Mike Pilavachi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mike Pilavachi |
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 Pilavachi in 2022 |
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| Born | 7 March 1958 in |
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| Church | Church of England |
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Michael Pilavachi (born 1958) is a British Christian leader and author. He helped start and used to lead the Soul Survivor charity. This group was based in Watford, England.
Pilavachi started the Soul Survivor summer festivals in 1993. These festivals happened every year until 2019. They grew very popular, with about 32,500 young people attending each year. Pilavachi was known for helping young people connect with their faith. He and others from his church also started the Soul Survivor Church in Watford, where he was a pastor.
In 2023, concerns were raised about Pilavachi's past behavior. He stepped back from his church work while these concerns were looked into. Later that year, he resigned from his role at Soul Survivor Watford. An investigation found that Pilavachi had misused his position in the Church. He had acted inappropriately with young men.
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Early Life and Career
Pilavachi was born in London in March 1958. His family came from Cyprus. He shared that his parents were not religious. Even so, he became a Christian when he was 16 years old.
After studying at the University of Birmingham, he worked as an accountant. When he was 29, he became a full-time youth minister at St Andrew's Church in Chorleywood.
Ministry Work
Soul Survivor Festivals
Pilavachi began the Soul Survivor summer festivals in 1993. He was inspired by other Christian festivals. He wanted to create a special event for young people to explore their faith. The first festivals were supported by St Andrew's Church. They were held at the Bath and West showground. Around the same time, a group from St Andrew's started a permanent Soul Survivor church in Watford. Pilavachi served as a pastor there. During the summer festivals, he encouraged young people to have a strong connection with their faith.
The festivals continued every year until 2019. Pilavachi announced that the Soul Survivor conferences would end. The team felt it was time to stop. In their final year, about 32,500 young people attended the festivals. These were held over three separate weeks.
Church of England Role
Pilavachi studied to become a priest at St Mellitus College in London. He became a deacon in the Church of England in 2012. He was then ordained as a priest in 2013. He worked at St Peter's Church in Watford. In 2016, he was made an honorary canon of St Albans Cathedral. In 2020, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby gave Pilavachi an award for his work in sharing his faith.
Concerns and Investigation
In April 2023, Soul Survivor Watford announced that Pilavachi had "stepped back from all ministry." This was because concerns about his past behavior were being investigated. The investigation was led by the Church of England National Safeguarding Team.
News reports shared more details about the concerns. They said the allegations were about inappropriate behavior with young adults. These young people were involved in a Christian program called Soul61. Reports claimed that Pilavachi engaged in activities that made young men feel "special." Over 100 people shared concerns about his behavior. These concerns covered three decades, with the most recent in 2020. Some concerns about Pilavachi's actions were first raised with Soul Survivor leaders in 2004. However, they were not fully looked into at that time.
In May 2023, Pilavachi was suspended from his job at the Soul Survivor charity. In July, he resigned as a pastor at Soul Survivor Church in Watford. He said he took this step to help the Church heal. He also asked for forgiveness from anyone he had hurt.
In September 2023, the investigation by the Church of England concluded. It confirmed that Pilavachi had misused his power. He had acted inappropriately with young men. The report also stated that Pilavachi had given up his license to minister. This means he could no longer serve as a priest in the Church of England.
In November 2023, Soul Survivor asked a law firm to do an independent report. This report was published in September 2024. It confirmed the findings of the earlier investigation. It also suggested that his "spiritual celebrity" might have played a part in why his behavior was not stopped sooner.
Personal Life
In 2020, Pilavachi was given an award called the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This was for his work with young people. As of September 2023, he still holds this award.
Pilavachi has said that being unmarried allowed him to do certain work. He felt he would not have been able to do this work if he had a family.
Books
- Live the Life (1998)
- Walking with a stranger, discovering God (1999)
- My first trousers, growing up with God (1999)
- For the audience of one, the soul survivor guide to worship (1999)
- Weeping before an empty tomb, struggling with God (1999)
- Afterlife, facing the future with God (2000)
- Life, death (and everything in between) (2001)
- Wasteland?, encountering God in the desert (2003)
- When Necessary Use Words, Changing Lives Through Worship, Justice and Evangelism (2007)
- Storylines: tracing threads that run through the Bible (2008)
- Life Beneath the Surface, Thoughts on a Deeper Spiritual Life (2011)
- Storylines, your map to understanding the Bible (2013)
- Everyday Supernatural: Living A Spirit-Led Life Without Being Weird (2016)
- Lifelines: sound advice from the heroes of the faith (2018)
