By
Tiffany Vail
The
recent succession of allegations over the mishandling of child sexual
abuse charges by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has left Massachusetts
Conference staff fielding a wide variety of questions.
|
Susan
Dickerman, Associate Conference Minister for Leadership Development,
and Donald Clark, Special Counsel for the UCC, will be presenters
at:
New England Conference on Safe Church Policies
and Procedures
Saturday,
May 4, 2002,
8:30 AM to 4 PM
Andover Newton Theological School
For registration information, contact Andover Newton Theological
School at 617-964-1100, ext. 223
|
Church
leaders ask how they can prevent such abuse from happening at their
own churches. Ministers ask how they can protect themselves from unfounded
allegations of misconduct while still carrying out their ministries.
And
reporters call, probing to find any skeletons hidden in the denominational
closet.
Fortunately,
answers are available for all. Numerous resources are available to churches
to help them prevent abuse. The same resources can help ministers avoid
any appearance of impropriety.
And
as for skeletons? A review of records and interviews with current and
former Conference staff indicate three cases in the last 25 years in
which clergy members were known to have abused minors within the Massachusetts
Conference. All three lost their ordained ministerial standing. Two
were sent to prison; one is still serving time.
Massachusetts Conference Minister and President Nancy S. Taylor has
publicly declared that the United Church of Christ will not tolerate
abuse.
“In the United Church of Christ we will not protect our ministers at
the expense of innocent children or other victims,” she said in a recent
email message to Conference clergy and churches.
“But,” she added, “neither will we abandon our ministers. We seek to
be careful and fair, offering pastoral care and support along the way.”
Taylor urged everyone serving in the ministry of the church – authorized
ministers, elected and appointed leaders, volunteers and staff – to
be cautious of placing themselves in situations that could be misconstrued.
“I encourage you to be careful and vigilant. Please avoid placing yourself
in a situation in which you might become vulnerable to accusations,”
Taylor said in a recent email message to Conference clergy and churches.
“Jesus thinks it is possible to be innocent as doves yet wise as serpents.
I agree with Jesus!”
Associate Conference Minister for Leadership Development Susan Dickerman
has for years served as a resource to churches that wish to protect
the children in their care. Over the past five years, she has led 86
“Safe Sanctuaries” workshops” for church leaders – most attended by
representatives from more then one congregation. At those workshops,
she has literally given away thousands of “Safe Sanctuaries” packets,
which contain sample policies and procedures and other information to
help protect children. They were made possible by a grant from the Massachusetts
Women’s Home Missionary Society.
Dickerman said many people are reluctant to go through the work of putting
the Safe Sanctuary policies and procedures in place because they don’t
think abuse will happen in their own churches. She tries to tell them
otherwise.
“The National Center on Child Abuse reports that one out of every five
girls, and one of every eight boys, is a victim of sexual abuse by age
12,” she said.
“When I lead these workshops I always ask where the church keeps the
silver, and the answer is always in a locked closet or cabinet,” she
said. “Then I ask what policies and procedures are in place to protect
children, and the answer is often ‘none.’”
“Which is more important, the silver or the children?” she asks.
Examples of Safe Sanctuary policies include:
- A
“key policy” designating who may have keys to the church and how and
when they may be used;
- An
“open door” policy guaranteeing that church school and day care classrooms
will remain open to visiting parents or other staff members at all
times;
- A
“two-adult” rule specifying that at least two adults must be present
with any group of minors.
The
Safe Sanctuary information also has sample policies and forms, including
a form for conducting criminal background checks on people who will
be working with children.
The Conference follows these practices at its own events, such as youth
mission trips and summer camps. Carl McDonald, Associate for Youth and
Young Adult Ministries, has a sign posted in his office that reads:
“Youth Ministry Rule #1: Where one or more youth are gathered, there
shall be two adults.”
He said mission leaders, camp deans and local church youth leaders who
take part in the Education for Effective Youth Ministry program are
all trained in safe church practices. Criminal background checks are
performed on all mission trip leaders and camp deans.
Dickerman said churches need to remember that if there is a case of
abuse, it is the church that will be held liable in any civil case.
“This is not like the cases that have been in the newspaper, where the
Archdiocese hired these priests and assigned them to churches,” Dickerman
said. “Our churches call their own leaders, so if there is a problem,
it is the church that will be held responsible.”
Dickerman is available to lead Safe Sanctuaries workshops for clusters
of churches. Contact her at 508-875-5233 or at dickermans@macucc.org.
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