Steve Morgan is the lead pastor at Joshua Church in Austin, Texas. He founded The Network, a collaboration of evangelical charismatic churches. Before that, though, he was convicted of raping a fifteen-year-old boy.
He was convicted in 1986. He was offered diversion, a way to get a clean criminal record. .
But he never divulged his history to his congregation. He could tell this story as one of redemption through faith, but instead he hid it from people who brought their children to church with them.
With so many abusing pastors and priests, parents have a right to know whether their pastor is a sex offender. They have formed a group called Leaving the Network to advocate for an investigate allegations of spiritual abuse.
- Ministry Watch: Watchdog Group Calls For Independent Investigation of Pastor Steve Morgan and “The Network”
- Leaving the Network: Plea Agreement State of Kansas v Steve Morgan
- Leaving the Network
The “Network” is a group of 26 churches across the United States, United Kingdom, and Taiwan. This Network was founded by and is led by Pastor Steve Morgan. There are currently six active websites devoted to spiritual abuses occurring in the Network.
- LeavingTheNetwork.org – A site sharing victim stories of spiritual abuse, historical background about the Network, and primary source documents and teachings from The Network.
- www.reddit.com/r/LeavingTheNetwork/ – A social media site where people who left the Network are sharing their experiences and discussing related topics.
- ReformTheNetwork.com – A site calling for repentance of Network leaders and reform of The Network by Jason Ramsland, a former board member of South Grove Church in Athens, GA, who resigned after lead pastor Bobby Malicoat refused to remove the church from The Network.
- NotOvercome.org – A blog maintained by Celeste Irwin, a former Vista Church plant team member and small group leader, detailing abuses she experienced and documenting abusive church systems.
- Unorthoprax.net – A site from an anonymous writer focusing on theological issues related to the network.
- TheologyandMe.com – A theology blog written by Blake Hadley, an MA student at Westminster Theological Seminary who is a former small group leader at South Grove Church in Athens, Georgia.