The Nine O'Clock Service ("NOS") was a Christian youth-orientated alternative evangelical movement[1][2] started in 1986 at St Thomas' Church in Crookes, Sheffield, England, by a group of musicians and artists. The service and the group associated with it grew to national prominence, but the service was stopped in 1995 following allegations of sexual and emotional abuse.[3]
Beginning as a simple alternative format service under the leadership of Chris Brain, the group responsible for it developed a leadership structure that was endorsed by the leadership of St Thomas' Church. The average age of the members was 24 for much of NOS's life. The membership was significantly from non-church backgrounds.
Starting with about 10 people who worked on designing and creating the services, the congregation grew to almost 600 members while resident at St Thomas' Church. Main themes included care for the planet and concern about its abuse, simple lifestyle and development of relationships with non-churched people.
By 1988, David Lunn, then Bishop of Sheffield, sanctioned a move to a new site at Ponds Forge Rotunda in the centre of Sheffield.[4] Around the same time, Chris Brain underwent training to be ordained as a priest in the Church of England.[5]The Planetary Mass at Pond's Forge was marked by both bold liturgical experimentation and naive hopefulness. The suspended Roman Catholic priest and American Dominican theologian Matthew Fox was consulted.
According to a former member, Brain said that NOS was "discovering a postmodern definition of sexuality in the church".[1] His entourage included "postmodern nuns", who wore black Lycra miniskirts and lingerie,[1][2] performed household chores for Brain, and put Brain to bed with "sexual favours".[2]
Demise
The number of community members stopped growing and service attendance plateaued at about 300. A major weakness in its duty of care was the lack of diocesan and general accountability for NOS. This was allowed because of its claimed international significance, which in the end came to nothing. Plans for communities elsewhere were in talks.[3]
In 1995, a number of complaints began to surface of the sexual abuse of women in the group by Chris Brain. After an investigation by the Diocese of Sheffield, the group was shut down in August 1995. The Bishop of Sheffield demanded Brain's resignation after he confessed to having sexual relationships with young women in the congregation. There were also calls from former members of the congregation that he be defrocked. The Archbishop of York banned Brain from acting as an ordained priest. Initially refusing to step down, Brain eventually resigned in November 1995, the week before a documentary on the abuse scandal was aired. He then checked himself into a psychiatric hospital.[6][7] The Diocese of Sheffield, through a seconded pastoral team led by Rachel Ross, the Reverend Andrew Teal and the Reverend Peter Craig-Wild, attempted to manage the pastoral care both of Brain and members of the community wounded by the scandal. A remnant of the community continued to meet, under different leadership, for some years afterwards in Sheffield.
On 18 March 2024 South Yorkshire Police Christopher Brain appeared at Sheffield Magistrates' Court on 18 March 2024 to face a total of 34 charges of sexual offences (one of rape, 33 of indecent assault) against 11 members of the Nine O'Clock Service congregation. The police appealed for any further potential victims or witnesses to come forward.[8][9][10][11] On 18 March 2024 Chris Brain appeared at Sheffield Magistrates' Court. District Judge Marcus Waite granted him unconditional bail and told him to appear again at Sheffield Crown Court on 15 April 2024.[12][13][14][15][16] On 15 April 2024 Chris Brain was due to attend Sheffield Crown Court in the afternoon for his plea and trial preparation.[17] The case was transferred from Sheffield Crown Court to Inner London Crown Court to avoid the risk of someone connected to the case being known to one of the judges who might hear the case.[18][19]
On 30 April 2024 Chris Brain appeared at Inner London Crown Court and pleaded not guilty to one charge of rape and 33 charges of indecent assault regarding 11 women, all members of NOS. The offences were alleged to have taken place between 1981 and 1995. He was released on unconditional bail and was next due to appear for a case management hearing on 10 June 2024 at the same court (Inner London Crown Court). His trial was set for 30 June 2025 and was expected to last eight to ten weeks.[20][21][22][23][24] On 24 June 2025 the Church of England issued an update, offering support to those impacted by the trial of Chris Brain.[25][26][27]
On Monday 30 June 2025 the trial began with Her Honour Judge Freya Newbery presiding, and the jury panel was selected.[28][29] On Tuesday 1 July 2025 the prosecution opened its case. Counsel for the prosecution was Mr Tim Clark KC.[30][31][32][33][34][35][36] Counsel for the defence was Mr Iain Simkin KC.[37] Mr Simkin's colleague at Deans Court Chambers, barrister Rosalind Emsley-Smith, was also involved in the case.[38][39] On Wednesday 2 July 2025 the court heard evidence from witnesses including Dr Mark Stibbe, Rev Marilyn Parry, Rev Robert Warren and Rachel Roberts.[40][41][42] On Thursday 3 July 2025 the court heard evidence from Bishop Lowe.[43] On Friday 4 July 2025 the court saw a recorded video interview from a woman.[37][44][45][46] On Tuesday 8 July 2025 a woman and a man gave evidence. On Friday 11 July 2025 a woman gave evidence.[47] On Monday 4 August 2025 Chris Brain gave evidence.[48][49][50][51][52] On Tuesday 5 August 2025 Chris Brain continued to give evidence.[53][54][55][56]
On Tuesday 12 August 2025 the jury retired to consider its verdicts.[57][58][59][60][61] On Wednesday 20 August 2025 the jury delivered guilty verdicts against Chris Brain in relation to 17 counts of indecent assault against nine women, found him not guilty of another 15 charges of indecent assault, and are continuing to deliberate on a further four counts of indecent assault and one charge of rape.[2] Various people commented on the case before the guilty verdicts.[62][63] The anonymity of complainants is protected by virtue of section 1 of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992.
Books
Howard, Roland (1996). The Rise and Fall of the Nine O'Clock Service: A Cult Within the Church?. London: Mowbray. ISBN0264674197.
↑ Liam Clarke (1999). Challenging Ideas in Psychiatric Nursing. London: Routledge. p.66. He would talk regularly about how we were discovering a postmodern definition of sexuality in the church, but it was really one bloke getting his rocks off with forty women.
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