SEXUAL ABUSE
CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE :
10 facts every pastor should know
By Georgia McKnight , featuring Kimberlee Norris
‘ Church Rocked by Sexual Abuse Allegations ’
The headline stunned the members of a large evangelical church in western Pennsylvania . Church leaders took hundreds of telephone calls from members , media representatives and advocacy groups . Social media coverage was immediate and savage , with posts assuming the worst possible motives attributable to the actions of church leaders .
Kimberlee Norris Partner @ Love & Norris ( Fort Worth , Texas ) Co-founder @ MinistrySafe
It was immediately clear that the church had no plan in place to address the risk of child sexual abuse or an appropriate response to an allegation .
Attendance suffered . After years of rebuilding , the church continues to struggle , and has moved to a smaller location to pay ongoing litigation costs and settlements .
Georgia McKnight Student @ Duke University School of Law Author of Children Should Win : The FCRA Amendment Necessary to Facilitate Child Protection
# 1 : Every church is at risk The Church and its children are increasingly endangered by sexual predators whose opportunity to ensnare children elsewhere is growing smaller , while the Church continues to open its doors to anyone . Abusers gravitate to places where preventative measures are lower : because the Church is grace-based , trusting and forgiving , abusers find easy access to children .
Kimberlee Norris : The Church is uniquely at risk for child sexual abuse . In the Church , we tend to believe what people say about themselves , and that those who want to work with children have the right motives for doing so . In most cases , that ’ s true , but the Church isn ’ t particularly skilled at recognizing risky candidates who should not work with kids . Churches too often have the misconception that ‘ sexual abuse doesn ’ t happen here ,’ which is completely inaccurate , because child sexual abuse skips no spiritual paradigm . In fact , one very large study
indicated that the prevalence of child sexual abuse is slightly higher in very religious environments .
# 2 : The problem is growing Conservative studies indicate that one out of four girls and one out of six boys will be sexually abused before reaching 18 years of age , regardless of spiritual or socio-economic demographic . Two out of three children won ’ t tell until adulthood , assuming they tell at all . The problem is growing , even in ministry environments .
Norris : The average age of abuse survivors who call our law firm is mid- 30s , and they commonly haven ’ t spoken about the abuse up to that point . I think that ’ s because they ’ ve reached an age where they recognize the patterns stemming from the abuse , or are looking for accountability in some form , perhaps for the first time .
# 3 : The cost to individuals and ministries is exponential Every study in the past decade indicates the same reality : the largest settlements paid in church or ministry contexts are related to child sexual abuse . This is the only area of law in which statutes of limitation — the time period within which a litigant must file a lawsuit — are getting longer , not shorter . In one California case , a 76-year-old man sued his church related to events occurring when he was between 8 and 11 years of age .
66 CHURCH EXECUTIVE • STOP CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE churchexecutive . com