Megachurch pastor arrested in sexual assault investigation

A pastor at one of Canada’s largest megachurches has been arrested and charged with sexual assault by Hamilton police after an external investigation concluded he allegedly abused his power and sexually harassed a parishioner.

Bruxy Cavey, a teaching pastor at The Meeting House in Oakville, had confirmed his resignation in a Mar. 8 blog post acknowledging the investigation, saying: “at the core of these allegations there is truth.”

According to a press release from the Hamilton Police Service, Cavey will appear in court on June 27.

Cavey, who is in his late 50s, was placed on leave at the end of last year as the church board investigated an allegation of sexual misconduct.

A third-party investigator “found that what became a sexual relationship between Bruxy and the victim, which lasted over an extended period of time, constituted an abuse of Bruxy’s power and authority as a member of the clergy and amounted to sexual harassment,” said Maggie John, executive chair of the church’s board, in a virtual town hall in March.

Cavey resigned at the board’s request on March 3, John said. The pastor’s credentials with the Be In Christ Church of Canada were also removed. The group, with which The Meeting House is affiliated, is a Christian denomination born from the Anabaptist movement. In a statement, Be In Christ Church of Canada said it supported the church’s decision to seek Cavey’s resignation.

John said Cavey cooperated with the investigation.

The Star attempted to contact Cavey with questions about the allegations by voicemail and via his website and social media accounts, but did not receive a response.

In his blog post, Cavey said he “confessed” when church leadership first spoke to him about “allegations,” but could not address them publicly until the board shared the findings.

In the post, Cavey describes his actions as an “extramarital affair” that took place some years ago, referring to it as “my greatest failure, my darkest sin” and saying he takes full responsibility for his actions.

“I was also irresponsible in my role as a spiritual leader and Christian clergy, which involves dynamics of power and influence and an expectation of exemplary conduct that makes me doubly accountable. I accept this responsibility, with deep regret for my actions.”

Danielle Strickland, a teaching pastor at the church, had also resigned earlier this year “in solidarity with the victim.” In a Facebook post, she said “the victim in this situation has been silenced through this process and devastated by the outcome.”

In an Instagram Live event in March, Strickland read a statement she attributed to the alleged victim. According to that statement, the relationship began when the woman was 23 and Cavey was 46. “I was in crisis and trusted him … This for me was not an extramarital relationship or affair. It was a devastating twisting of pastoral care into sexual abuse,” it said.

In the March town hall, John denied that the woman had been silenced: “It took incredible bravery and courage for the victim to come forward to share her story and we are grateful that her actions have brought the truth to light … There is no tolerance for abuse of power or position of authority or sexual misconduct of our pastoral leaders.”

In an email, Halton police told the Star they are not currently investigating the case.

According to his website, Cavey is a published author and lives in Hamilton.

According to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, The Meeting House is the third-largest church in Canada and has a consistent weekly attendance of more than 5,000 people.

The Hamilton Police Service said in a statement that they believe Cavey may have had more victims. Anyone with more information is encouraged to contact HPS by contacting the Sexual Assault Unit non-emergency line at 905-540-5553 or by filing a report online at hamiltonpolice.on.ca.

With files from Joshua Chong and Maria Iqbal.

Correction — June 7, 2022: This article was edited to correct that some events happened in March, not last week.