Documentation

It has been said that more than thirty elders from the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) have contributed more than ten thousand hours on this matter. Comprehensive details of the situation are likely not available to the public but included below are documents that are public relative to this situation.

Committees and Commissions
July 2020-March 2021: Advisory Committee
December 2020-October 2022: Immanuel Judicial Commission
March 2021-June 2021: Shepherding Committee
June 2021: Synod Judicial Committee
July 2021-June 2022: Synod Judicial Commission
March 2022-October 2022: GLG Slander Committee
June 2022-June 2023: Olivetti Repentance Commission and Reconciliation Commission
October 2022-June 2023: IRPC Resolution Committee

Advisory Committee
The Advisory Committee was authorized by the GLG Ad Interim Commission (AIC) on July 26, 2020. Serving as the AIC at that time was the Immanuel session and one other elder from another congregation. The AIC authorized the session to appoint the men they wanted and to prescribe the work of the committee.

Read the report of the Advisory Committee here.

Immanuel Judicial Commission (IJC)
The IJC was appointed on December 29, 2020 by the GLG AIC. This was in response to a petition filed by members of IRPC on December 4, 2020. Several members of this commission were chosen because of their particular expertise and included a former law enforcement officer and trained investigator, an attorney with DCS in the state of Indiana, and a biblical counselor. The AIC assigned the following job description to the IJC,

…to investigate the degree of problems of child abuse at Immanuel RP Church, determine what counseling and any help that any perpetrators and victims, along with their families, and the Session and congregation might need and whether parties involved are cooperating with civil authorities (since the Department of Child Services and the Tippecanoe County Sheriff have been involved). They are also to give recommendations to Presbytery in the following areas: 1. Legal, 2. Ecclesiastical, and 3. Pastoral. In addition, we call upon the churches and members of the Presbytery who are becoming aware of this situation to practice grace, mercy, and patience. We would give assurance that much ministry has already taken place and the establishing of a Judicial Commission is for the purpose of ensuring good and just ministry in the future.

The IJC reported to GLG at the spring meeting, March 4-6, 2021. The report is a public document of the court of the Great Lakes Gulf Presbytery.

Read the report of the Immanuel Judicial Commission here.

Read the minutes of the Immanuel Judicial Commission here.

GLG Special Prosecution
On March 6, 2021 the GLG appointed special prosecutors to bring charges against the remaining elders. These charges were written and submitted, but they were not acted on because Pastor James Faris and others filed a complaint with Synod and asked for a stay on any official action with the charges.

Read the special prosecution’s charge against Jared Olivetti here.

Read the special prosecution’s charge against David Carr here.

Read the special prosecution’s charge against Ben Larson here.

Read the special prosecution’s charge against Keith Magill here.

Read the special prosecution’s charge against Nate Pfeiffer here.

Shepherding Committee
The Shepherding Committee was appointed on March 6, 2021 by the GLG Presbytery after sustained recommendations to bring charges against Pastor Olivetti, and elders David Carr, Ben Larson, Keith Magill, and Nate Pfeiffer. The recommendation for this committee was as follows,

That the AIC, in consultation with the victims, appoint a three-man shepherding committee to help the existing local IRPC elders follow through with steps of repentance as laid out on p. 22 of the report.

The steps of repentance laid out by the GLG Presbytery were:

In writing before the Presbytery, each man of IRPC session will: a) confess his particular sins, b) acknowledge the harm done by those sins, and c) affirm by list the righteous actions of the victims.
Each man will resign from his charge, acknowledging the gravity of the sin committed and harm caused.
In cooperation with this Commission, the repentant will come up with a plan of restitution for the victims.
Each man will write letters to the victims confessing their sin and acknowledging the power and call of Christ in the Gospel.
As this commission oversees the future education and welfare of the church in proactive CPP and handling abuse cases, each repentant man will take part in this process of study and presentation to his capacity and ability.

The final makeup of the Shepherding Committee included Pastors Bill Roberts and Wade Mann, and elder John Hanson. These men also served as provisional elders to the congregation. The Shepherding Committee did not implement these steps of repentance but recognized past acknowledgements of sin and/or mistakes, and recommended that GLG admonish the elders of IRPC. By the time the Shepherding Committee reported to the Presbytery, Synod had assumed jurisdiction and, therefore, their recommendation was not acted on and the first two recommendations were struck from the report.

Read the report of the Shepherding Committee here.

Synod 2021 Complaints
In the RPCNA a complaint can be filed against the actions of a court. The Book of Discipline says, “A complaint is a written statement made to a higher court by one or more persons aggrieved by an action of a lower court” (page E-15). Three complaints came to the 2021 Synod from the GLG Presbytery’s decisions regarding the IJC’s recommendations from the March 4-6, 2021 meeting.

