Mennonite Central Committee

Two new publications on abuse

The MCC Women's Concerns staff and advisory committees in the U.S. and Canada are pleased to announce the release of two new publications on abuse.

 

The following resources are available upon request by contacting MCC Canada.

 

 

Understanding Sexual Abuse by a Church Leader or Caregiver:

When our family moved to another city I started attending a support group. Through the group I met a counsellor, whom I started seeing on a more regular basis. We had a rocky start until she asked me to tell her about relationships with previous caregivers. I broke down and, out of desperation, told her about my former pastor.

She told me how sorry she was that he had misused his power and taken advantage of my vulnerability. She explained to me that in legal terms this was known as a breach of fiduciary duty and was a form of sexual abuse.

Her words explained my confusion, my feeling of powerlessness, my shame, and my sense of betrayal. It's been hard for me to realize that is was his responsibility to uphold the boundaries for the relationship and that if I hadn't been so vulnerable I would never have succumbed.

My journey back to faith has been slow. My pastor had represented God to me. How could I trust in God when this man of God had abused me in God's name? But slowly I am coming to realize that God did not condone my pastor's actions, nor does God condemn me for being seduced by him. Gradually, I am coming to believe in a God who can handle my anger and my doubts, a God who hates injustice.

 

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Making Your Sanctuary Safe: Resources for Developing Congregational Abuse Prevention Policies:

Ed begins attending First Church. After a few weeks, he volunteers to work with the youth group, Church staff members do not knew Ed, but they are delighted to have another worker. He is put to work immediately. The youth group has an overnight activity a few months later. Following the activity, two minors report that they were sexually molested by Ed. The parents of one of the minors contact an attorney, and a $3 million lawsuit is brought against Ed, the church, and the church board. The parents claim that the church (and the church board) acted negligently by not doing any background investigation before using Ed as a volunteer worker.

This tragic story represents an increasing problem facing churches today. Hundreds of churches have been sued as a result of the sexual molestation of minors by church workers. Unfortunately, some church leaders ignore this concern and fail to implement a child sexual abuse prevention program. They think, "no child has ever been molested in our church, so why worry?" This attitude of denial is a very dangerous response to what one church insurance executive has called "an epidemic." The lack of a prevention program leaves the children, the church, and church leaders vulnerable.

Incidents of molestation can occur in any church— including yours. Churches have traditionally accepted the services of anyone expressing an interest in working as a volunteer with children or youth. No one wants to offend potential workers, especially longtime church members with a history of good service. These qualities can make a church susceptible to incidents of child molestation.

But church leaders can take relatively simple, yet effective, steps that significantly reduce the likelihood of child sexual abuse in your church. Now is the time to join thousands of other congregations that are taking positive steps to make their churches a safer place for children.

 

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