"Does my Ministry need information?"

In the same way it is loving, wise, and utterly crucial to put measures in place to help prevent child abuse in your church, it is equally important to create policies and protocols to help prevent clergy sexual misconduct (CSM)/adult clergy sexual abuse (ACSA) toward adults and to teach all members how they can report any form of abuse. 

In recent years, we have seen an improvement in how churches are preparing their leadership and volunteers to prevent child abuse in their ministries and to deal with abuse appropriately if it is discovered. Thanks to ministries like GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment), many minors are attending church in a safer environment.

Likewise, it would be highly beneficial for all churches, parachurches, and seminaries to adopt policies and practices to address CSM toward adults and to help create a ministry culture that is open about the topic of abuse and knowledgeable about how to prevent and deal with it.

Normalize and Require Education about Clergy Sexual Misconduct (CSM)/Adult Clergy Sexual Abuse (ACSA) among Leadership

Whether a pastor or other spiritual leader is trained in a seminary or at the church, education should be provided on maintaining appropriate boundaries. Ministers should be educated on what clergy sexual misconduct/adult clergy sexual abuse is, how it happens, how to spot it, and how to handle abuse cases properly. 

Learning about common CSM experiences can also help leaders better understand and empathize with survivors. Leaders should receive training on how to provide proper support to victims of trauma and know when and how to refer abuse survivors to professional mental health providers. Education is the first step in prevention, and churches can use the services of professional ministries that provide training to church leadership on abuse prevention. This should be normal, expected, and required when training spiritual leaders, including worship leaders, youth leaders, etc. 

Require a Meticulous Screening Process When Choosing Leadership

When interviewing candidates for a leadership role within the church, great care should be taken to ensure that applicants who have sexually abused either children or adults or who are at risk of abusing are screened out. This means that screening out potential abusers is considered just as important as screening out those who lack other leadership qualifications. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has provided useful guidelines for screening and selecting those who will supervise, counsel, or exercise a leadership role over children. These guidelines include background checks, social media checks, reference checks, and formalized interviews about child protection guidelines. Much of these guidelines can be applied to screening for potential abuse toward adults. However, additional screening should be done, including questioning how the potential leader typically provides counsel to those under his spiritual care, how he views and treats friendships with women in the church, whether he is willing to go by the strict code of conduct that your church has put in place to prevent abuse, whether he is knowledgeable about clergy sexual misconduct, etc. 

Baptist Accountability, Mennonite Abuse Prevention, Preacher Boys Abuser Database, and Bishop Accountability are four free resources that provide databases of convicted or alleged clergy sexual abuse offenders to aid in the screening process and help prevent the hiring a possible predatory spiritual leader.

Consult with an attorney to ensure that your screening and selection policies do not violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act or other federal or state laws prohibiting discrimination in the workplace. All candidates must be treated the same regardless of whether the interviewer has a past working relationship or friendship with the candidate. 

Hold Leadership Accountable to a Formal Written Code of Conduct

In order to minimize the risk of abuse, a clearly written code of ethics should be established and signed by the leadership. A clear statement prohibiting sexual interactions between spiritual leaders and those in their care must be present. The document should include policies detailing inappropriate interactions with lay people and leaders, such as sexualized behavior, including but not limited to sexual jokes, innuendos, inappropriate touching, etc.; clearly stated instructions on where and when counseling occurs (e.g., must be on ministry premises during regular office hours); as well as policies addressing appropriate and inappropriate forms of communication (e.g., use ministry email, not personal email or social media). At any time, ministry emails should be accessible. Expectations of appropriate conduct should also be clearly stated for those in itinerant ministry, and traveling ministers can benefit from having companions to help keep them accountable. 

Once the document is created and in place, leaders should receive oversight from other leaders, who should feel the freedom to speak up if needed. Oversight is not effective if the church culture is to suppress those voicing concerns. Denominations should require that an official incident report is completed and submitted to appropriate headquarters when clergy sexual misconduct is discovered or even suspected. If the ministry has a board of directors, the board members should be familiar with the document and ready to enforce policies pertaining to reporting abuse if the need arises. It should be clear to all those holding a leadership or board position that no form of abuse will be tolerated at any time and that transparency is part of the ministry culture. 

See sample code of ethics from the American Association of Christian Counselors.

Inform Counselees of What to Expect from Counseling and How to Report Abuse 

Church leaders should be informed about the concept of dual relationships. Dual relationships, where a person holds multiple roles, such as therapist and friend, are generally not advisable due to the potential complications they introduce. It is recommended to refer formal counseling outside the church when possible to maintain professional boundaries and ensure the best support for individuals in need. If the church offers spiritual counseling, such as pre-marital counseling, it is essential to create a written document as a safeguard, as research reveals over 60% of respondents were being counseled by a church leader when CSM began.

A written document should be made available to all who receive formal counseling, similar to a patient’s bill of rights, which is given prior to counseling commencing. Parents of minors (those under age 18) receiving counseling should be able to read the statement and agree to or decline their child receiving counseling. The document should be easily understood and include appropriate guidelines for the counseling and what to expect, such as being counseled in a room with a door that has windows and the ability for the counselee to stop receiving counseling at any time for any reason without question. Clear instructions should be given as to what a congregant can do should a pastor or other counselor engage in inappropriate conduct. 

