The following statement and documents tell the story of a hero. Her name is Karen. Formerly Karen Root, she is now Karen Hinkley after a recent annulment was finalized. She has bravely come forward to tell her story to shine the light of truth to protect kids. She hopes that by telling her story that any child harmed in the Dallas area or elsewhere by her former husband, Jordan Root, will be found, encouraged to come forward to police and fully supported so that healing can begin.
Jordan and Karen Root were funded and sent as SIM (Serving in Mission) missionaries by The Village Church in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, specifically the Dallas Northway Campus. The Village Church (TVC) is a Southern Baptist mega-church which consists of 5 campuses with a history dating back to the 1800s. In 2002, Highland Village First Baptist Church became The Village Church after Matt Chandler became lead pastor. TVC is a member of the Acts 29 Network of churches. Acts 29 was co-founded by former Mars Hill pastor Mark Driscoll who was removed from the Acts 29 Network in August 2014. Matt Chandler along with the other Acts 29 board members signed the letter to Driscoll.
Jordan Root is currently a licensed professional counselor in the state of Texas, License Number: 68895.
This is a list of Jordan Root’s access to children via employment and volunteer capacities beginning his freshman year of college provided by Jordan's former wife Karen Hinkley:
Anyone who has seen, suspected or suffered child sex crimes by Jordan Root is urged to come forward and contact local police in order to heal and protect others. In the Dallas area, contact the Dallas police child exploitation unit at (214) 671-4211. Child Help national child abuse hotline is available 24/7: 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)
Edmund Burke once said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” After much prayer and consideration, I speak out today because I must.
It would be hard to believe that the events of the past five months had happened had I not experienced them myself. The discovery of Jordan’s pedophilia and use of child pornography was an indescribable shock and triggered a thorough upheaval of every aspect of my life. While I have been upheld by the grace of God every step of the way, I have wondered many times whether it is possible to fully recover from something like what has happened to me. And during these months, what has become even more troubling than the issues that have come to light in Jordan’s life has been the consistent refusal of the pastors and elders of The Village Church to respond in a way that takes into account the seriousness of the situation at hand.
Jordan’s admitted pedophilia and use of child pornography over many years is no small thing. The child pornography industry relies on the exploitation and abuse of children and their bodies, and the use of child pornography harms children by driving the demand for more. What is even more disturbing than his use of child pornography is that throughout the duration of these years, Jordan sought and gained access to a large number of children, many of whom represent some of the most vulnerable populations of children in our society. His ability to successfully manipulate others is evidenced by the complete trust that was placed in him by many parents, companies, churches, and organizations over the course of these years. It is my sincere hope that Jordan has not sexually abused any children, but I believe the circumstances warrant his exposure so that any victims who might be out there can be identified and given an opportunity for justice and healing.
The inclination towards minimization and secrecy that the pastors and elders of The Village Church have displayed is inexcusable. And the spiritual abuse I have experienced at their hands is unacceptable from those who would represent Jesus Christ. Jesus cares deeply for the vulnerable and the voiceless. He speaks strongly against those who would victimize children, and he went toe-to-toe with the religious bullies of his day who “tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.” (Matthew 23) The treatment of Jordan as the victim and me as the perpetrator by the leadership of the church is an appalling reversal that evidences priorities that are not in line with the Word of God.
Jordan, if you have acted out sexually in any way with any child, I urge you to demonstrate the repentance you claim to be walking in by confessing to the appropriate authorities and giving them the names of all children who were affected so their parents can be informed and they can receive the care they need. I also urge you to willingly seek out appropriate treatment for the nature and seriousness of your issues.
Pastors and elders of The Village Church, I urge you to rethink your hasty and public declaration of Jordan’s repentance and require him to seek out appropriate treatment for the nature and seriousness of his issues. I also urge you to conduct a thorough inquiry into how this situation unfolded and reform any policies and practices that contributed to your failure to respond appropriately.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, I urge you to join me in holding the pastors and elders of The Village Church accountable for repentance and reform. As the Body of Christ, the Church should be the safest place on earth for the vulnerable and the victimized, and we must join together in proactive unity if we desire for this to become a reality.
