Apologist Michael Brown Engaged in ‘Sexually Abusive Misconduct,’ Report Says
Messianic apologist Michael Brown engaged in “sexually abusive misconduct” with one young woman and an “inappropriate relationship” with a second married woman in the early 2000s, a third-party investigative report by Firefly has found.
The sexual misconduct included physical touch with Sarah Monk, at the time a 20-year-old woman who worked for Brown, the Firefly investigative report stated. Brown also appeared to engage in a “calculated effort to evade accountability,” Firefly found.
“Such behavior, in any form, is entirely unacceptable in any setting, but particularly within church and ministry settings,” wrote Jim Holler, Firefly’s investigator.
Michael Brown, 70, is founder of the Concord, North Carolina-based ministry, The Line of Fire (formerly AskDrBrown). He also led the Brownsville Revival School of Ministry and founded the Fire School of Ministry. Brown has taught thousands of students who went on to lead ministries affecting “tens of millions of people,” Firefly reported.
Brown didn’t immediately respond to The Roys Report (TRR)’s request for comment.
Monk told TRR she’s still processing the report but was initially struck with how misleading Brown could be.
“If Mike can cover up his own sexual abusive misconduct with me, then he can cover for other ministries,” Monk said.
After TRR reported allegations of sexual misconduct last December, the Line of Fire (LOF) board hired Firefly investigator Jim Holler to investigate. Holler told TRR he released the report to the LOF board last Saturday. LOF published Firefly’s report, in full, on its website yesterday afternoon.
Firefly also found that Brown “deliberately deflected questions about allegations of sexual misconduct.”
“This pattern of deflection appears to be a calculated effort to evade accountability, suppress the allegations, and protect his ministry’s reputation,” Firefly stated.
Firefly’s report confirms TRR’s reporting on allegations that Brown swatted his secretary’s butt, kissed her, held her hand and allowed her to sit on his lap. Firefly also confirmed TRR’s reporting that Brown engaged in an “inappropriate” relationship with a now-deceased married congregant from a church he pastored during the Brownsville revival. The relationship included “sexually related communication,” the report stated.
“These actions not only betray the confidence placed in these roles but also inflict significant harm on individuals and communities, eroding the trust essential for fostering spiritual guidance and support,” Firefly stated.
Firefly interviewed Brown, who denied he kissed former secretary Sarah Monk on her lips, contradicting her testimony.
Brown admitted an “emotional affair” and “adultery of the heart” with the married woman but denied any physical touch with her.
“BROWN stated they ‘both said some sinful things to each other and that it was the most despicable thing that he had ever done,’” Firefly reported.
This is consistent with Brown’s previous claim to TRR that the relationship had an “emotional, not a physical, tie.”
Firefly investigators conducted 88 interviews with witnesses and survivors, 14 of which were reinterviews, the report states. Firefly also reviewed 500 documents, some of which were emails from ministry leaders confronting Brown, and Brown denying allegations.
In addition to the two situations of inappropriate relationships, the report found:
— Brown admonished women for their revealing dress and kept strict purity and dating standards at the school.
— Brown was affectionate with multiple female students including a couple women he “wrapped” his arm around.
— Brown invited young women on trips with him, sometimes inviting them into his hotel room to “just hang out.”
— Brown’s wife, Nancy, forbid Brown’s assistant Scott Volk from telling anyone about the close relationship Volk noticed Brown had with the married woman.
— In 2002, Brown accused former FIRE administrator Niels Prip, who confronted Brown about Brown’s hand-holding with Monk, of trying to bring down Brown’s ministry.
The report stated Brown’s behavior could be characterized as “sexual harassment” or “hostile work environment.” Firefly recommended better training, policies, preventative measures, and response protocols. But Firefly stopped short of making any recommendations about the future of Brown’s ministry with LOF or elsewhere.
Also, Firefly found no credible allegations of sexual misconduct after 2002. Firefly also noted that many people came forward to share positive stories of Brown’s ministry, leadership, integrity and “purity of his heart” in support of Brown.
The LOF board hasn’t released a statement to accompany the report. Board spokesperson Jonathan Bernis emailed to TRR that LOF’s accountability team intends to respond next week.
LOF previously stated that it has assembled an outside team of elders and leaders, including one trauma-informed counselor, to figure out a plan when the investigation is completed. Their names will be released next week, Bernis stated.
Firefly also recently investigated allegations of sexual misconduct by Mike Bickle, founder of the International House of Prayer Kansas City (IHOPKC).
This piece is republished from The Roys Report.
Rebecca Hopkins is a journalist based in Colorado.