Diocese appeals for information on abuse at church

A Church of England diocese has issued an appeal for information related to possible abuse at a church over three decades.

The Diocese of St Albans said it was looking to hear from victims of potentially harmful behaviour connected to St Andrew's in Chorleywood, Hertfordshire, during the 1980s, the 1990s and the 2000s.

It said it followed safeguarding disclosures made to the diocese in 2024 and 2025 where "it became clear that there are likely others who have been harmed in the past and have not been heard".

The church itself said it supported the appeal.

In a statement, it added: "St Andrew's takes safeguarding of children and adults very seriously and believes its current arrangements to be robust and thorough.

"However, where there may have been shortcomings in the past, we are keen to identify those and to ensure that any survivors receive the support they may require."

St Andrew's was established in 1908 and got its first vicar in 1966.

In 1980, it became a leader of the Charismatic Movement and it was linked to the founding of the Soul Survivor movement.

In 2023, a Church of England probe concluded that Soul Survivor preacher and co-founder Mike Pilavachi had used his authority to massage young male interns and wrestle youths.

The diocese said the two previous safeguarding disclosures were unrelated to each other but involved St Andrew's "in one way or another".

It is looking for information concerning any spiritual, psychological, sexual or physical abuse.

The scope of the exercise will include people formerly or currently connected with the church.

The process will be led by a safeguarding case management group, chaired by Judge Philip Waller, with oversight from the diocese's safeguarding advisory panel.

The aim is to produce a summary of the findings by June.

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