Ravi Zacharias’s Denomination Revokes Ordination

Author - Umn ministry

February 19, 2021

The Christian and Missionary Alliance finds “pattern of predatory behavior” but defends handling of previous accusation.

Ravi Zacharias was best known for the apologetics ministry that bears his name, but he spent his 46-year career licensed as a national evangelist with the Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA). The denomination has now revoked the ordination of its highest-profile minister after its own limited investigation confirmed a “pattern of predatory behavior.”

Zacharias is believed to be the only person in the CMA’s 134-year history to be posthumously expelled from ministry.

The decision was announced to all CMA ministers in a February 12 email from vice president Terry Smith, sent the day after Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM)—which is not affiliated with the denomination or any CMA church—released the findings of itsa independent investigation.

The CMA did its own investigation, but the results are not being made public. Two investigators hired by the CMA spoke to 15 to 20 people, but that total includes massage therapists who declined to be interviewed and the CT news editor. However, the limited findings corroborated RZIM’s report, Smith said.

In a public statement, the CMA acknowledged “with great sorrow” that Zacharias “engaged in a pattern of sinful behavior that has caused enormous pain to many and undermined the witness of Christ’s Church.” The CMA also announced that itinerant ministers will now report to a district office rather than be licensed nationally, a move intended to offer more accountability.

Because Zacharias maintained his license as an Alliance worker and was considered a minister in good standing from 1974 until his death in 2020, the recent revelations around his abuse raise questions—particularly among victims and advocates—over ...