By Katelyn Webb/ US Correspondent.
Months after placing pastor Ben Armstrong on administrative leave amid sexual abuse allegations, Bethel Church has announced a sweeping review of its leadership culture and distanced itself from several controversial figures in the charismatic movement, including Todd Bentley, Mike Bickle and Shawn Bolz.
In a lengthy update released by church leadership on May 28, the influential California megachurch said feedback from congregants, staff, alumni, elders and leaders throughout the broader Christian community revealed areas of its culture and leadership that require “attention and reform.”
“This feedback was moving and important,” the church said. “It has shown us areas in our leadership and culture that need attention and reform. Since February, we have been working hard to make positive changes to our culture and structure.”
The church said it has already implemented a number of changes, including canceling its 2026 Healing Conference in April, reshaping major conferences to focus more heavily on serving local church members, gathering feedback from staff and creating volunteer focus groups aimed at strengthening accountability and connection.
Bethel also said it engaged outside leadership to review the church’s governance, organizational structure, leadership culture and operational health. Meanwhile, day-to-day operations are now being overseen by an executive team led by Steve Moore and Richard Gordon. Senior leaders Bill Johnson, Kris Vallotton, Kathy Vallotton and Dann Farrelly will remain in their ministry roles.
The reforms come as an independent investigation continues into allegations involving Armstrong, Bethel’s Prophetic Ministry director and former Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry Revival Group pastor.
In February, the church placed Armstrong on administrative leave after a former student publicly alleged she was groomed and sexually abused by him in 2009 while attending Bethel’s ministry school. Bethel said the investigation is currently being conducted by an independent organization with expertise in complex investigations.
The church said its broader review includes leadership accountability, prophetic ministry oversight, pastoral conduct, reporting procedures, restoration practices, public ministry accountability and the theological frameworks that have shaped Bethel’s culture.
Leaders also said they are specifically examining teachings related to honor, authority, accountability, restoration and reconciliation, as well as the culture and power dynamics within the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry.
Among the most notable announcements was Bethel’s decision to publicly confirm that it no longer platforms or endorses several prominent ministry figures.
“Following internal review and discussion, we’ve made the decision to confirm publicly that we no longer platform the following individuals,” the church said before naming Todd Bentley, Mike Bickle, Shawn Bolz and Bob Hartley.
The church devoted significant attention to explaining its position on restoration and ministry leadership, emphasizing that forgiveness and personal restoration do not automatically qualify someone for a return to public ministry.
“Restoration and reinstatement are not the same thing,” Bethel said. “Restoration is about healing, repentance, redemption, and helping someone be made whole again in Christ. Reinstatement is about returning someone to a previous position of leadership, influence, or responsibility.”
The statement added that leaders must demonstrate “the fruit of repentance” and rebuild trust before being considered for positions of influence.
“We should always pursue restoration, but reinstatement must be approached with wisdom, because grace offers forgiveness, but it does not remove the need for stewardship, consequences, and rebuilding trust,” the church said.
Bethel also addressed Bob Hartley specifically, stating that concerns raised in previous years led the church to restrict his ministry involvement, inform the congregation and later limit his access to Bethel’s campus.
“We restricted his ministry involvement, informed our church community, and later limited his access to Bethel’s campus. As part of our current review, we want to clearly state that Bob Hartley is not endorsed, platformed, or permitted to serve in ministry influence at Bethel,” the church said.
The church said it has expanded its Safe Church reporting processes, strengthened review procedures for allegations involving misconduct or misuse of spiritual authority and begun consulting with outside experts in clergy accountability and leadership dynamics.
“We believe God is calling us to create a healthier culture,” church leaders wrote. “We want our church family to be known for God’s presence, purity, power, humility, wisdom, integrity, healthy leadership, accountability, safety, and real pastoral care.”
In wake of the controversies, Jenn Johnson, who with her husband, Brian, have served as senior worship pastors at Bethel since 2000, recently told podcaster Alex Enfiedjian the church is a “very big organization” with people of various beliefs and “good hearts and good intentions, but kind of just doing a lot of different things that necessarily we wouldn’t all on a leadership level vouch for.”
“I definitely have seen a beautiful, healthy correction along the years,” she said, adding the church’s leaders are “very good, trustworthy people who are very human and are trying to live their lives according to the Bible and run the good race and shepherd an insane amount of people.”
“We definitely don’t all believe the same things at Bethel,” she continued, “and there are definitely some very weird things that have happened from people who are in lower levels, especially of leadership, but also higher, [myself] included, because we’re all human.”
