CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO SIGN THE PETITION 

While we acknowledge that non-disclosure agreements are commonplace in many church contexts, non-disclosures can act as silencers on victims of abuse.  

Signees of this petition wish to see abuse rooted out of religious spaces, wish to stand in solidarity with survivors of any form of clergy or spiritual abuse, and compel the leadership of Echo.church to take this action to make a way for transparency and healing for us all.  If Echo.church has nothing to hide, then, there would truly be every reason for the truth to come out. However, if abuse truly does exist in the history of Echo.church (formerly South Bay church), then those who suffered should be able to heal by telling their stories and not have to live every day for the rest of their lives in silence. This is not a way of honoring those who served us on staff at Echo.church, and we want the truth to set us all free. 

By typing my name below, I’m asking Echo.church leadership to take urgent action on releasing all former non-disclosure agreements (and any document by another name that prevents a former employee from telling their story) that exist with former employees of Echo Church San Jose (including all campus staff).

Echo.church (formerly South Bay Church) has been plagued over the years with many allegations of harassment, bullying, mobbing, intimidation, coercion, name-calling, discrimination, psychological abuse, emotional abuse, spiritual abuse, verbal abuse, and financial abuse of certain targeted staff by pastors Andy Wood and Filipe Santos.

There are multiple reports of HR violations that when reported, resulted in retaliation in the form of termination and demanding an NDA be signed in order to receive severance and medical insurance. False narratives to discredit whistleblowers have been told by Andy Wood and Filipe Santos at staff meetings for image management purposes, and staff have been blacklisted by both Andy Wood and Filipe Santos from getting jobs at other churches due to the false narratives that they have spread outside Echo.Church to retaliate against the whistleblowers and the staff that they have bullied.

Many former staff have NDAs, and there are so many, after such a high attrition rate under Andy’s leadership, that the true number is unknown.

It is time to release those NDAs so former staff can be free to move on, and not live for even more years with the silencing and threat of action if they choose to share their story.

As long as NDAs remain intact, Echo.Church is continuing its label of transparency of what really happens to certain staff who find themselves targeted by these two pastors. 

It’s time for the truth to set us all free. Please sign to put pressure on Echo.church and Saddleback Church (where Andy is now lead pastor) to release former Echo.church staff from their NDAs.

Thank you,

The Echo Survivors