A complaint came from Pastors James Faris, David Hanson, Joel Hart, and Rich Holdeman. That complaint can be read here.
A complaint came from numerous members of the IRPC congregation. That complaint can be read here.
A complaint came from Adam and Kimiko Soldati. As stated in the Minutes of Synod 2021 this complaint “is available from the clerk” (page 297). It can be read here.

Synod Judicial Committee
The Business of Synod Committee of 2021 recommended that the complaints related to the IJC be referred “to a five-man judicial committee of the day” in order to address the communications bringing counsel back to the Synod (see Minutes of Synod 2021, page 19).

In their report the Synod Judicial Committee commended the work and investigation of the IJC. Due to the concerns expressed in the complaints they recommended that the special prosecutors, appointed by GLG in March 2021, be removed and replaced. Because of their recommendation a delegate of Synod volunteered to serve as prosecutor, but the substitute motion was nullified with a final recommendation of the committee. The final form of their recommendation was that the Synod Moderator appoint a 7-man judicial commission to “address this matter.”

Read the report of the Synod Judicial Committee here.

Synod Judicial Commission (SJC)
The 2021 Moderator of Synod appointed a 7-man judicial commission to “address this matter.” The investigation committee appointed by the commission concluded that charges of sin needed to be brought against the leadership of IRPC. The investigative committee became ecclesiastical prosecutors and the SJC functionally served as a jury in the trial of the Synod of the RPCNA vs Mr. Jared Olivetti. The charges brought against the other elders of IRPC were adjudicated without a trial as a result of a mediated agreement.

The Synod Judicial Commission dealt with the charges against David Carr, Ben Larson, and Keith Magill by means of a mediated agreement. That mediated agreement can be read here.
The Synod Judicial Commission wrote a report for the 2022 Synod highlighting the important aspects of their work. That report may be read here.
The Synod Judicial Commission compiled comprehensive minutes from their work. The Synod of 2022 acted on the following recommendation, “…that Synod adopt the minutes of the SJC but not spread them on Synod’s minutes” (Minutes of Synod 2022, page 168). These minutes were adopted by the court and are public. The minutes may be read here.
The Synod Judicial Commission also provided written responses to the complaints filed with the Synod against their work. One response was written to J. Olivetti’s complaint and can be read here. Another response was written to the other five complaints and can be read here.
The Synod Judicial Commission also provided an oral report to the Synod. The content of that report can be read here.

Other communications from the SJC

On March 2, 2022 the SJC sent a denominational-wide letter. This letter can be read here.
On March 6, 2022 the SJC sent to the Lafayette Reformed Presbyterian Church and IRPC an announcement to be read, and included the terms and responsibilities for live-stream attenders of the Olivetti trial. This communication can be read here.

Synod 2022 Complaints
No complaints were filed against the SJC’s final actions regarding elders David Carr, Ben Larson, or Keith Magill who pled guilty to the substance of the charges. Five complaints were filed with the Synod against the SJC’s holding of J. Olivetti’s trial and/or results of that trial.

A complaint was received from Mr. Jared Olivetti naming two points of complaint. The first point had to do with the convening of the trial. This point was not sustained by a vote of 109 to 14. James Faris, Zach Smith, Josh Karshen, Matt Wilburn, Ken de Jong, Sean Bird, David Pulliam, and Dale Koons registered their dissent. The second point had to do with holding the trial publicly via livestreaming. This point was not sustained by a vote of 117 to 9. David Hanson and Josh Karshen registered their dissent. This complaint can be read here.
A complaint was received from Pastor James Faris (signed by a number of petitioners). The complaint was not sustained by a vote of 120 to 13. William Roberts, James Faris, David Hanson, Matt Wilburn, and Zach Smith registered their dissent. This complaint can be read here.
A complaint was received from the Bloomington Session. This complaint was not sustained by a vote of 114 to 16. William Roberts registered his dissent. This complaint can be read here.
A complaint was received from Christina Riepe. The complaint was not sustained by a vote of 125 to 1. This complaint can be read here.
A complaint was received from Dan Dillon. This complaint asked Synod to overturn J. Olivetti’s suspension from the privileges of membership. The complaint was not sustained by a vote of 89 to 40. Renwick Adams, Kenneth de Jong, David Hanson, Josh Karshen, Dale Koons, Garrett Mann, Philip McCollum, Timothy McCracken, James Odom, David Pulliam, Russ Pulliam, Stephen Rhoda, William Roberts, Ed Schisler, Zach Smith, and Matt Wilburn dissented. This complaint can be read here.

All but three of the dissidents are from the GLG Presbytery from whom Synod removed jurisdiction of the situation in 2021.

