Bethel Church chooses third-party group to investigate abuse allegations made against leader Ben Armstrong
The church announced last week that it chose Sintra Group Professional Investigations to conduct an investigation into clergy abuse allegations made earlier this year about Armstrong. The firm doesn’t list experience with this type of investigation on its site.
Bethel Church has announced that it has chosen a third-party group to investigate allegations of clergy abuse made against church leader Ben Armstrong.
The church has chosen Sintra Group Professional Investigations, an organization based in Ventura, California. In a public statement last week, the church explained that the organization has more than 20 years of experience in investigative work, including “trauma-informed investigative protocols.”
Earlier this year, Armstrong — the church’s overseer of Prophetic Ministry — was placed on administrative leave after allegations that he sexually abused and groomed former Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry students. After releasing several statements in the first weeks following the allegations, Bethel remained silent for more than a month before releasing information about the investigative firm as part of an update to a church webpage last week. Armstrong has not responded to previous requests for comment.
It’s unclear whether Sintra Group has experience investigating religious institutions or clergy abuse. Its website indicates that the organization has provided services to government agencies, police and fire departments, school districts, health care agencies and law firms and specializes in cases of harassment, hostile work environments and embezzlement.
The group’s investigators are mainly comprised of former law enforcement or fire service officers, according to Sintra Firm’s website. The group’s principal investigator, Steve Bowman, was formerly an assistant police chief of the Ventura Police Department.
Bethel did not respond to questions sent yesterday asking why Sintra Group was chosen to lead the investigation, what went into the process of choosing an investigator, how the group is being funded and if the group has experience investigating clergy abuse or religious institutions.
Sintra Group has not responded to questions either, including whether it has investigated clergy abuse or religious institutions before and what the timeline of the investigation is.
In its statement announcing the chosen investigative group, Bethel also explained that it was hiring a third-party expert to review its “governance, leadership structure, and culture” to understand how the leadership team can “do better in the future.” It’s not clear from the statement whether this is a reference to Sintra Group or another third party.
“We want to ensure we have established clear accountability structures, prioritized the safety of all those engaging with Bethel, and upheld the standards that Scripture calls our leadership and culture to reflect,” the statement said.
“We believe this kind of accountability isn’t just right, but necessary, and we will share concrete next steps for what that looks like in the coming weeks,” the statement continued. “As we have said before, we do not take the pain that those who have spoken up are experiencing lightly, and we are not moving past it quickly—this process matters deeply to us, but more importantly, to the heart of God.”
The statement echoed previous ones by reminding the Bethel community to report concerns about harmful or inappropriate conduct to Safe Church, Bethel’s new abuse and harassment reporting process. Reports submitted to Safe Church are received by third-party provider Miratech. Bethel explained in the statement that submitting reports to Miratech ensures that they’re not altered or edited in any way.
Safe Church’s website indicates that once reports are received, they’re handed off to the Bethel Safe Church team to investigate, and findings are reported to Bethel’s senior leadership.
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What law was broken?
Yeah, I admire it too. It took guts to post that weirdly imaginary dialogue, pretending it actually happened even though it rings so false.
This was supposed to be a reply to Judith down below, who was responding to Chris Solberg’s fabulist dialogue with Kris Vallotton. I agree with Solberg that Vallotton is probably Bethel’s chief scumbag (minus Solberg’s “he da Debbil” gibberish), but that alleged verbal exchange with Vallotton was clearly pulled out of Solberg’s rectal orifice.
So far Bethel’s efforts to deal with this problem equate to: “Find out exactly what happened” and “Find out if anything else is happening.” I can’t help but notice there have been zero steps toward “Hold leadership (including elders like Julie Winter) accountable for letting this happen on their watch” or–and I know this is crazy–: “Prevent anything like this from ever happening again.”
It’s all very telling about how getting ahead of the story is more important to them than protecting innocent people.
WHO INVESTIGATES THE INVESTIGATORS? WHEN “INDEPENDENT” REVIEWS RISK BECOMING INSTITUTIONAL SHIELDS
When an institution under scrutiny selects its own investigator, the promise of independence immediately becomes suspect. That tension now sits at the center of the unfolding controversy involving Bethel Church and its decision to retain Sintra Group Investigations to examine serious abuse allegations against a senior leader. The move has been framed as a step toward accountability. But for many observers, it raises a more fundamental question: can an investigation truly be impartial when the entity under investigation controls the process, the scope, and—critically—the paycheck?
The concern sharpens when anonymity gives way to identifiable leadership. At Sintra Group, that leadership includes CHARLES HOOKSTRA, A SENIOR EXECUTIVE whose role places him at the operational center of the firm’s investigative work. Naming individuals is not about assigning blame—it is about clarifying accountability. When real people, not abstract entities, oversee sensitive investigations, the public has a clearer lens through which to evaluate potential conflicts of interest, professional incentives, and institutional relationships that may influence outcomes.
