Chris Brain, the Nine O’Clock Service and abuse in the evangelical church
A former Church of England priest who launched a religious “cult”, sexually assaulted 13 women, a court has heard.
Chris Brain is accused of one count of rape and 36 counts of indecent assault between 1981 and 1995.
The Nine O’Clock Service
Brain was the founder of the Nine O’Clock Service (NOS) at St Thomas’ Crookes, a charismatic evangelical church in Sheffield.
Brain, a former pop musician, started the NOS as a late-night service in 1986, with events more like raves than religious gatherings.
The journalist Tim Wyatt has described them as “a kind of rave nightclub fresh expression of church… an alluring blend of rave culture, activism and worship. Techno beats, strobe lighting, and the Eucharist, all at once”.
Initially, Brain did not hold any religious qualifications and was not ordained, although the apparent ‘success’ of the services led him to be fast-tracked to ordination in subsequent years.
One might consider this was simply an alternative, modern method of worship. After all, lots of evangelical churches today have rock-band style worship or fancy lighting (and I know at least one that until recently used a smoke machine).
But the allegations aired in Inner London Crown Court paint a disturbing picture of the culture at the NOS. Prosecutors described the NOS as a “cult”, tightly controlled by Brain and structured around his power.
During services, Brain was reportedly surrounded by lycra-clad women who did dance routines during the worship. These women were also part of his “homebase team”, responsible for cooking and cleaning for him, as well as “putting him to bed” and giving him massages. Some of these massages allegedly escalated to sexual assault. Brain claims the massages were for his “tension headaches”.
Sexual and spiritual abuse
Brain denies the charges – describing NOS as an “evolving experiment” during a period of cultural liberation, and any sexual encounters as consensual.
Prosecutors allege a pattern of systemic abuse cloaked in progressive religious language.
Any non-consensual sexual touching is sexual assault or abuse. The criminal trial will determine whether any of these acts were non-consensual.
More recently, spiritual abuse has come to be understood as a distinct type of psychological and emotional abuse. This is something the criminal proceedings will not necessarily reach any conclusion on, but we are increasingly seeing included within civil claims alongside other forms of abuse.
The Church of England’s Safeguarding Manual defines spiritual abuse as “a systematic pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour in a religious context”. It also gives examples of spiritual abuse, including the use of scripture to justify abusive behaviour, the suggestion that obedience to the abuser is equivalent to obedience to God, and the misuse of a pastoral or mentoring relationship.
The allegations against Brain have all the hallmarks of spiritual abuse. One survivor described how members of the NOS experienced grooming behaviours which cut them off from friends, disrupted their sleep patterns and changed their looks. Another survivor told the court she felt unable to question Brain’s actions because he “represented God”.
Multiple victims have testified Brain told them “you can’t be spiritual without being sexual”.
The trial continues.
Supporting survivors
At Bolt Burdon Kemp, we support survivors to pursue justice with sensitivity, integrity, and expertise. As a member of the Church of England myself, I understand how complex either spiritual or sexual abuse can be for survivors.
If you or someone you know has suffered abuse in a religious setting, you are not alone and there is support available. Please feel free to contact Bolt Burdon Kemp, or me directly (hayleychapman-todd@bbkllp.co.uk) for free and confidential legal advice.
