Former members also say complaints were mishandled and are seeking apology from Methodist church. The Methodist church in Birmingham has been accused of “silencing and cutting off” members of an LGBTQ+ congregation after the arrest of a member on suspicion of sexual assault.
A man was arrested in November after a number of former members of the congregation at Inclusive Gathering Birmingham (IGB) alleged they were subjected to inappropriate touching, groping and harassment during church services and social gatherings. They say their repeated complaints about the individual, who held a senior role within IGB, were not always dealt with correctly.
Birmingham Methodist church denied the allegations and said: “Complainants’ concerns were taken seriously and investigated thoroughly by district safeguarding officers from January 2024, who took appropriate action to safeguard the church community at each stage in response to the information they were provided at the time.”.
IGB, which was set up in 2017, describes itself as “a diverse, justice-seeking, LGBTQIA+ affirming church” based in Birmingham’s Gay Village, and is part of the Birmingham Methodist district. Matthew Lloyd, an advocate for the alleged victims and a former member of the congregation, claimed that IGB initially told complainants that their allegations were considered a “misunderstanding”.
