In the late ‘90s and early 2000s, Paul Havsgaard founded ten orphanages in Romania. Havsgaard is a former pastor at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California. That church was founded and is still helmed by Greg Laurie, who is also an author and media personality. If you are or ever have been an evangelical Christian, chances are you have read Laurie’s work or seen his videos.
Christianity Today reports that Havsgaard has been accused of abuse and engaging in the sex trafficking of children during his time in Romania. Two men filed lawsuits in a California federal court this week, alleging that Havsgaard would lure children with promises of housing and food. The suits also claim that Havsgaard abused the children, and according to an AP article, Havsgaard forced boys into online sex work and sent them to local bathhouses. Other forms of abuse are alleged in the suits.
In addition to Havsgaard, the suits name Harvest, Laurie, and Richard Schutte, claiming that they were negligent in terms of oversight of the mission, and that they financially supported the ministry, called Actively Restoring Kids International, which was an independent entity created by Havsgaard. Christianity Today said that Havsgaard was listed as a member of the ministry team in 2001, but his name was removed by the spring of 2002. The attorney for the two victims claims that Harvest was aware of other allegations against Havsgaard, prior to his leaving for Romania in 1998, and that they were informed of the situation regarding the orphans in 2004, but did nothing. Laurie is not accused of knowing about the allegations, but has been named in the suits. The outlet said:
Harvest Christian Fellowship, in a statement to CT, called the lawsuits “sensational” and “a form of financial extortion … The allegations are serious and disturbing, but the target here should be the alleged perpetrator, not our church. This misplaced lawsuit wrongly targets Harvest and our pastor.”
Steve Quarles, a Calvary Chapel minister working in Romania, was part of a 2004 audit of the mission. That audit turned up evidence of abuse and instances of minors being taken to hotel rooms and given alcohol. Quarles reportedly told then-Harvest missions pastor Schutte, “He (Havsgaard) doesn’t need to be another day in Romania. He needs to be gone. He is an embarrassment to every single missionary and Christian worker. Get him out of here.”
Again, Laurie and Harvest are not being accused of committing acts of abuse, but they are being accused of failing to provide the proper oversight to a mission they supported, and the church is accused of ignoring the dire reports. The church has said that it supported Havsgaard's mission for a period of time.
Look long enough at any denomination, and you will at some point find a dark underbelly, or at least some dark spots. And it is a fact that predators go where the prey is and look for the most vulnerable. It is true in the animal kingdom, and it is true for human beings as well. Churches, schools, and youth organizations provide hunting grounds for such monsters. If the allegations against Havsgaard are true, this is another example of a fiend taking advantage of power, position, and trust to prey on the vulnerable.
But what about the allegations against Harvest and its leadership? I don’t for a minute believe that Laurie condones predatory acts against children, and I do not believe that the leadership of Harvest condoned it either. But what happens when a church gets so large and so far-flung that it becomes an entity that exists for itself? How easy is it to get swept up in the lights and music, and the inspirational message, or the trappings of Mass or the Divine Liturgy? What goes wrong when the church becomes all about broadcasts, book stores, coffee shops, and celebrities?
I used to work at a Christian bookstore. The shelves practically sagged with books written by pastors, which all pretty much said the same thing. But there is no shortage of people who think they need to publish a Christian book so readers can get their take on what a hundred other people had to say about the same thing. But the important thing was that a pastor published a book.
In June of 2024, the Babylon Bee ran a piece about a megachurch holding a contest in which one lucky congregant would get to meet the lead pastor in person:
Members of the congregation were thrown into a frenzy by the announcement. "What?! You mean I might get to meet Pastor Devin?! ME?!" asked No Cap Church attendee Rob Mance. "I never thought I would ever get to talk to the pastor in person! I knew one day I would meet Jesus Christ and see God face to face, but the thought of meeting Pastor Devin himself just seemed way too far-fetched. I hope I win!"
It isn’t just the megachurches or cathedrals that are at risk of losing the plot. I have been to several smaller churches where the leadership had dreams of multiple campuses, three services a day, and internet broadcasts. One such church promised to refund congregants’ tithes if their prayers were not answered. I attended a service at one of these churches in which the sermon was a videotape of the pastor’s message from earlier in the day. He spent 45 minutes hectoring the attendees to dig deep and help fund the construction of a new campus in a nearby town. He reached the end of his pitch before grudgingly admitting, “Oh yeah, I guess we need to have a prayer.”
If a church reaches the point that it begins to exist for the purpose of supporting the institution, when it gets caught up in the business of having a church, not just the risk of abuse. There is the risk of God’s people, especially the vulnerable, and even the Holy Spirit, getting lost in the shuffle.
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