In the Name of Jesus and for His Sake,
Karen Hinkley (formerly Karen Root)
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| Jordan Root |
Acts 29, the international church planting network that Driscoll co-founded and of which he and Mars Hill were a part up until the present moment, has indicated in a letter to Driscoll that they are officially removing Mark and Mars Hill from the network. The statement cites disqualifying sins and no evidence of repentance as the reason. It also asks Mark to step down from ministry.TVC has a weekly average attendance of over 11,000. Matt Chandler became the President of the Acts 29 Network in 2012. Chandler is also a member of and contributor to The Gospel Coalition.
Jordan Root is currently a licensed professional counselor in the state of Texas, License Number: 68895.
This is a list of Jordan Root’s access to children via employment and volunteer capacities beginning his freshman year of college provided by Jordan's former wife Karen Hinkley:
Paid:
· Daycare in Albany, NY (Prior to 2003 and then off and on until 2007)
· Daycare in Cedarville, OH (Period of time between 2004 and 2007)
· In Class Learning Differences Aid, Dallas, TX (September-December 2010)
· Practicum Counselor at Dallas Life, Dallas, TX (worked with families and children; January-August 2011)
· Private Children's Swim Instructor, Dallas, TX (June-September 2011)
· Mental Health Technician at Timberlawn Mental Health Services, Dallas, TX (November 2011-March 2012)
· Therapist on the Child and Adolescent Unit at Timberlawn Mental Health Services, Dallas, TX (March 2012-May 2014)
· A substantial amount of paid babysitting over these years in Albany, NY, Cedarville, OH, and Dallas, TX
Unpaid:
· Lived in Santa Fe Trails Apartment Complex, Dallas, TX; spent a lot of time alone with children (2008-2012)
· Volunteered in children’s and youth ministries at various churches in Cedarville, OH and Dallas, TX (and possibly Albany, NY)
· A substantial amount of unpaid babysitting over these years in Albany, NY, Cedarville, OH, and Dallas, TX
Anyone who has seen, suspected or suffered child sex crimes by Jordan Root is urged to come forward and contact local police in order to heal and protect others. In the Dallas area, contact the Dallas police child exploitation unit at (214) 671-4211. Child Help national child abuse hotline is available 24/7: 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)
The Village Church initial communications to members about Jordan and Karen Root shows that TVC attempted to get by without ever mentioning the nature of the issue, Jordan's confession of pedophilia. Their email revealing the nature of the issue didn’t come until much later in March, after SIM and Karen had both communicated it widely themselves and people began to complain to the church.
The Village Church home group tutorial on discussing church members Jordan and Karen Root by watchkeep
Karen submitted the letter of her membership resignation on Feb. 11, 2015. On Feb. 20, the following letter (embedded below) was sent by The Village Church pastor Matt Younger to Karen informing her that he and the elders would not be accepting her membership resignation.
We have been perplexed by your decision to file for an annulment of your marriage without first abiding by your covenant obligations to submit to the care and direction of your elders. As I mentioned in my first letter, this decision violates your covenant with us - and places you under discipline. Per section 10.5 of The Village Church bylaws, you are prohibited from voluntarily resigning membership while subject to the formal disciplinary process. We cannot, therefore, accept your resignation.
...
