LAST CALL FOR LYONSDOWN
Christian Safeguarding Services (CSS) are conducting “a comprehensive safeguarding review”, following allegations of “emotional, psychological and spiritual abuse by the former leadership at Holy Trinity Lyonsdown”, a church in New Barnet.
Although formally part of the Diocese of St Albans, the church had been dislocated from the diocese for some time - suspending their parish share in a protest against their bishop in 2004 over the appointment of Jeffrey John as Dean, and thereafter paying for their vicar themselves via a trust “… in lieu of the usual arrangement with the Church Commissioners.”
In 2021, the bulk of the leadership and congregation of Holy Trinity left the church and formed an “Independent evangelical church”, called, simply, Lyonsdown Church, a name they had publicly used in their online and printed materials since 2011. The continuing church is in the unusual position of meeting in the leased church hall of their former parish, but is in the process of seeking to raise substantial funds to pay for a new building of its own. It is believed that it is applying to become part of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC).
The trustees of the church have commissioned the Review, which given that, “… concerns have been raised with the Local Authority that there could be, by association, ongoing safeguarding risks at Lyonsdown Church”, embraces Lyonsdown Church’s present safeguarding policies and procedures as well as the allegations of past abuse.
Until he retired in 2021 at the age of 71, the vicar of Lyonsdown was a highly decorated former Lieutenant Colonel in the SAS, Revd Charles Dobbie. He served as the vicar of HTL for over 20 years.
Dobbie’s long ministry at Lyonsdown led to him being a highly respected figure in Conservative Evangelical circles. His influence spread beyond Anglicanism - working closely with Jonathan Prime, the minister of the nearby Enfield Evangelical Free Church, until 2018 and for a time being one of the leaders of the Southeast Gospel Partnership group of churches. He was a speaker at the London Gospel Partnership Conference in February 2019 and Lyonsdown Church continues to play “a full part” in that partnership.
For many years Holy Trinity considered itself to provide elite training for the next generation of church leaders and prided itself on how many of its trainees became long-term staff church workers at Lyonsdown and elsewhere. It is a tradition which continues in the church’s new guise. The present pastor, Rich Hall, is himself a former trainee as are three of the four other permanent staff.
Christian Safeguarding Services say that, “The purpose of this review is to examine the safeguarding arrangements and church culture at Lyonsdown Church to establish whether there are any safeguarding concerns. The findings will be presented to the church leadership and also to the appropriate statutory agencies.”
Those who wish to participate in the Review have only until 25th June 2023 to do so.
The link is:
https://www.cognitoforms.com/CSS19/LyonsdownChurchCultureReview
CSS provide assurances that participants’ identities will be protected and kept confidential.
