Greater Grace World Outreach, the East Baltimore-headquartered megachurch that was the subject of a Baltimore Banner investigative series, announced it has contracted with an evangelical nonprofit to perform an independent assessment of the church’s response to sexual abuse allegations.

The organization, Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment, or GRACE, is well-known in evangelical circles, and provided similar investigations to troubled congregations in Minnesota and Kentucky. The organization also investigated the mishandling of sexual abuse allegations at South Carolina’s Bob Jones University, an institution synonymous with fundamentalist Christianity.

The nonprofit will examine the church’s “knowledge of and response to sexual misconduct allegations,” including those taking place years ago or in other countries, according to a statement on the church’s website. GRACE will also analyze how the church’s culture impacts the response to sexual abuse as well as “relevant policies and practices.”

Greater Grace said the organization’s findings would be shared with church elders and trustees, and survivors and witnesses who take part in the investigation “at GRACE’s sole discretion.” The church said it was “committed to transparency,” but did not vow to release the organization’s report publicly.

Neither church officials nor GRACE immediately responded to requests for comment.

GRACE’s mission is “to empower Christian communities to recognize, prevent, and respond to abuse,” according to its website. In addition to conducting independent investigations into sexual abuse, the nonprofit helps churches create protocols to prevent abuse, leads trainings and provides educational resources.

The Banner’s investigation of Greater Grace focused on the work of a group of ex-members, The Millstones, who uncovered decades of allegations of sexual abuse at the church and some of its hundreds of offshoots around the world. The Millstones spoke to 32 people who said they had been sexually abused by men of the church, in many cases a pastor or prominent volunteer. The Millstones also heard 18 additional secondhand allegations of abuse.

Survivors of abuse and their parents described their frustration with church leaders who failed to take substantial action against alleged abusers and asked families to forgive them and move on.

In a statement, The Millstones noted that church leaders had taken this step “after many failed opportunities to do the right thing,” adding that it had been more than a decade since a former youth leader was convicted and sent to prison for abusing three boys from the church.

The Millstones urged church leaders to fully cooperate with investigators, publicize the full report and follow through on all recommendations. “There is still a long road ahead and we will be watching,” they wrote.

The group, composed of ex-congregants who have loved ones who were abused in the church, encouraged current church members to “continue to hold your leaders accountable.”

“Do not let this announcement be the end of your pursuit of justice and safety for the children in your care,” they wrote.

The Albatrosses, a group of ex-members who have been leading Sunday protests outside the church’s Moravia Park Drive compound, echoed concerns about leaders’ commitment to transparency. “Many remain cautious, as the organization has a long history of avoiding true accountability,” they wrote in a statement.

They too urged the church to publicize the full report from GRACE, vowing to continue their efforts for accountability “until evidence or real change is seen.”

In late June, shortly after the publication of The Banner investigation, church officials announced that they would seek a group to conduct an independent assessment. A few weeks later, Greater Grace leaders said they had hired as a consultant Rachael Denhollander, an attorney who helped take down former USA Gymnastics doctor and prolific sexual abuser Larry Nassar.

GRACE is headquartered in Virginia and brought in $1.17 million in revenue in 2022 and spent nearly the same, according to tax filings.

Boz Tchividjian, an attorney who led GRACE as executive director until earlier this year, said there’s no way to know how cooperative Greater Grace will be with investigators.

“Sometimes, a story unleashes, a huge spotlight turns on, and institutions panic,” Tchividjian said. “They make commitments to investigate not out of an earnest desire to get to the truth, but to protect themselves.”

“What happens in this case?” he wondered. “Time will tell.”

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Rachael Denhollander’s first name, and to correct the year when GRACE brought in $1.17 million in revenue.