The leaders of one of Bloomington-Normal’s largest churches say a much-anticipated report into allegations of misconduct will be made public Sunday night.
Eastview Christian Church’s elders said the report from an outside investigative team will be published online at 5 p.m. Sunday. The elders said they will not see the report in advance. The report will not be redacted but will use pseudonyms “to protect the confidentiality of vulnerable participants in the investigation.”
The report’s release will be followed by a series of internal meetings, then an all-church meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Eastview’s Worship Center. The lead investigator, Kellye Story with Wagenmaker & Oberly, will “discuss the report findings with our church family and discuss next steps in the restoration process.”
“While this has been a challenging, sad, and disconcerting time in the life of our church, we continue to trust that the Lord will continue to refine us and open doors for renewed obedience and a deeper dependence on him,” Eastview’s elders said in a statement Friday. “In the coming weeks and months, may the Lord enable us to become: fearless in our Christ-following; ridiculous in our love for one another and those who are hurt and marginalized; and dangerous in our witness to a world that is looking to the Church to be a light amidst the darkness.”
Eastview’s then-senior pastor, Mike Baker, resigned in February in the wake of allegations against his adult son while he worked at the church. Church elders have described the allegations as “serious” and involving inappropriate sexual behavior, misconduct, and abuse, and that church leaders (including Mike Baker and the elders) were accused of covering it up. Mike Baker has said “that’s a complete misrepresentation of what was going on," pointing only to infidelity. “It’s libelous and slanderous,” he added.
Eastview’s elders announced in March that they had hired Wagenmaker & Oberly to lead an investigation into what happened. It was expected to take about three months.
Eastview is an independent, non-denominational church. Its largest location is on Airport Road in northeast Normal, with a second campus in Bloomington.
