Evangelical church in London probed over claims pastors pressured young congregants to sell blood to raise funds

A probe has been launched into a church in London over claims that pastors had been pressuring young members of the congregation to sell their blood to raise money.

An investigation has been opened by the Charity Commission into SPAC Nation to probe financial and safeguarding concerns.

The commission has ordered it to bank all cash while the investigation into the allegations takes place.

The church has been described by the commission as a charity set up to "advance Christianity" that works with young people.

The news comes after HuffPost UK reported allegations that some members of the church had been taking teenagers to donate blood for medical trials in a practice known as “bleeding for seed”.

The church, which denies the claims, has previously been praised by politicians for its work to tackle knife crime and gang violence.

The commission said a case had been opened on SPAC Nation in April last year, and in November this year information received from the trustees “raised further concerns about the charity’s financial controls, policy and procedures”.

In a statement, it added: “Of immediate concern to the commission is that substantial amounts of charity money are held in cash.

“As a protective measure, the commission has issued an order under Section 84 of the Charities Act, requiring the charity to bank its money.

“The commission is also concerned about the apparent lack of clarity between the personal, business and charity roles of leaders within the charity.”

The commission said it opened the inquiry to “examine matters furthers” after allegations emerged that individuals had been encouraged to give money to the charity by “taking on personal debt”.

A Charity Commission spokesman said: “The issues that have been raised related to SPAC Nation in recent weeks are highly concerning, even more so as the allegations are entirely at odds with the expectations about the way that charities will operate.

“The opening of this inquiry is an important step that will allow us to examine these concerns further and establish the facts.

“We will seek to provide assurance to the public and the community that these matters will be considered fully and, where necessary, resolved.”

A report with the commission’s findings is expected to be published once the investigation is concluded.

In a statement from its board of trustees, SPAC Nation said the inquiry was “needful to lay to rest some unverified allegations,” adding: “Inquiry is what we have always asked for.

“If anything is found wrong we will adjust it, and if not we will keep going strong.

“If any pastor or leader is caught pressuring people to donate, such leader will be expelled without delay, not to talk of pressuring to donate blood for money.

“We encourage people to donate blood and all they can for the community but we also say not for money ever, that just won’t happen here.”

Additional reporting by Press Association.