GLG Presbytery

The IRPC Session served as the GLG AIC from early-2020 until September 11, 2020. The AIC minutes from that time can be read here.
On September 11, 2020 the GLG passed a special resolution to remove the IRPC session from the AIC. The minutes of that meeting can be read here.
In March 2021 the GLG Presbytery heard the IJC report, and voted to appoint special prosecutors as a result. The minutes of that meeting can be read here.
On March 11 and 18, 2021 the GLG AIC met and made provision for the IRPC congregation of provisional elders. The minutes of those meetings can be read here and here.
On April 1, 2021 the GLG AIC received notice of a motion the IRPC congregation passed in a meeting asking for a delay in the filing of charges. The minutes of that meeting can be read here.
On May 6, 2021 the GLG AIC met to take action on the Faris, Holdeman, Hanson, and Hart complaint and other actions relative to the judicial process in the Presbytery. The minutes of that meeting can be read here.
On June 12, 2021 the GLG Presbytery met. The minutes of that meeting can be read here.
On November 5-6, 2021 the GLG met for their fall meeting. The minutes of that meeting can be read here.
On February 3, 2022 the GLG AIC accepted the resignation of Pastor Olivetti. Those minutes can be read here.
In February 2022 the IRPC session submitted their Presbytery report. This report alleges “attacks on the congregation,” suspicions about media informing, and blasting the SJC for not dealing with these things. This report can be read here.
On February 23, 2022 the IRPC session sent an addendum to the GLG Presbytery for their upcoming report. This addendum was a communication sent to people at IRPC from the Indianapolis Star. The addendum can be read here.
In March 2022 the Bloomington session preemptively petitioned the GLG to appeal to Synod to scrutinize the work of the SJC. Their initial petition can be read here. This petition contained factually untrue statements about individuals and required that Bloomington session to issue a correction. The correction can be read here.
In March 2022 the GLG Presbytery’s Business Committee Report responded to a communication from the Bloomington Session, recommending to the GLG how to deal with that communication. This report can be read here.
In March 2022 the GLG Presbytery appointed a committee to investigate slander against IRPC. That committee reported in May 2022 and the report can be read here.
In March 2022, Pastor James Faris brought a recommendation to divide the GLG along ideological lines. This report can be read here.
On August 28, 2022, Pastor James Faris announced to his congregation that he did not think he could keep his vows in good conscience any longer due to the decisions of GLG and the RPCNA. That announcement can be heard here. On December 3, 2022, Pastor James Faris requested of the GLG AIC to have his credentials transferred to Zionsville Fellowship, stating that he needed to leave immediately because he could no longer be under the jurisdiction of the RPCNA. That request can be read here.
In October 2022, Jordan Kessler sent a communication to the GLG Presbytery about his concerns. This communication can be read here.
In October 2022, David Shaefer filed a complaint with GLG against the September 30th decision of the congregation to leave to the RPCNA. This complaint can be read here.
In October 2022 the IRPC Session reported to the GLG Presbytery. This report can be read here.
On October 7-8, 2022 the GLG Presbytery met. Their final minutes can be read here.
On January 11, 2023 Pastor James Faris sent an email out to a list of people. This email can be read here.
On March 2-4th the GLG Presbytery met. Their final minutes can be read here.
In June 2023, J. Faris sent a letter to a group of people denouncing the RPCNA for losing the gospel. That can be read here.
On June 20, 2023 the GLG Presbytery met. Their final minutes can be read here.

Immanuel Reformed Presbyterian Church (IRPC)

