Last month Scottsdale Bible Church announced they had hired an outside firm to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct of a former youth pastor in the church.
The organization they hired is called GRACE, which stands for Godly Response for Abuse in the Christian Environment. It was founded in 2004 by Boz Tchividjian, a former assistant state attorney who served as chief prosecutor in the Sexual Crimes Division.
Tchividjian is also known for his religious ties — he is the grandson of Billy Graham. He said we often forget that the church, a place so many hold sacred, can be rife with sexual misconduct and a congregation unable to respond to scandal. He founded GRACE to make churches safer and offer institutional repentance to victims, working outside the bounds of the justice system.
The Show spoke with him about the organization.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been corrected to reflect the former pastor's correct title.