Durham church inquiry plea

Christchurch Durham is facing mounting pressure to commission an independent review following serious allegations of abuse of power against the pastor, who left last December.

Tony Jones, senior pastor at the independent Anglican church until his resignation last year, has been accused of abuses of power and governance and presiding over a ‘culture of fear’.

Several whistle-blowers said the alleged abuses ‘bear a striking similarity’ to patterns of behaviour and governance highlighted in recent high-profile reports into abuse at Emmanuel Church Wimbledon and The Crowded House, Sheffield.