Harvest Mission Community Church of Ann Arbor has disclosed allegations of sexual misconduct against its founding pastor, Seth Sung Kim, involving two women under his spiritual care. The church said it believes the allegations are true and that Kim has permanently disqualified himself from pastoral ministry.
In a statement posted on its website Oct. 11 and updated Oct. 15, the church said both women came forward through attorneys. According to the statement, they described being groomed and manipulated by Kim in private meetings presented as discipleship, with the alleged misconduct occurring in Asia and, separately, in Ann Arbor.
Kim has not commented publicly on the allegations. The statement does not refer to any criminal complaint or police investigation.
The church's lead pastor, the Rev. Pete Dahlem, read the statement aloud during the congregation's Sunday service Oct. 11, and a video of the service is posted with the statement on the church's website. He said church leaders had first told members in general terms of "a serious accusation" against Kim at a congregational meeting in February, when they knew only of the alleged misconduct in Asia.
Dahlem said the statement was written together with both survivors after months of exchanges involving lawyers. Details of times, places and events were left out to protect the women's confidentiality, he said.
Two accounts
Kim led the Ann Arbor congregation from its founding in 1996 until 2015, apart from a period in 2009-10 when he helped start a church in Indonesia, the statement says. In 2015 he led a team that planted HMCC of Hong Kong, where he served as lead pastor until January 2026.
Dahlem, who became lead pastor in Ann Arbor when Kim left for Hong Kong, told the congregation the news affected him personally. "Seth was the person who baptized me. He mentored me. He ordained me. He officiated my wedding," he said. He said Kim last visited the Ann Arbor church in 2017.
On Dec. 30, 2025, the Ann Arbor church received a letter from a law firm representing a woman it refers to as Survivor A. The letter alleged that Kim used his pastoral position to arrange private meetings and initiate unwanted sexual contact with her in Asia over a long period, according to the statement.
The church said it then contacted the pastor of HMCC of Austin, which remained organizationally linked to the Hong Kong congregation after the HMCC churches separated in 2024, and asked that Kim be removed. Kim stepped down from the Hong Kong pulpit in early January, the church said. It added that it had confirmed his resignation from ministry leadership roles with several other organizations, which it did not name.
Over the following months, the Ann Arbor church said it sought legal counsel and took part in formal mediation, where the parties agreed to work together on a public statement.
A second letter arrived "in recent months" from attorneys for a woman identified as Survivor B. She described similar experiences in Ann Arbor while Kim was lead pastor there, according to the statement. The church said Survivor B has remained anonymous even to its leaders but that it takes her report seriously.
"On the basis of these two victims' reports of misconduct occurring over many years, as well as supporting evidence we have seen, we believe these accusations against Seth are true," the statement says.
Church response
Citing passages including 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1 and 1 Peter 5, the church said Kim should not hold any position of Christian leadership, spiritual authority or mentorship. It said that, to its knowledge, Kim has not cooperated with efforts to hold him accountable. It advised Christians to apply Matthew 18:15-17, a passage on confronting a fellow believer over wrongdoing, in any dealings with him.
In his sermon, Dahlem cited 1 Timothy 5:19-20 and said the elders had agreed from the start to make the matter public. "The scope of public correction should match the scope of that person's public ministry," he said. He said repentance and restoration remain possible, but that in such cases "restoration is restoration to fellowship with the church, not restoration to a pastoral role."
Quoting counselors and victim advocates, the statement says the power imbalance in clergy sexual misconduct makes genuine consent impossible. It says both women want it known that they did not initiate or want the contact.
The church acknowledged that it had policies and reporting channels in place but said policies alone cannot prevent misconduct. It apologized to both women and said it grieves that the community did not uncover the conduct sooner.
Dahlem outlined changes the church has made in recent years. They include an anonymous way to report concerns to elders through its website and a shift from a single-authority leadership model to an elder-led one. He also listed security cameras at church facilities and accountability meetings among pastors every other week. People with concerns about serious misconduct need not raise them directly with the person involved first, he said.
The Ann Arbor congregation has invited anyone with relevant information to contact its elders through an online form. It also offered pastoral support and referrals to professional counseling.
