Liberate Ministry closing down after founder admits extramarital affair
Following his admission that he had an extramarital affair, Billy Graham's grandson Tullian Tchividjian resigned from his position as senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, and now Liberate Ministry, which he has founded, will reportedly close as well.
Liberate Ministry has operated as a ministry of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, which sought to connect "God's inexhaustible grace to an exhausted world," according to its website.
"Coral Ridge very much believes in the message of God's 'good news' of grace to a broken and burned out world," the website said. "Considering Pastor Tullian's recent resignation as senior pastor of CRPC after admitting moral failure, it is with heavy hearts that our Church Leadership has come to the conclusion to temporarily close Liberate."
Tchividjian and his wife Kim have been married since 1994 and both have three children together. When he discovered that his wife had an affair, the pastor sought comfort from a friend but admitted that their relationship became "inappropriate."
He has apologised for his actions, and has sought prayers of grace and comfort from families, friends, and churchgoers. "Both my wife and I are heartbroken over our actions and we ask you to pray for us and our family that God would give us the grace we need to weather this heart-wrenching storm," he said.
However, in a later statement, his wife stressed that Tchividjian's statements are entirely his own and does not reflect her thoughts. "Please respect the privacy of my family at this time, thank you," she wrote. "I do thank everyone for the outpouring of love for my family as well during this difficult time and we appreciate all the prayers and support we are receiving."