At the heart of the issue is structural bias, not necessarily overt misconduct. Firms like Sintra Group operate in a professional ecosystem where reputation, referrals, and repeat contracts are the lifeblood of business. When a client is a powerful, well-funded institution like Bethel, the economic incentives are impossible to ignore. Even without explicit pressure, investigators may face subtle but powerful signals about expectations: protect institutional stability, avoid explosive conclusions, and frame findings in ways that minimize liability. This is not an accusation of wrongdoing—it is an acknowledgment of how incentives shape outcomes in any contracted investigative environment.
The issue becomes even more complex when considering professional networks and backgrounds. Sintra Group has been described as relying heavily on former law enforcement personnel—individuals trained in hierarchical systems where institutional loyalty and chain-of-command culture are deeply ingrained. That background can bring valuable expertise, but it can also introduce a predisposition toward preserving organizational integrity over exposing systemic failure. When investigators and institutions share overlapping professional cultures—or even informal relationships—the risk of unconscious alignment increases.
Religious affiliation adds yet another layer of potential bias. Bethel Church is not just any organization; it is a globally influential religious institution with a strong internal culture and devoted following. If any investigators—past or present—have ideological sympathy with the institution’s mission or community, even indirectly, that affinity could shape how credibility is assessed, how testimony is weighed, and how conclusions are ultimately framed. Again, the concern is not provable bias, but the absence of safeguards against it. Independence is not just about who conducts the investigation—it is about whether they are meaningfully insulated from the subject of that investigation.
Transparency, or the lack thereof, only deepens these concerns. Bethel has provided limited public explanation regarding how Sintra Group was selected, what criteria were used, whether alternative firms were considered, or how conflicts of interest are being mitigated. Without that information, the public is left to speculate—and speculation thrives in the absence of clarity. In high-stakes allegations involving abuse and institutional responsibility, opacity is not neutral; it actively erodes trust. Accountability requires not just an investigation, but a visibly credible one.
Ultimately, the question is not whether Sintra Group—or figures like Hookstra—will act in good faith. The question is whether the structure of this investigation makes unbiased outcomes realistically achievable—or merely performative. True independence often requires external appointment, transparent oversight, and clearly defined boundaries that the commissioning institution cannot influence. Without those elements, even the most well-intentioned investigation risks being viewed as an exercise in damage control. And so the question lingers, unresolved and uncomfortable: when institutions investigate themselves through hired intermediaries, who—if anyone—is investigating the investigators?
Hey BETHEL. Want the s*x scandals to stop? Rebuke the jezebel spirit that lurks in your church. Take the women off stage with tight clothing exposing their most sexual parts and magnifying themselves instead of our Lord. Making jokes about how long it took the women vs how long it took the man to make a baby? All over your congregation are ex corn addicts and you let that on your stage??? Why distract these new believers in the Lord from the main mission? Take the men off wearing tight pants and dressing to show off. Keep it holy. Your culture trickles down from the staff and those on stage.
Holy Rollers! Nothin’ worse than ex-corn addicts and lurking spirits! Everyone go home, lock your windows and doors and ladies, for “Mama’s sake, keep your “most sexual parts” under wraps!!
Which means they condone sexual assault and will do everything they can to cover it up and get him off the hook. That sounds an awful lot like evil to me.
Bethel maintains an international congregation. People from all over the globe leave their homes and sometimes their families in order to attend the School of Ministry. Some have sold their homes, quit their jobs and liquidated the majority of their assets to be blessed to attend the school. They are extremely vulnerable at that point.
Bethel has the ability to provide scholarships, internships as well as providing access to housing, jobs and support using their community congregation members. By doing this the individual becomes a dependent of Bethel. Their survival and existence is provided by the good will provided by Bethel and its members. When problems occur who do they turn to? Would it be their Bethel affiliated landlords, their Bethel affiliated employer, their Bethel affiliated trusted friends, their Bethel mentors/teachers, their Bethel counselors or their Bethel Elders?
It would not matter if someone is under 18 or over 18 in this type of scenario to become a victim of isolation, direct retaliation, indirect retaliation as well as a complete destabilization of their daily ability to sustain housing, food, shelter and social connections. The setting is ripe for abuse in many forms. Yes, abuse will occur in any organization & the larger the institution or the more others become dependent on an institution- the more opportunities for bad actors within the organization occur.
Because of the influence and dependency members have to Bethel- Bethel has the legal as well as the moral obligation to be transparent, unbiased and to investigate each and every claim made. If Bethel administrators, teachers, preachers, elders or mentors are placed in a role of providing a transparent & unbiased investigation they are playing with fire. Bethel MUST take accountability and responsibility for persons they themselves place in direct contact with students and congregation members. Bethel MUST have a zero tolerance for intimidation and retaliation during investigations. Bethel must have a zero tolerance for any abuse – including financial, spiritual, sexual, housing and employment. I would even argue they have a greater responsibility to ensure the safety of someone who has initiated a complaint by ensuring anything that they or their congregation provide to a complainant is not adversely affected (at worst) or is covered by Bethel in a non-Bethel associated manner or provider (at best).
Sounds like a cult…….leaving one’s home, quitting their jobs , liquidating their money (probably to Bethel) abandoning everything to come to the school of blah blah ministry or whatever. What is the definition of a cult?
