Worker quote: Everything is under control, and CSA won’t happen again because we know what to watch for and won’t put up with it. That’s all in the past—we need to move forward.
In response to statements like this, I have to ask—
What about the victim-survivors?
𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩.
These horrendous acts of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) have forever altered the lives of survivors. The effects don’t just disappear because leadership claims things are “under control.”
For survivors, the trauma continues long after the abuse ends. While we pray they can begin healing, we can’t ignore the truth: they don’t get to just “move on.” They don’t get to just put it behind them.
𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙪𝙢𝙖 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚—𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙩.
Trauma changes how genetics are expressed and changes the child. Very literally, the person they are after the abuse is not the same person they were before the trauma. Let that sink in.
There are anatomical changes to the brain that compromise functioning as a result of abuse and trauma. These changes to DNA can be potentially passed down as generational trauma with significant impact, which the science of epigenetics (how your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect your genes) proves.
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙪𝙢𝙖 𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜.
While there have been a couple of states whose overseers have approved donating some amount of money to non-profits that aid survivors in getting therapy, these efforts are minuscule compared to the need and the vast amounts of money estimated to be held in ministry trusts and accounts.
Meanwhile, workers continue to go on world tours—spending tens of thousands of dollars per person. At the same time, the lives of survivors in their home countries continue to suffer without the necessary support to seek help.
𝙈𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚.
Oh, wait, it does make sense. Caring for and supporting victim-survivors is not the ministry’s priority. We hear things like, “We’re having conversations with survivors,” or “we’re listening.” That’s great, but it’s not enough. It’s not even close to being impactful.
Let me explain why.
𝘿𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 2𝙭2 𝙘𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙝? Not just in the past, but even now, these tragedies continue to happen again and again. Survivors are ending their lives because the unbearable pain that they have been forced to carry has become too much.
𝙃𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨?
Did you know that there are survivors whose lives have been so destroyed that they cannot cope with life in general, do not have food to eat, transportation to get to therapy, or access to childcare even to make it possible? They live in poverty without the basic necessities needed to begin healing.
Looking at childhood ACEs scores (adverse childhood experiences) of survivors proves this. Survivors of CSA are less likely to get an education, more likely to have relationship challenges, chronic physical and mental health issues, and a greater potential for earning a lower income, just to name a few lasting effects. And the higher the ACE score, the more severe the consequences.
A study by the CDC even states that preventing ACEs could reduce suicide attempts among high school students by as much as 89%, indicating that 89% of suicide attempts by high schoolers are a result of ACEs, including CSA. This statistic proves the lasting impact of childhood abuse.
𝙔𝙚𝙩, 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙—𝙘𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛𝙛 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙙. When the church didn’t listen to them, or even worse, when they didn’t believe them, they lost everything—many of them even lost any sense of hope. And yet these same individuals are labeled “lost out” or being “unstable”—never acknowledging the very real cause of their suffering—sexual abuse within the very church that they trusted to care for them. Instead, survivors are cast out and forgotten.
According to a study by the Department of Health and Human Services, “The effects of CSA exposure extend well beyond the immediate act of harm and include increased risk for development of severe mental, physical, and behavioral health disorders across the lifecourse… Given these negative outcomes, it is not surprising that CSA also reduces quality of life even after accounting for the effects of more proximal mental and physical health disorders, particularly among women who survived more severe forms of abuse ”
𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙮 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙣 2015, 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙛 $282,734 ($378,945 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙙𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 2025 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣) 𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙎𝘼.
Someone recently commented that they pay taxes so survivors have all the support they need. There is absolutely zero truth to this, and it’s an absurd statement. Many victims of CSA do not qualify for Medicare or Medicaid, which are tax-supported programs.
Even if a person has medical insurance, mental health coverage for trauma therapy is either not on the list of covered services or is only covered for a short duration. For many, the out-of-pocket costs are insurmountable.
𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙨𝙮𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘 𝙞𝙣𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩, 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 $15,000 𝙩𝙤 $60,000 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 30-𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢 𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩. In some cases, survivors need inpatient treatment several times.
This is not a bid for “getting money out of the church,” but rather providing information on the staggering toll this church has wrought on so many of its congregants. If there was truly love for survivors in the church, the amount of money required would not be a consideration. It’s about understanding the massive financial toll survivors are left alone to bear.
With well over 1,000 perpetrators having been reported within the 2×2 church and considering, according to the National Sex Offenders Registry, they may commit an average of 117 sexual crimes in a lifetime. The math is staggering. And exceptionally costly.
With no formal organization to sue, because the 2×2 church has been set up in such a way to avoid accountability on every level, there is very little recourse to get the support survivors need to seek help. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 2𝙭2 𝙘𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙡𝙚𝙙𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙮. This leaves survivors with nowhere to turn.
Independent organizations such as Pathways 2 Healing Network, United Open Arms, and Bridges and Balm are doing everything they can to support survivors. None of these organizations are associated with the ministry, and their resources are stretched thin. Some have received small amounts of money from ministry funds. But the fact is, there is a great need for financial support.
This is not a problem of the past.
This is a generational crisis that even future generations will still grapple with.
𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 2𝙭2 𝙘𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙝—𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩. This spans beyond sexual abuse and into spiritual abuse and betrayal trauma, and years of internalized shame and unworthiness.
People are not okay.
They weren’t okay in the past. And they’re not okay now.
And don’t assume that you don’t know anyone who is a survivor. You do. I guarantee you that everyone within the 2×2 church has connections to victims.
𝙒𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙢 𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙢-𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙨𝙖𝙛𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙞𝙣. 𝙒𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙨𝙖𝙛𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙠 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙟𝙪𝙙𝙜𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚.
We need real action.
We need tangible help.
We need a church (both leadership and congregants) willing to confront the honest truth and acknowledge its many failures, no matter how uncomfortable. We need to be willing to pay the cost for these failures.
We need to choose compassion over convenience, take responsibility, and do the hard things—because it’s the right thing, not to mention the Christian thing, to do.
This is not all in the past.
We are a community in crisis.
By Alissa (Sherman) Klenk
Iowa
April 9, 2025
𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩:
United Open Arms: https://www.unitedopenarms.org/
Bridges and Balm: https://www.bridgesandbalm.org/