not nearly as bad as others, but I was included and have been utterly disgusted by the church’s response.
    What the letter doesn’t let you or anyone else know is that the full report cannot be viewed by the public, only partitioners. It can’t be viewed until after the service on the 22nd even though it is available now. They have no way for those outside of Wichita to view it even though large portion of the victims live in other states (they have offered to fly it to different cities for a viewing, but that is insufficient). They have decided to not redact the information and share it publicly, leaving the community that has been impacted out in the dark.
    So while I understand that their repose on paper is “commendable”, in practice it is the same attempt to hide and cover the dirty truth that they have always been using, just in a different form.

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  35. R,

    Have had ‘Headship’ thrown at me on numerous occasions, yet to date & from personal experience, still feel that excluding any person for a pastoral eldership role based on gender, and not primarily on Christian faith, good character, emotional
    intelligence and spiritual discernment, to be a great disservice to the mission and ministry of the church – body of Christ.

    With regards to sexual, financial and power Predators. I’m mindful that they should never be underestimated and simply assessed on such things as their personal appearances, mannerisms and how they engage in conversation.
    As a friend of mine, who had a long career in policing, once said, “even a melancholy quietly spoken personality type,
    strangely enough, can have the ability to sell ice to Eskimos.

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  36. Andy W,

    I am so sorry for the abuse that you suffered at the hands of the monster, Bodie Weiss. Any abuse is abuse and has ramifications. I have heard about the stipulations regarding who can view the report. Do you have any idea why the church has established these rules? I would imagine they would have to protect the names of those who were abused, who have not permitted their names to be preserved.

    I have heard from others who have said they were not permitted to see the report, even though they were former attendees.

    Do you know if the church has made any statement about its reasoning? I wonder if they are aware that this is causing some concern.

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  37. JP: Having spent half my life in the Catholic church, and the other half in the Protestant/evangelical one, I honestly believe that this issue is even more widespread outside of the Catholic church than anyone ever imagined, and is still continuing to this day. And I have been to enough non-catholic churches to have repeatedly heard how superior they are to the Catholic church LOL.
    And while on this topic, let me bring up this relevant point: Many times over the years I have heard “This is a Catholic problem because they don’t let priests get married.”

    First, I concur. I think the problem is far worse than anyone suspected, the least of which was me when I started blogging.

    As for that confounded, stupid reason that there was abuse in the RCC because the priests couldn’t marry, I blurted this out one day. “Any normal priest who wished to violate his celibacy vows would do so with a consenting adult, not a 5-year-old boy. These are pedophiles. Many pedophiles marry to provide cover for their activities.

    I lived down the block from St James Church and School growing up. One of the priests mentioned in Spotlight was transferred to that location. He loved us kids and let us race go-karts in the church parking lot. I found out years later that he molested one of our “go-kart friends.” (Father Birmingham.)

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  38. JP,

    “It’s the system which allows this type of behavior to continue.”
    +++++++++++++++++++++

    i’m sure we’ve parsed this out before,

    but nevertheless i’ll comment that evangelicalism has too much magical thinking that makes people irresponsible, initiative turned off, letting life happen to them, lazy, self-centered, unassertive,….the part of their life that is a bubble of safety.

    * “all things work out for good…”

    * a number of verses that people misconstrue as meaning we can’t say anything bad, negative, accusatory about anyone

    * a number of verses that people misconstrue as meaning we can’t judge anyone

    (at least concerning the “right kind of people”, while “the wrong kind of people” are denigrated, judged and castigated every day of the year.)

    * having in the the magic verse spells in order to get God points (the consequences and fallout for others doesn’t factor in)

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  40. “Science and case management experience has shown us that most child molesters are heterosexual. Abuse is about power and control and is not anchored by sexual orientation.” (From Zero Abuse Project/Sexuality of Offenders-for some reason I couldn’t copy and paste the link for the URL).
    I’m single (f), and I have been involved in children’s ministry since high school. I have a number of similar friends, both male and female,who have also been involved in children’s ministry. I’m just concerned by a few of the comments I’m reading that there is an assumption that single (particularly male = sex offender). As long as churches are vetting and supervising, single people should not be feared in any ministry. If we are truly called to ministry by the Lord (as I was-see 1 Cor 7), we have more time and availability for many different kinds of ministry. I do understand that abusers are drawn to certain environments, but many of them are married and psychologically ill (I would say the same for Catholic priests who abuse).

