The Voice of Evangelism (VOE) Board expressed their support to Ministry Head Perry Stone amidst sexual misconduct allegations poured out against him by the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
The ministry board released its statement through Charisma News in response to an email sent by Wyatt Massey of the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Based on the statement, they received an email last March 29, notifying them that "someone had provided him with six hours of recordings of some of the leadership meetings that took place a couple of years ago."
For VOE, verifying the authenticity of said recordings would be impossible. They cited how advanced today's technology made it easy to deceive: "recordings can be altered and manipulated to say things that were never said. There is no doubt that the intention of his impending story is part of a coordinated smear campaign against [Stone]," VOE stated.
According to the group, "recording private meetings secretly shows that the person(s) has malicious intentions."
Numerous friends reached out with their concerns about Mr. Massey who contacted them saying, "I am the religion reporter with the Chattanooga Times Free Press. I have been speaking with former and current employees of Perry Stone/Voice of Evangelism to learn more about the ministry. Your name has come up in my previous conversations and I would like to get your perspective. Our conversation can be off the record, meaning no one would know we spoke and your name would not be included in anything I publish. Please let me know if you are interested and we can set up a time to talk."
The statement was released to continue the spirit of transparency and integrity. They recounted the events that happened two years ago which the Board previously admitted. "Perry had started to encounter serious health issues related to spiritual, emotional, and physical burnout," they said. The ministry leader suffered from depression which caused him to leave work for a while and live a new healthier lifestyle.
In their three-month investigation, the Ministry Leadership Team found out there were people involved who "wanted Perry permanently removed so they could be appointed by the Ministry Leadership Team as the new leaders." They said Stone was a victim of "defamatory and slanderous statements" circulating online.
There's no communication between the VOE Board and the Federal Bureau of Investigation or any investigative entity. According to them, findings have been consistent from the onset of the allegations in 2020. No one has passed a formal report to the board about any misconduct Stone got involved with.
"If contacted by any governmental agency we would cooperate fully," the VOE Board said.
The statement came after an article from the Chattanooga Times Free Press (CTFP) regarding alleged misconduct of Stone. Based on the report, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has been looking for Stone as per the request of District Attorney General Steve Crump. CTFP claimed that they obtained a recording that proved that the state's investigative agency holds a list of at least nine alleged victims.
"Crump confirmed by phone [that] he requested the investigation but said he would not provide further comment as the investigation is ongoing," CTFP wrote in the report.
Despite the allegations, VOE said that they will stand firm in their unwavering support for Stone and his wife, and the entire ministry team.