LOL. We’ve already seen that Bethel’s priority is protecting its leaders and keeping the cash cow healthy. Responsibilities to those filing the complaints isn’t even on the list. From the beginning, Bethel has framed this as an opportunity for Armstrong to exhibit repentance and reclaim his position of leadership influence. Justice for the anccuser isn’t on their radar—the well-being of the abused woman is an afterthought.
No surprises here. Bury it, ignore, assign it to some obscure, bogus panel… sounds like the blue print all corporations use to cover ups sexual assault by their executives and VIPs– from the Catholic Church, to Epstein to Cesar Chavez. Gotta keep the money train rolling. Repulsive but not mysterious. I hope someone downloaded the cringey Danny Silk video humiliating Armstrong’s wife before it got yanked. All you need to know with how Bethel views women.
Finally a few lawsuits by fed-up parents and students will unravel BSSM to end the way to garner huge amounts of money. Don’t they get it, their alledged healing tricks aren’t working. What would god/Jesus do ? he’d send a bolt of lightning to disable Kris Valloton’s, fancy new car as the first warning. Next, Bethel’s entire group of elders and church council members should immediately resign and start anew. Give Vallotton & Johnson their marching papers. Th DAs office or RPD could do this investigation a lot cheaper then the investigative company.
You are describing a cult. The dictionary describes a cult as “a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or etremist, with members often living outside of conentional society uder the direction of charismatic leadership”. The Bathesda cult is blindly being followed by thousands in the Redding community. So sad.
I find it hilarious when Christians start calling each other out on theological issues, labeling the beliefs of others as false, unorthodox, heretical, evil, and even Satanic. To an outsider, it’s all pots and kettles accusing each other of being black. The foundational belief among almost all Christians is that babies are born evil and only a sacrificial goat in God-human form can vicariously redeem us. But we must repent and acknowledge that sacrifice or go to Hell. Under this theology, a serial rapist-murderer of children can sincerely convert to Christianity, say he’s sorry, enjoy his last meal, and then get sent to Heaven by the State via lethal injection. But the most virtuous Buddhist on the planet who spends her life establishing and supporting orphanages, hears the story of redemption through an itinerant apocalyptic Jewish rabbi’s torture and murder at the hands of the Romans and finds it equally horrific and absurd, is doomed to Hell.
Yeah, Bethel is a cult. But mainstream Christian churches have spent centuries inflicting ungodly misery on people. The Catholic Church gets to enjoy ongoing status as one of the legitimate sects of Christianity despite centuries of child sex abuse and systematic cover-ups. The religious wars of Protestants vs. Catholics, Christians vs. Muslims, and Christians vs. indigenous people have killed millions. Not to mention the collusion of the German churches with the NAZIs, the collusion of the Russian Orthodox church with Putin, and the collusion of the America’s Protestant Evangelical churches with authoritarian Trump. All in the name of the “Prince of Peace.”
The story of the execution of 16-year-old Lady Jane Gray owing to Protestant/Catholic strife was a new-to-me story of Christian brutality and horror. Worth a read in that it’s a prime example of how the whole scam is all about consolidation of power and wealth, with Sermon on the Mount treated as nothing more than weak loser bullshit to be ignored.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Jane_Grey
They house people in large houses with many rooms and they split the rent. Most of the time it is for people coming from overseas and when they are done with whatever it is they are doing with Bethel, they move on and the main renter is responsible for the rent until another national is brought in.
Bethel investigating Bethel?? We’ll see how that goes.
Bethel should not be the organization choosing (and paying for) the “investigation”. This should be done by law enforcement. But I suppose most of the Redding police department is in the pocket of Bethel. Its a mess – its a cult – and it is evil. Additionally it is a mega million dollar business. Main line Christianity is nothing like this. Main line Christianity is more like Jesus – loving and non judgmental – welcoming everyone including immigrants, LGBTQ+, Trans, and queer without judgment or trying to “change” or “cure”. This whole Bethel thing makes me sick.
“main line Christianity”…Freudian slip?
I think we can be fairly certain that the vetting process that selected Sintra involved ensuring that the interests of Bethel’s prophets, secondary leadership, and the church itself (in that order) will be protected regardless of how that shakes out for the victims of Armstrong’s admitted sexual misconduct.
.
The agenda will be to prescribe a few cosmetic easy fixes while preserving the status quo—the paternalistic, authoritarian, money-grubbing power structure of the church—as it nearly always is in all of Christendom, even when it involves sexual abuse of young subordinates (often children).
Very early on in my Christian walk I made the huge mistake of getting in line and having their members lay hands on me and try to “Slay me in the spirt” The first fellow tried and said it was not working because I have not “repented of my sins” He tried again and after failing he said “Why dont you just fall down anyway as an act of faith.” so he goes and gets Kris Vallotton, who lays hands on me and concludes im not being “slayed” because im into Witchcraft. I said there are two entities, one that promises to wash my sins and keep them far away as is “As far as the east is from the west.” The other the Devil. I asked the false prophet Vallotton , Which entity are you Prophesying with?
Cool story, bro.
I admire your courageous response.