Dr. Kara Powell announced yesterday (April 23) that she has withdrawn herself as a speaker at this year’s Orange Conference following new allegations that Reggie Joiner committed sexual abuse.
Joiner founded Orange in 2006, but the 64-year-old made headlines on April 17, 2024, after he “voluntarily resigned” for admitting to “past inappropriate adult relationships.” One of those relationships was with then-CEO Kristen Ivy, who also resigned. Shortly thereafter, Ivy claimed that she was a victim of “clergy sexual abuse.”
Orange provides Christian curriculum and conferences and is now part of the Amazing Life Foundation. Their 2025 conference starts on April 29 and goes through May 1 in Atlanta.
On Thursday, April 10, Christian podcaster, author, and speaker Danielle Strickland published the statement of a survivor who is claiming she was groomed and sexually abused by Joiner.
Powell, who recently co-authored a book with Jake Mulder and Raymond Chang titled “Future-Focused Church: Leading through Change, Engaging the Next Generation, and Building a More Diverse Tomorrow,” is the executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute, the chief of Leadership Formation at Fuller Theological Seminary, and the founder of the TENx10 Collaboration.
“It is with deep sadness, grief, and concern that I’ve decided to withdraw from speaking at this year’s Orange Conference,” Powell shared on social media, “a conference l’ve spoken at for over a decade.”
Powell told her social media followers that her decision to withdraw herself from the conference wasn’t an “easy” one and described it as being a “complex and painful decision” that required both prayer and wise counsel from her friends and respected leaders.
“I believe the stories of those who have come forward to report clergy sexual abuse. And I believe their stories require each of us as leaders to consider how we will respond in this moment,” Powell explained. She then shared that although she was “close to Reggie Joiner and Kristen Ivy,” she had “absolutely no idea of the clergy sexual abuse” that took place.
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