We know this is a step of faith and that many questions have yet to be answered. We will seek to answer each question in time. Until then, your elders are pleading with you to patiently submit to our leadership. Should you choose not to return to The Village Church, we will move forward to the next step in the process of disciplining you as a member. Please hear our appeal. The last thing we want is to lose the privilege of caring for you in this difficult season.The Village Church made it clear to Karen and church members that Jordan Root is not under church discipline:
While Jordan's sin is egregious, he has begun to walk in repentance and willingly submitted to the direction of his pastors. This means Jordan is not in formal church discipline (Mt 18:15). Instead, moving forward, Jordan will remain in a season of intentional pastoral care, where his role will be to remain faithful to actions in keeping with repentence (Acts 26:20), pursuing holiness and purity, and continuing to flee from *sin.Karen was placed under church discipline because she filed for an annulment after Jordan's confession of pedophilia and withdrew her church membership. (TVC has yet to accept her membership resignation.) Jordan was not placed under church discipline. The *sin that Jordan has confessed to, use of child pornography, is defined as a crime. Why won't The Village Church call it that?
TVC pastor Matt Younger Letter to Karen Root by watchkeep
LET THIS SINK IN. Pastor Steve Hardin of The Village Church inadvertently copied Karen on an email intended for TVC pastors Richard Brindley and Matt Younger after receiving word of her letter to withdraw her church membership:
Two months after Karen informed The Village Church that she was resigning her church membership and requested in writing that TVC refrain from any future harassment of her, Steve Hardin sent Karen several texts over the course of a few weeks. These are posted below.
Any back story on her email? Where is she living? Have we tried to help push her under our *care?*
Two months after Karen informed The Village Church that she was resigning her church membership and requested in writing that TVC refrain from any future harassment of her, Steve Hardin sent Karen several texts over the course of a few weeks. These are posted below.
A grand deception is achieved when offenders convince others that those who refuse to “forgive & move on” are the actual perpetrators.— Boz Tchividjian (@BozT) May 15, 2015Minimizing the wrongfulness of acts committed against a minor is a deceptive tactic of offenders. Don’t fall for it. http://t.co/ZJ8MB2hPGu— GRACE (@netgrace_org) May 16, 2015A grand deception: The successful response of sex offenders
It is this great deception that makes so many of our churches safe places for offenders and not such safe places for those they hurt.The light of truth and knowledge is our greatest tool to protect kids. Protect the vulnerable. Heal the wounded. Prevent the abuse.
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UPDATE:
Julie Anne Smith at Spiritual Sounding Board posted this video today from 4 years ago of Matt Chandler lashing out at anonymous critics from the pulpit. *Trigger Warning-the language & anger from Matt Chandler, lead pastor of The Village Church in this video is chilling and frightening.
Matt Chandler Lashes Out at Anonymous Critics from FBCJax Watchdog on Vimeo.
Update 5/25: The "Narcissistic Zero" sermon was taken down last night by someone other than FBC Jax Watchdog. I wonder who was successful in getting it taken down? But it lives on in other places on the world wide web, most notably here in a post by Alvin L. Reid, Professor of Evangelism & Student Ministry at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Professor Reid links to Matt Chandler's sermon as a model for dealing with critics.
Pastor Matt Chandler at the Village Church, an exploding congregation in the DFW area, spoke about this in a sermon recently. Hear his words and remember: the next time you want to criticize, be sure your case is real, and your name is attached to all that you do. There is nothing more cowardly in our time of information accessibility than to go by the name “anonymous” or to fail to sign your name when you are being critical. Be open to correction, and when you offer it to others, do it openly, with the compassion of Christ and in the spirit of helping a brother or sister, not in the name of tearing down others to promote your own agenda. Hear Chandler’s words on this:The "Narcissistic Zero" sermon is also included in the video below at about the 7:30 mark. (Yes, that's Mark Driscoll in the Elephant Room with Matt Chandler and other buddies.)
On Saturday, May 23, The Village Church sent out an email to 6000 "covenant members" about Karen Hinkley and Jordan Root.
The Village Church email on 5/23/15 to covenant members about Karen Hinkley and Jordan Root by watchkeep
I also received an email today that was sent in March by The Village Church about another member under discipline by the church.
The Village Church email sent on 3/28/15 about a member (named by TVC, redacted by watchkeep) under church... by watchkeep
New at The Wartburg Watch: Part 1- Jordan Root is a confessed internet child sex abuser: should The Village Church trust him?