After a two-year delay, one of three sexual assault charges against Bruxy Cavey, former pastor of Ontario megachurch The Meeting House, has been stayed.

The Anabaptist congregation was one of Canada’s largest churches when allegations came to light in 2022. It is part of Be In Christ (formerly Brethren in Christ) Church of Canada.

Cavey’s defense lawyer, Megan Savard, argued July 22 to Ontario Court Justice Michael K. Wendl that the time since the initial sexual assault charge, made by Hamilton police in June 2022, was too long and infringed upon Cavey’s right to trial within a reasonable time. According to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a trial in Provincial Court must begin within 18 months of the charge and within 30 months in Superior Court. Justice Wendl, on July 22, ruled in favor of Savard’s argument, effectively putting an end to prosecution.

Outside the courtroom on Monday, Cavey said that while he acknowledges a moral failure, “I don’t believe I failed legally.”

Surrounded by supporters outside the courtroom, Cavey, with tears streaming down his face, said, “I did fail morally even though I don’t believe I failed legally. My primary concern is trying to figure out how to make things right because of my moral failure.”

Cavey was arrested May 31, 2022. That year, the church’s communications director Jared Taylor confirmed 38 reports of clergy sexual misconduct and abuse were sent to a victim advocate hired by the church. Three women had allegations against Cavey. Others accused Tim Day, who was senior pastor at The Meeting House for 14 years. Other allegations related to two former youth pastors.

Cavey was a featured speaker at the 2015 Mennonite World Conference assembly in Harrisburg, Pa. The BIC denomination removed Cavey’s and Day’s ministry credentials in 2022, the same year Herald Press announced it would no longer sell Cavey’s books.

The charge was brought forward after an independent investigator found Cavey had been involved in a yearslong sexual relationship with a congregant who sought counseling. The congregant, whose identity is protected by a court-ordered publication ban, accused Cavey of pressuring her into a secret sexual relationship.

In a blog post titled “my confession,” during his resignation from the church in early 2022, Cavey described the relationship as “an extramarital affair … my greatest failure, my darkest sin.”

In August 2022, The Meeting House leadership announced the findings of a church investigation into accusations against Cavey, saying it had found two additional credible claims of sexual abuse and a fourth claim that amounted to “sexual misconduct,” with one accuser being a minor at the time.

Following the abrupt end to her trial, the complainant told The Toronto Star that Cavey “walked away on a technicality,” adding, “I grieve now not only for myself, but all those who dare speak truth to power and are crushed again by the same power that made it impossible for them to consent in the first place.”

The remaining two sexual assault charges, by separate women, issued in December 2023, remain active. However, seven months later, trial dates have yet to be set.

Cavey became the senior pastor of The Meeting House, formerly known as Upper Oaks Community Church, in 1997. Cavey grew the church into one known for appealing to those alienated from Christianity and church traditions. Under his leadership, the church grew to a congregation of more than 5,000 across 19 campuses in the Toronto metropolitan area.

The Meeting House suspended its services in July in the face of difficulty obtaining insurance. According to its website, the church’s programming is paused because its insurer won’t renew its abuse liability insurance.