News by email Donate

Suggestions

Top Stories

Most Read

Popular Videos

School-children-feet-main_article_image-2.jpg
School-children-feet-main_article_image.jpg
USA News

Pentecostal People of Praise official acknowledges mishandling of abuse in Christian school

by Premier Journalist

In an email, the leadership of the Christian group People of Praise has determined that they did mishandle a student's allegations of sexual abuse.

People of Praise is a charismatic religious community with "intentional communities" worldwide. The majority of members are considered Catholic, although Protestants can join. Initially founded in 1971, the organization has been integral in forming the Catholic Charismatic Movement. The organization claims around 1,700 members spread across 22 campuses in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.

In July 2021, the Washington Post released an in-depth investigation delving into the claims of Katie Logan. Logan had attended Trinity School at River Ridge, a private Christian school in Eagan, MN, and run by the People of Praise. While a student, Logan claimed she was sexually assaulted by her physics teacher in 2001. While Logan handed over the report to school officials, the staff member in question was left in their position several years after the revelation. Logan soon found other survivors through a Facebook group, with several sharing details publicly. When these reports of abuse went public, the People of Praise were stunned. Craig Lent, chairman of the People of Praise's board of governors, said that the board of trustees would review the finding and take appropriate action.

In an email released by the Post, former school official Jon Balsbaugh recognized their mishandling of abuse in the past. "Trinity School as an organization did not respond to and handle earlier reports…the way that we would handle such reports today or that we want such matters to be handled," Balbaugh writes in the email. "We wish we could go back in time and handle things differently." Balsbaugh served as the president of the board at Trinity School at River Ridge between 2015 and 2017. 

Balsbaugh told the Post that if such an allegation had been made today, it would be sent immediately to law enforcement and child protective services while the accused is on administrative leave. "We are creating more robust policies and procedures for receiving, investigating, and addressing reports of sexual misconduct and other forms of abuse," Balsbaugh told the Post.

The People of Praise organization has been under scrutiny since 2020 when the media discovered that Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett had roots in the organization

A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference

In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.

Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.

For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.

Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.

Support Us
Continue the conversation on our Facebook page

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed with news from a Christian perspective.

News by email

Connect

Donate

Donate