On January 26, 2017 Pastor Olivetti preached a sermon “Understanding Abuse.” That sermon can be heard here. On December 6, 2017, Pastor Olivetti wrote a blog post on Gentle Reformation based o this message “Dealing With Sexual Abuse as a Church.” That article can be read here. J. Olivetti has since been removed as an author at Gentle Reformation and all his previous posts have been removed.
In March 2020, a month before the entire IRPC session learned of serious sexual abuse, the session adopted a Child Protection Policy. That policy can be read here.
On June 23, 2020 IRPC re-incorporated. Their certificate can be read here.
On September 6, 2020 the IRPC session first disclosed to the congregation their knowledge of sexual abuse. This letter contained a number of misleading and factually incorrect statements including reporting to authorities. That letter can be read here.
On October 18, 2020 the IRPC session sent a second letter to the congregation about the sexual abuse situation. Again, this letter contained factually incorrect and/or misleading information. That letter can be read here.
On November 8, 2020 Pastor Olivetti issued a warning against spiritual authorities who might use their authority to harm and abuse. That can be heard here.
On December 19, 2020 concerned members of IRPC sent a letter of disclosure to the congregation. That letter can be read here.
On January 5, 2021, Pastor Olivetti preached a sermon on why self-incrimination is contrary to the Bible. This was preached in the context of a rapidly changing dynamic that began in mid-December 2020. That sermon can be heard here.
On November 27, 2021 a letter was sent to the IRPC congregation from the leadership’s defense counsel. That letter can be read here.
On December 6, 2021 the Indianapolis Star covered a story on IRPC. That story can be read here.
On February 17, 2022 anonymous sheep from IRPC sent a letter to every elder in the RPCNA alleging perceived offenses and hurt. This letter can be read here.
Beginning August 2022, IRPC posted their church newsletter online. Those can be read here.
On September 30, 2022, IRPC held a family meeting. The minutes of that meeting can be read here.
On November 27, 2022 and December 4, 2022, Pastor Daniel Perrin (IRPC’s interim pastor) preached messages about IRPC’s rejection of the authority of the RPCNA.
On December 9, 2022 a civil tort was filed against J. Olivetti, IRPC, and the Trustees of Synod. The complaint can be read here.
On December 11, 2022, Pastor Daniel Perrin preached a message justifying their decision about J. Olivetti and the Lord’s Supper here.
On January 21, 2023, IRPC held a day of prayer of fasting. The prayer guide can be read here.
On January 29, 2023, Pastor Daniel Perrin preached about his experience in having people try to dethrone him and warns people who think they know better and try to overthrow leadership. That can be heard here.
On June 18, 2023, S. Carr, J. Karshen, and M. Wilburn sent a disaffiliation letter to the Great Lakes Gulf Presbytery. That can be read here.
In July 2023 the former IRPC congregation (now Redeeming Grace Church) launched a website (www.rgclafayette.com) and posted “A Special Statement on Our Recent History.” That can be read here.

Synod 2023 Documentation

A complaint was filed by Pastor Adam Kuehner against the GLG for their response to the IRPC session in giving J Olivetti the Lord’s Supper. That complaint can be read here.
The Olivetti Repentance Commission report can be read here and minutes here.
The Reconciliation Commission report can be read here.
D. Carr, B. Larson, and K. Magill sent a letter to the Reconciliation Commission withdrawing from the work. That can be read here.
The Special Committee re: IRPC and the SJC report can be read here.

Court Records

You can search non-confidential cases in Indiana at www.mycase.IN.gov.

On May 11, 2021 a Verified Petition Alleging Delinquency was filed against the offender. That petition can be read here.
On December 9, 2022 a complaint for damages and demand for jury trial was filed against the Olivettis, IRPC, and the Trustees of the Synod of the RPCNA. That complaint can be read here.
On December 9, 2022 Jared Olivetti, Lisa Olivetti, IRPC, and the Trustees of the Synod of the RPCNA were summoned.
On January 5, 2023 an Amended Complaint for Declaratory Judgment was filed in the United States District Court Northern District Indiana regarding homeowner insurance’s liability. That can be read here.
On February 6, 2023 the Jared and Lisa Olivetti responded to the five counts in the civil tort. That response can be read here.

News Reports

On January 3, 2019, Pastor James Faris wrote an article for Gentle Reformation, “Why Pray for the Media?” He said, “Stop. Think about what God did. Two people who were not seeking the limelight spoke an oft-derided message through the media to the applause of almost everyone. You can’t scheme these things. This is the work of the Holy Spirit.” That article can be read here.
On December 6, 2021 the Indianapolis Star covered a story on IRPC. That story can be read here.
The Indianapolis Star published five things to know about IRPC sex scandal. That summary can be read here.
On January 11, 2022 USA Today reported that Mr. Olivetti was put on leave. That story can be read here.
On March 12, 2022 the Indianapolis Star reported that Mr. Olivetti lost his ordination. That story can be read here.
On January 11, 2023 the Indianapolis Star reported that Jared and Lisa Olivetti, IRPC, and the Trustees of Synod were being sued. That story can be read here.
On July 28, 2023 the Journal & Courier reported on IRPC’s name change to Redeeming Grace. That story can be read here.

Other News and/or Blog reports (there are obvious inaccuracies in some of these)

On March 14, 2022 The Christian Post covered a story here.
On March 15, 2022 Church Leaders covered a story here. This article mistakenly says Mr. Olivetti was defrocked by the Presbytery, and that the Synod is subject to the General Assembly. Synod deposed Mr. Olivetti, and the RPCNA does not have a General Assembly.
Ministry Watch covered a couple of stories here. One of the articles speaks of a “leave of absence.” The SJC, according to the Book of Discipline, directed Mr. Olivetti to refrain from the exercise of office.
Ministry Watch covered the December 2022 lawsuit here.
The Roys Report covered a story “Victim: Elder Named in Church Probe Has History of Abuse Cover-Up.” See also, “When Restoration Hurts” by Rebecca Randall and Kimi Harris, Christianity Today (Nov 22, 2019)

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