MO- Minister who headed state board goes on trial; SNAP responds

By Barbara Dorri
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
July 29, 2014

http://www.snapnetwork.org/mo_minister_headed_state_board_goes_to_trial

A child sex abuse and cover up trial started yesterday against a Kansas City pastor who is the former head of the State Board of Education.

The civil suit was filed in January 2013 in Jackson County Circuit Court “by a Kansas City-area woman identified as Jane Doe” and “alleges that the Rev. Stan Archie began committing repeated acts of sexual misconduct against (her) when she went to him for counseling at 15,” according to the KC Star.

“Archie is co-founder and senior pastor of Christian Fellowship Baptist Church at 4509 Troost Ave. in Kansas City. The lawsuit is the second in a year alleging sexual misconduct against Archie,” the Star reports.

We beg anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered Rev. Archie's crimes to come forward immediately and help this brave young woman expose a dangerous predator.

We were disturbed by Rev. Archie's initial public response to allegations that he sexually exploited a church member. He claimed that a church investigation cleared him, but gave no details.

It's disingenuous to claim that a church investigates its own pastor and that some other anonymous body allegedly did so too. Why refuse to name the organization that supposedly checked out the accusations? Because Rev. Archie's denial of sexual misconduct is so vague and is issued through his lawyer, it rings hollow. 

It's also troubling to see a minister attacking his accuser, crying "extortion." Usually, that's a sign that a predator is trying to intimidate other victims, witnesses and whistleblowers from stepping forward. 

We hope that anyone who might shed light on these accusations will find the courage to speak up.