The independent investigation into Soul Survivor was released last week. It's a difficult read.
One aspect that the authors discuss is the strange relationships Mike Pilavachi formed with young men:
"A consistent theme of complaints about Mr Pilavachi from the 1980s to the present day was the befriending of young men at Christian events (whether through the Festivals or at other speaking events, both in the UK but also internationally, or through the work at the Soul Survivor Church), developing very intimate and close relationships..."
(Source: page 28)
But later on:
"Mr Pilavachi’s behaviour towards the young person would change, usually very quickly. The invitations and one-on-one time would dry up. Many people told us that Mr Pilavachi would not speak to them at all for long periods or even acknowledge them in meetings. Some told us about ministry trips which they went on with Mr Pilavachi in which Mr Pilavachi would not say anything to them save to answer “yes” or “no” to essential questions."
(Source: page 29)
In the report Pilavachi is given the opportunity to respond. And he offers explanations that I find unconvincing. One of these is:
"He also explained that, as a result of his ministry commitments, he was sometimes too busy to maintain intense relationships with people for long periods of time and would have to move on."
(Source: page 28)
What could he do, eh? He was joint-leader of an events charity with a £3m turnover, and also leading a church of 500 in Watford.
Well, quite a lot actually. Because his 'ministry commitments' weren't typical for an ordained priest.
Let's begin with travel. Looking at 2014 as an example, I've found evidence of trips to these countries:
- Australia
- South Africa (a large group trip with many volunteers)
- Australia (again)
- Australia (again, again)
- USA
- USA (again)
- Singapore
- Malaysia
I can evidence each of these destinations from several sources. I'm not going to share the evidence here, because it would also identify the interns that year, some of whom may be survivors.
The breakdown above is from just one year. This pattern occurred every year, with Canada, New Zealand and South Africa joining the list above. I'm surprised he didn't find a way to visit Florida.
Pilavachi was quite clever about this. He was public about this travel and sometimes made jokes about it. I imagine this reassured people - "if Pilavachi is open about this, then it must all be fine" "The trustees would object otherwise". What an astute way to play it. Meanwhile, was he exerting control behind the scenes to stifle any complaints?
Leaving aside the obvious cost questions, especially with interns joining him, what about all of the time spent on this? That was time he didn't spend leading Soul Survivor Watford or Soul Survivor Ministries. That was time he was too busy for the young men he'd cultivated friendships with.
In the UK he also spoke far and wide. I can't quite believe how much he was platformed by HTB, the Anglican church network behind the Alpha Course. In 2014 alone, he spoke at their conference, their leadership conference and both their carol services. Was this important ministry work?
There are more questions we could ask about Pilavachi's ventures:
If he was too busy for people, why did he keep writing books?
If he was too busy for people, why did he sign up for trusteeships at the Evangelical Alliance, Hope 08 and XLP, with all the responsibility that entailed?
If he was too busy for people, why did he take on a TV show?
If he was too busy for people, why did he start down the path of forming a church network?
It seems like Mike Pilavachi could find time for the things that suited him.
More Soul Survivor Blogs
Soul Survivor donated £53,000 to a charity led by one of their trustees
Questions about a £500,000 gift and Mike Pilavachi
