(CP) Michael Brown, a Christian author, radio host and founder of the FIRE School of Ministry, has asked for forgiveness regarding allegations of misconduct from a couple of decades ago as a widower has come forward to accuse him of an inappropriate relationship with his late wife.
In a video posted on YouTube Tuesday, Brown addressed the recently reported allegations, saying that in late 2001 and early 2002, he developed an "emotional, not a physical, tie with another individual."
The Roys Report published a story about a man identified as "Ray," who said he and his wife were close friends with Brown and considered him a spiritual mentor. He accused Brown of pursuing an inappropriate relationship with his wife in the early 2000s. The wife died in 2021.
In his video, Brown said he confessed his wrongdoing in 2002 to that friend and Brown's wife, Nancy.
Brown said that while he wanted to confess the matter publicly to his church community, the spouses involved in the situation decided it would be best to leave the matter undisclosed, having concluded that it was not adultery.
"That's the reason I have never discussed it with anyone else until recently. It was not to hide things. It was to honor my spouse whom I had hurt so deeply," he said. "In the months that followed in 2002, I made radical changes to my schedule and lifestyle. I received intensive counselling and experienced the holy discipline of the Lord."
Regarding an earlier allegation of misconduct with a FIRE School of Ministry staffer, named in reports as "Erin" to protect her identity, Brown said he apologised for interactions that she considered uncomfortable, which began when she was 18 years old and involved the slapping of her buttocks, kisses on the lips and hand-holding.
Erin said she quit working at the FIRE School of Ministry in 2002 when she was just 21 because she had grown uncomfortable around Brown. The ministry leader said that while he apologised to Erin in front of his wife in 2002, it was now clear that he didn't understand the "depth of what she was experiencing as a result of my actions."
Brown directly addressed the former staffer, asking her for forgiveness.
"Please forgive me for my actions, which caused you so much pain," he said. "Had I more clearly understood the result of those actions in 2002, I would have responded very differently. Again, from the heart, I ask you to forgive me. I am truly and deeply sorry."
From there, Brown directed his comments to staff members of FIRE, asking for forgiveness among those he has worked with in ministry over the decades.
"Please forgive me for my failings and my poor judgement and any mishandling of these situations during that time 23 years ago," said Brown. "I fell short of the high standards that we set. I disappointed you and I hurt you."
Brown then told "the larger Body of Christ" that "I deeply regret my behaviour from 23 years ago, to the extent that it has caused pain, or been a distraction, or caused you to question God, or wonder who the real Dr Brown is, I ask you as well to forgive me."
"I know I failed you during that period," he added, vowing that he "will continue to work to regain your trust."
Brown drew a parallel to Peter, who denied Jesus three times and wept bitterly when he realised the error of his actions, was "restored to God's grace," and "became a far better man through his experiences."
"If dredging up this painful time in my life, a time when I also wept bitterly for many days, deepens my humility and dependence on the Lord, then all the more do I embrace what He has called me to walk through today," said Brown.
"Regardless of the findings of the third party investigation, I do not minimise the wrongness of my past actions, and in the days ahead, I remain fully submitted to The Line of Fire Board, as I have entrusted the process into their hands."
Earlier this month, The Roys Report published allegations that Brown had engaged in inappropriate behaviour with Erin from when she was 18 to 21 years old.
She had reportedly considered Brown to be like a father, while Brown considered her comparable to a daughter, with her even referring to him as "dad" from time to time.
In a statement given to both TRR and The Christian Post, Brown denied that he had engaged in adulterous behaviour but also acknowledged a "lack of judgement" regarding his relationship with the former staffer.
"Nancy and I did have a relationship with the woman in question and considered her to be like a family member, and she conducted herself as one who viewed our relationship the same way. But she was not a family member, and aspects of my interaction with her, although totally non-sexual in every way, reflected a definite lack of judgement on my part," Brown added.
The Line of Fire Board reportedly hired the law firm Mitchell, Stein, Carey, and Chapman in November to conduct a third-party investigation into the abuse allegations against Brown.
Earlier this month, Brown announced that he was deactivating his account on the social media platform X, where he had some 63,000 followers until the investigation into the claims concluded.
"Because I can't make any comments on the current situation I'm dealing with until the investigation is completed, I'm going to deactivate my account until then. May the Lord be glorified," Brown wrote on X.