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  41. dee,

    I firmly believe it has taken this stance in an effort to control the message that is going out about what happened. I spoke with Bryan Robert at Eastminster about this last week for about 30 minutes and told him that it felt like they were trying to keep the cover on this thing, and he didn’t disagree. They are are unwilling to share it digitally, so they are literally going to drive and fly the thing to different places for people to view, which is just ridiculous. He indicated that the session was very strongly divided on how they wanted to handle this. A portion of them wanted to make things available to the general public, and it seemed like he was included in this group. However, a majority decided that it should be closely held, and that is where things are at now. I know that Tyson also spoke with them and I’m sure others have come forward with their concerns.
    I suggested that they either 1) create a new report that gives fewer details while providing the information that the general public would need or 2) redact the information that could compromise anonymity (which is what I would prefer).
    My take on it is that there is really no harm in a redacted version. It would help give more information to the abused about what happened to their peers and the severity of the abuse that others suffered. It would allow people that weren’t interviewed or declined to be interviewed to read what happened. There are a lot of people in this camp, dozens of people could not be contacted or declined to be interviewed, I know some of them personally. And finally it would give the community a chance to understand what took place. He had neighbors and friends and colleagues that won’t be able to access this report that probably want to know what he did so they can start the process of reconciling the person they thought he was against the person he truly was.

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  45. Mike,

    This is not at all intended to be confrontational, but may I ask how you know this? Tyson, myself, and some others have been in contact with a reporter at the Wichita newspaper today and they are interested in digging into this more. Information like this would be helpful in tracking down what actually happened years ago when they first started to cover this up.

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  48. Jerome: The Annual Meeting just ended with the announcement that Southern Baptists had again rejected 9Marksist Mark Law’s proposed amendment to the SBC Constitution, by an even wider margin than last year!

    I woke up today determined to learn of the results. As usual, Jerome, you are faster than me. My response to Law and his ilk? LOLOLOLOLOL

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  49. Mike:
    Muff Potter,

    Kansas has a statue of limitations of 5 years. The Wichita Police Department’s EMCU unit was initially involved in investigations. These legal limitations were even part of the challenge for one of the first victims.

    If this is the case, I am saddened. However, most states are doing lookback laws. Many states are changing the laws that also include look backs. Things are changing in this area as well they should. There should never be SOL for the abuse of those underage.

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  51. Jerome: The Annual Meeting just ended with the announcement that Southern Baptists had again rejected 9Marksist Mark Law’s proposed amendment to the SBC Constitution, by an even wider margin than last year!

    Reckon how many years the New Calvinists will keep bringing the “Law” back to the annual meeting before they get their way? … before the new reformers solidify their stance on the “beauty of complementarity”? How many churches and members are they willing to give up before they officially declare the SBC a mens-only religious club? How many God-gifted women must be silenced so they can’t serve God in the roles “He” chooses for them?

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  52. Max,

    “How many years the new calvinist will keep bringing the “law” back to the annual meeting before they get their way”

    Nice to be wrong now and then, but sadly, if you go by history, the behaviour of dogmatic people
    with regards to attrition, the unchristian mentality that the end sometimes justifys the means, and possibly demographics, no doubt you will be right. Initially, in my neck of the woods I saw this movement as another church fad. However, since it has permeated many mainline denominations and so called orthodox training institutions, it’s a “fad” that seems to be taking signifcant hold even with some of the younger clergy I have meet who have significant tertiary qualifications prior to training for ministry.
    Unlike fads, methods and philosophy’s on ministry, mission and local community service, new calvinism will not be easy to deal with or simply dismiss.

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  53. Ian Docker: Unlike fads, methods and philosophy’s on ministry, mission and local community service, new calvinism will not be easy to deal with or simply dismiss.

    It can certainly not be dismissed in the Southern Baptist Convention … all of the SBC seminaries are now firmly controlled by the New Calvinists. They have been busy indoctrinating thousands of seminarians who are joining the SBC pastor stream. SBC’s church planting program is all about planting reformed theology, not Gospel churches (of course, Calvinism = Gospel to them).

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  54. Jerome: The Annual Meeting just ended with the announcement that Southern Baptists had again rejected 9Marksist Mark Law’s proposed amendment to the SBC Constitution, by an even wider margin than last year!

    I bet a lot of disappointed SBC men needed some free Biblical counseling over that vote before they left Dallas! They were looking so forward to oppressing female believers more officially, with SBC’s blessing.

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  55. Max: It can certainly not be dismissed in the Southern Baptist Convention … all of the SBC seminaries are now firmly controlled by the New Calvinists.

    Where the is no Christ, there is Only CALVIN.
    CALVIN who alone Has God All Figured Out.

    “THERE IS NO DANA, ONLY ZOOL…”
    — Ghostbusters

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  56. I wished for years that anyone in leadership at Covenant Life Church would take a stance like this. Some lamentation, conversation, and talk of restitution would have been nice. I think some made small gestures, including Josh Harris and Grant Layman, but couldn’t fight the system. Perhaps more could have made progress in healing if things had been done differently.

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