Statement Regarding Founding Pastor Seth Sung Kim
History of Seth S. Kim’s involvement with HMCC
- Seth Kim was the founding and lead pastor of HMCC of Ann Arbor from 1996 through 2015, apart from a brief hiatus for a church plant in Indonesia from 2009-2010
- Seth led a church plant team to start HMCC of Hong Kong in 2015, and was the lead pastor there until January 2026
- In 2024, all of the HMCC churches agreed to part ways organizationally. HMCC of Austin and HMCC of Hong Kong remained associated together, while the rest became independent.
This statement is written on behalf of HMCC of Ann Arbor and the anonymous victims referenced below.
Dear HMCC members, alumni, and friends,
We are publishing this statement to bring the misconduct of our former pastor, Seth S. Kim, into the light. On December 30, 2025, HMCC of Ann Arbor received a letter from a law firm representing an individual who accused Seth of adult clergy sexual misconduct. We will refer to this individual as Survivor A. Specifically, the letter detailed how Seth used his position of spiritual authority to groom and manipulate Survivor A, arranging private meetings under the guise of discipleship to initiate unwanted sexual contact in Asia over a long period of time. As her pastor and spiritual leader, Seth held a position of significant authority and trust. This was not merely a moral failure, but a grave misuse of entrusted spiritual authority and a breach of ministerial ethics.
Although HMCC of Ann Arbor had previously disassociated with Seth, we believed it was our responsibility to act on this information and notify those in positions to immediately protect others. We therefore contacted the pastor of HMCC of Austin to inform him of the accusations, and asked him to have Seth step down from his role as pastor of HMCC of Hong Kong, which he did in early January 2026. We have also confirmed that Seth has resigned from roles of ministry leadership that he held with several other organizations.
In the following weeks and months, we carefully followed up on the information we received, sought legal counsel, and went through a formal mediation. During this process, our desire was to honor God, protect the victim’s identity, hold Seth accountable for his actions, and work toward an appropriate public response. At mediation, we agreed to collaborate on this public statement to ensure that Seth would no longer be able to harm those under his leadership.
While Seth deliberately concealed his misconduct through secret communication, spiritual manipulation, isolation, and fear, we recognize that victims rightly expect churches to be places of safety and protection. Seth intentionally deceived those around him, but we grieve that our community was not able to uncover what was happening sooner.
HMCC of Ann Arbor and other HMCC churches had policies, accountability practices, and reporting pathways in place. However, we recognize that policies alone cannot prevent misconduct, and that we must continually build a culture that encourages transparency, makes it safe for people to raise concerns, and responds with compassion, diligence, and accountability when they do. We are committed to learning from these events, and evaluating and strengthening our accountability practices.
Survivor A will remain publicly anonymous but is known to us. In recent months, we received a letter from legal counsel representing a second victim. Survivor B described remarkably similar experiences of grooming, manipulation, and sexual misconduct taking place in Ann Arbor while Seth was serving as Lead Pastor. Survivor B has chosen to remain anonymous to us but we take her report seriously. On the basis of these two victims’ reports of misconduct occurring over many years, as well as supporting evidence we have seen, we believe these accusations against Seth are true.
Counselors and advocates for victims describe the power dynamics within clergy sexual misconduct as making genuine consent impossible. Both victims want to make clear that they did not initiate, and did not want, this behavior. We are grateful to these victims for the courage it took to come forward. Speaking the truth is an act of courage and integrity that helps protect others. We apologize to both victims for the mistreatment they suffered at Seth’s hands.
According to 1 Peter 5:1-5, 1 Timothy 3:1-7, 5:19-22, James 3:1, 1 Thessalonians 4:3–6, 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 and Titus 1:6-9, we believe that Seth has permanently disqualified himself from pastoral ministry. Because he used pastoral authority to exploit and manipulate someone under his spiritual care, he should not be entrusted with any position of Christian leadership, spiritual authority, or mentorship. To our knowledge at the present time, Seth has not cooperated with attempts to hold him accountable, and we therefore advise all Christians to apply the principles of Matthew 18:15-17 in any interactions with him.
For many of us who have been part of HMCC churches over the years, this is difficult news to hear and process. We recognize that misconduct by a pastor can profoundly damage a person’s faith, trust, relationships, and sense of safety, and that victims may experience renewed grief, anger, fear, or confusion when reading this statement. If this brings up painful experiences for you, pastoral support and referrals to professional counseling are available. You are welcome to contact any of the pastors and elders if you have questions, concerns, or simply need someone to listen and pray with you, or to help connect you with additional support.
We recognize that misconduct of this nature is rarely isolated. If anyone has experienced inappropriate conduct or has relevant information, we encourage you to contact the elders. We pray for healing for survivors and those affected by these events, and genuine repentance and restoration.
Resources on Clergy Sexual Misconduct
Many people may be unfamiliar with the dynamics of clergy sexual misconduct or its impact on survivors. We encourage anyone seeking to better understand these issues - or to support someone affected by them - to prayerfully engage with these and other resources.
Last updated on October 15, 2026