Statement regarding Shawn Bolz’s ministry.
Dear Friends,
We write to you all in light of the events concerning Shawn Bolz, with a deep sense of responsibility and a sincere desire for humility.
Shawn spoke at two events at Catch The Fire Church in Toronto in September 2017 and January 2019. Whilst Shawn has never ministered on our platforms again, we now understand that we failed in our stewardship of the platform and wider influence that God has given us. In becoming aware of rumours of allegations of unethical practices concerning Shawn’s prophetic ministry, we should have firstly, fully examined the evidence available and secondly, immediately communicated publicly the outcome of that inquiry. We did neither of those things and failed in our shared responsibility to the wider Body of Christ.
If you have pain and confusion caused by these failures, or because of a word you received from Shawn on our platform, we deeply apologize, we ask for your forgiveness and encourage you to reach out to us. We take responsibility and we are truly sorry for our mistakes. We did not consider our duty of care that when we endorse someone by giving them our platform, we share responsibility for the impact on people and the need for us to pursue greater clarity and timely communication.
We want to do better in this regard and remain committed to establishing a culture that is both healthy and supernatural, in all our churches, ministries, missions and networks across the world. We want the prophetic to align with clear New Testament teaching, to reflect the character of Jesus, and to serve people with integrity and transparency. With the Holy Spirit’s help, we commit to grow and respond with wisdom and love should anything like this happen again.
We pray that the Holy Spirit will pour out the Father’s love on us all.
With love,
Duncan and Kate Smith
Presidents, Catch The Fire World
Murray and Ash Smith
Senior Leaders, Catch The Fire Toronto
Steve and Sandra Long
Vice Presidents, Catch The Fire World
Former Senior Leaders, Catch The Fire Toronto
John & Carol Arnott
Founding Pastors, Catch The Fire
On behalf of the Catch The Fire World Leadership Team