Enforce a Zero-Tolerance Policy When Discovering Cases of Abuse

It is imperative that ministries do not make the mistake of misapplying grace when a perpetrator is discovered. When grace is misapplied, the perpetrator is not held accountable, his sinful actions are kept in the dark rather than exposed in the light, or the perpetrator is given an opportunity to continue in his role after a “break.” This is neither a biblical nor wise response. Furthermore, it does not give justice to the victim(s), nor does it allow other victims to come forward. Instead, it puts other church members at risk of being abused. 

Grace is properly given by addressing the situation correctly and in a loving, caring way that does not look to destroy anyone but to bring truth to light so that healing and repentance can occur. The way in which this difficult situation is addressed is how grace is applied. Leaders are to address the issue in a Christlike way, believing that God can heal those violated and cause the perpetrator to genuinely repent, get professional counseling, and be restored spiritually, though not to his former position. 

The ministry leader guilty of abuse should expect to receive the repercussions clearly spelled out in the code of ethics/ zero-tolerance policy document that he signed upon receiving the position. He should already know that the ministry has clearly stated that it will have a zero-tolerance policy toward those who abuse.

The following key actions should be outlined in the zero-tolerance policy:

(Actions 1 through 3 below are adapted from Statement from The GRACE Board of Directors December 7, 2016) 

1. Abuse will be promptly reported to the authorities. It is a crime for any pastor to engage in sexual conduct with a minor, and, in some states, it is a crime for a pastor to engage in sexual conduct with an adult with whom they are providing pastoral care. In Minnesota, for example, it is a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison for a pastor to have sex with someone he or she is providing “religious or spiritual advice, aid, or comfort …” (MINN. STAT. SECTION 609.344, SUBD. 1(k)(1)(ii)). Every church must have in place a mechanism to ensure that any criminal conduct committed by a pastor or other worker/volunteer will be immediately reported to law enforcement and that the church will fully comply with any subsequent investigation. 
2. Abusive pastor/ministry leader will be removed. Although Christ died for sinners and paid the penalty for all sins, this doesn’t mean a pastor who has violated one or more of his or her congregants should continue to hold a leadership role in the church. Christ instructed us to be as “wise as serpents” (Matt. 10:16), and common sense compels us to remove abusive leaders so that they cannot harm others. These leaders can and should be ministered to. For appropriate guidelines in ministering to sex offenders, see generally an article by Victor Vieth: “Ministering to Sex Offenders: Ten Lessons from Henry Gerecke,” Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly 112 (3): 209 (2015). This does not mean that they should be given a second chance to violate the vulnerable, whether it be congregants, children, or employees of the ministry.  Watch an educational video about what to do if there is a known sex offender in your congregation. 
3. Survivors of clergy sexual misconduct will be supported. When a congregation discovers that a pastor has abused an adult in his care, the church has a responsibility to address the physical, emotional, and spiritual damage. This includes assuming the financial cost of medical and mental health expenses or any other reasonable requests made by a victim. A trained, trauma-informed victim advocate, chosen or approved by the survivor and preferably not connected to the ministry where the abuse occurred, should be provided and paid for by the ministry. If the victim remains in the congregation, the abusive pastor should not be allowed to remain in the same church. Church members should be educated on the reality of clergy sexual misconduct, how to use proper language when discussing the abuse, and exhorted to be gracious to the victim(s) and their families and to avoid victim shaming/blaming. Victims, as well as indirect victims (e.g., the victim’s spouse and children, the spouse and children of the perpetrator), should not feel ostracized and targeted by church members.
4. An external authority will be called in to provide an unbiased investigation. In order to help a hurting church through this tumultuous event and to make sure everything is dealt with correctly, the church should seek the help of a professional outside source, in agreement with the survivor(s), to investigate the claims and offer assistance and accountability. The third-party external authority must use trauma-informed practices when dealing with the survivor(s), and the ministry should forfeit all control over the investigation, not limit the scope of the investigation, and not withhold findings from the public. A reputable organization to help with this is GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment). See an article by Dr. Diane Langberg: "Recommendations for Churches Dealing with Abuse" when considering an investigator(s) or organization.  

Create an Environment Where Abuse isn’t a Taboo Subject 

After investing efforts to cultivate a safer environment for your ministry, continuously work to create a community where abuse victims can seek healing without encountering judgmental behavior. The Bible does not shy away from abuse, even rape. When issues of abuse appear in scripture, use that opportunity to address the issue clearly. If situations arise in the news concerning abuse in another church, consider using that as an opportunity to pray collectively and express solidarity with the victims. If you offer free pamphlets with the gospel or have a church bookstore, consider making pamphlets or books on abuse available.

Make sure the literature provided contains correct, quality information, communicated in a sensitive manner. The idea is to create a church culture that doesn’t blush at the talk of abuse but one that understands that it exists and considers it an issue that must be dealt with head-on, openly, and in a loving manner if it arises.