As they now face multiple civil lawsuits related to sexual abuse, leaders of the Vineyard Church in Duluth, Minnesota, and its parent organization Vineyard USA, are set to meet next month to discuss ways to increase accountability on a national level for sexual abuse.
Vineyard Church’s Interim Lead Pastor John Kliewer disclosed the upcoming meeting in an update last Friday which also highlights his disagreement with Vineyard USA “about the relative importance of victims and perpetrators (pastors) in our response to abuse.”
Both The Vineyard Church and Vineyard USA, have been named in nine civil lawsuits alongside Jackson Gatlin, a former young adult and online community pastor at The Vineyard Church who accepted a plea deal in November for criminal sexual conduct with a child.
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Gatlin, 36, was charged in 2023 with sexually abusing five teenage girls but pleaded guilty to only one count of sexual assault. On four other counts, he entered an Alford plea. in which he admitted there is sufficient evidence to find him guilty during a trial but maintained his innocence. He was sentenced to 13 years on two sexual assault-related charges, another 13 years for two other sexual assault charges plus eight years for one additional charge, according to Northern News Now. All his sentences are expected to run concurrently.
Also named in the civil lawsuits are Gatlin’s parents. His father, Michael Gatlin, was a senior pastor at The Vineyard Church, where his son met most of his victims. His mother, Brenda Gatlin, also served in leadership at the church as well as at Vineyard USA. They both resigned from their roles at the church and Vineyard USA without cooperating with an investigation into their son’s abuse in early 2023.
“In my recent personal experience, VUSA worked to preserve the power of Michael and Brenda. For example, at the start (December 2022/January 2023) we were told by Vineyard USA that (a) we would need Michael and Brenda’s leadership to get through this and (b), although maybe Michael and Brenda shouldn’t have the ultimate say, they should be given input into who conducts the third-party investigation,” Kliewer said, citing an opinion he previously shared with Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment in July 2023.
“We tried to accommodate (a) but ignored their advice on (b) — especially after Brenda’s attack regarding hiring GRACE. … So, although our Bylaws, Nepotism Policy, etc. do create some check on the power of our Senior Pastor, those attempts at accountability we’re (sic) lived out in a wider culture that prioritized Senior Pastor power, rather Senior Pastor accountability.”
Kliewer highlighted several ways in which he believes Vineyard USA appeared to prioritize the perpetrators of abuse instead if the alleged victims and recommended 20 actions Vineyard USA could take to better address the issue of abuse in the organization including radical transparency.
Other recommendations include: a public acknowledgment and apology for past failures; offering private apologies and making amends with survivors and churches that are willing to engage; dedicating a main session at the next National Conference to confession, lament, and a call for repentance regarding past mishandling of abuse; gender diversity in leadership; and investing in trauma-informed training.
“Vineyard pastors, we’re all a part of a culture that prioritized Senior Pastor power, rather than Senior Pastor accountability,” Kliewer said. “I don’t blame Vineyard USA any more than I blame myself. The question now is: what are we going to do about it? We could start by being honest and acknowledging the truth.”
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