SEXUAL ABUSE
RESPONDING TO AN ALLEGATION
How to navigate a sexual abuse crisis at your church
By Gregory Love & Kimberlee Norris
The headline stunned the congregation of a large Protestant church : Church Rocked by Sexual Abuse Allegations .
Church leaders took hundreds of phone calls from members , media representatives and advocacy groups . Social media coverage was immediate and savage , assuming the worst possible motives for church leaders ’ actions .
It was instantly apparent that the church had no plan in place to address the risk of sexual abuse , nor did it have an appropriate response to an allegation . Membership suffered . A year later , the church contemplated selling its property and moving to a smaller location to pay ongoing legal fees and litigation costs .
Many ministry leaders do not understand sexual abuse , sexual abusers , or what an appropriate response to an allegation looks like . Consequently , wrong responses abound .
YOUR RESPONSE SHOULD BE VICTIM-CENTRIC
In any allegation response , adopting a ‘ victim-centric ’ approach is fundamental . The perspective a ministry adopts in handling an allegation will shape its actions and priorities and might determine whether subsequent civil litigation ensues .
In our experience — three decades of law practice addressing sexual abuse issues — the majority of litigants bring suit based upon how they are treated POST-allegation ... AFTER the allegation becomes known to leaders . Abuse survivors who are treated with dignity and care are far less likely to consider subsequent litigation .
While safety of children in the program is clearly the primary concern , the risk of subsequent litigation is real and compelling .
False allegations are rare False allegations are rare ; academic studies indicate 92 % to 98 % of outcries are real and factual . Your church should assume the allegation received is likely factual , and multiple ( unknown ) victims might exist , whether the alleged victim is male or female .
Prioritize a victim-centric response When receiving an allegation or outcry , a ministry ’ s priority ( and therefore what it says and does ) should be ‘ victim-centric ’. The priority should be protecting and caring for the alleged victim and his or her family and determining if other victims exist in the ministry program .
Make no mistake : when an allegation is received , there are very few ‘ neutral ’ statements or positions . The ministry ’ s response will be either victim-centric or other-centric ( actions and statements that clearly demonstrate a priority for something or someone other than the victim ).
Avoid a ministry-centric response
Too often , a ministry adopts a ministry-centric response : communicating and acting in a defensive manner meant to serve the best interests of the ministry , rather than the victim .
This defensive posture tends to appear self-serving , self-protective , self-justifying , blame-shifting , and self-righteous . The message of this defensive posture is that the alleged abuse is unfortunate and inconvenient to the otherwise good work or service provided by the ministry . The expressed ( or unexpressed ) concern is that ongoing ministry work continues without disruption , including building campaigns and donation drives . The welfare of the alleged victim is secondary . The service has become more important than the served .
Above all , steer clear of an abuser-centric response A truly harmful ministry response is abuser-centric : communicating and acting in a manner meant to protect the alleged abuser .
Typically , this includes public statements focusing on the risk to the alleged abuser — his or her marriage , career , reputation or future . This defensive response is common when the alleged abuser is influential or in upper leadership .
FACTS THAT OUGHT TO FRAME ANY RESPONSE With more than 60 million sexual abuse survivors living in the United States , nearly 1 in 5 Americans have experienced child sexual abuse personally , according to the U . S . Department of Justice .
22 CHURCH EXECUTIVE • STOP CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE churchexecutive . com