The Meeting House, formerly one of Canada’s most prominent evangelical megachurches, may now only be able to offer its popular Sunday ministry online instead of in person. In June, in the wake of numerous sexual abuse and misconduct allegations against church leadership and facing several multi-million-dollar civil suits, the church announced that it had been denied abuse insurance coverage and was therefore deciding to “pause” its in-person services, including Sunday worship. Without this insurance, the church has been forced to restructure how it offers ministry—and raises questions about the church’s future.
When asked whether or not the church has since received abuse liability insurance, Matt Miles, interim senior director at the Meeting House, declined to confirm. But on Sunday, August 4, after a month of posting pre-recorded sermons online instead of offering in-person services, the Meeting House returned with a livestreamed sermon delivered via its YouTube channel. In the sermon, teaching pastor Jimmy Rushton hinted at the church’s new direction: “While July was a time of pause . . . this is the ‘press play’ day. . . . We want to steward an online, engaged presence with and for you.” While Miles didn’t deny that the Meeting House, for the time being, will be moving forward exclusively online, he noted in an email to The Walrus that “the church isn’t the institution, it’s the people gathered with a purpose” and that “churches have been engaging in a range of gatherings and activities this summer, and are preparing for a hopeful new chapter in September.”
