Ministering To Those Who Pose A Risk To Church And Community
On the other hand, stories abound of financial and sexual
predators using their position in the church to win trust, to take advantage of
the vulnerable and to perpetuate their immoral and sometimes criminal
behaviour. What are we to do? What is our pastoral responsibility?
The first thing that needs to be said is that prevention is
always better than cure. Every church should have in place a set of safety
protocols. These will include such things as: (1) Doing police checks on
anybody that is being considered for a position that carries pastoral and
leadership responsibilities, paid or unpaid, including elders, Sunday School
and youth group leaders and pastoral visitors; (2) Holding training sessions on
pastoral ethics; (3) Having clear safety policies that define conditions for
counselling and home visits (e.g., women being counselled and visited by women;
having a designated counselling area that is suitably private yet in view of a
general office area; etc); (4) Having clear safety policies in relation to
children and youth activities and events, including weekend camps, sleepovers
and holiday programmes (e.g., not allowing adults/leaders to sleep in the same
room or to share the same shower and toilet blocks as children and youth); (5)
Not appointing anybody with a criminal record to a position where they might be
tempted to reoffend (e.g., a convicted fraudster should not be appointed to the
position of church treasurer); (6) Setting up appropriate forms of
monitoring/supervision for anybody who is deemed to be a risk to themselves
and/or to others.
In one church I was in, in the course of visiting a newcomer
to the church I was informed (by the newcomer and his wife) that he had a
history of sexual offending for which he had done time in prison. It was to the
man’s credit that he brought this to my attention. We were able to talk about
the nature of his offending, the counselling programme that he had undergone in
relation to it, and the strategies that he had in place to minimise future risk
to the community. He gave me the names of people I could contact to verify his
story. I told him that, with his permission, I would like to inform the
church’s elders about the situation, to seek professional advice, and to
develop a strategy for keeping both him and other members of our congregation
safe. Even though there appeared to be no recent history of sexual offending,
given that this previous offending had involved young people, we deemed it
necessary to notify youth and Sunday School leaders and kindergarten staff.
Although the man was welcome to attend worship and enjoy the fellowship of the
church, there would be certain conditions attached to this, including no direct
personal contact with our children and youth or the kindergarten. He could also
expect an elder to be rostered on duty each Sunday at church to discreetly
monitor his movements.
We were fortunate in this case that the man was so obliging
and that a strategy was able to be put in place with his consent and
cooperation. Other cases I know of have not ended so well. Many people who pose
a risk to others are sly and manipulative, some have mental health problems,
and in some cases they are pathological liars. Some can sound utterly contrite
and make all kinds of promises that subsequently prove worthless. Others can
weave the most plausible of stories to justify their actions. Many are adept at
playing on the sympathies of ministers and others who exercise a ministry of
care and compassion. It is easy under these circumstances to become cynical and
to fail to distinguish between a con and genuine need.
Most ministers will be familiar with the experience of having
persons come to their church or manse with a hard luck story of one sort or
another. Sometimes these folk can be quite menacing, particularly if help is
refused them. I recall one man asking for some petrol money so that he could
drive up north to attend his father’s funeral. I accompanied him to a local gas
station and filled up his tank. About a year later he was back, but he clearly
couldn’t remember our previous encounter, because he was peddling the same
story about having to attend his father’s funeral. When I pointed this out to
him, he became verbally abusive.
It is good for churches to have procedures in place to cover
such situations. I have found the following to be helpful:
1. As a general rule, do not give out cash. Have a small
supply of supermarket and petrol vouchers on hand.
2. Keep on hand a list of welfare providers, food banks,
social service agencies, community ministries, help-lines, counselling services
and charities to which people can be referred. Phone them while the person is
with you, so that they know to expect them. Only give out vouchers if church
court or, in cases of alleged illegal activity, by the police. Once you have
information about a particular situation or an allegation has been made against
somebody, you must act. This can be difficult if the person concerned is an
esteemed elder, minister or leader in the church, but should it come to light
later that you knew something was amiss and did not act then you will be
culpable. If the person being accused of a misdemeanour holds a position of
responsibility in the church, then they should be relieved of their duties
immediately while an investigation is carried out. Thought must also be given
to the wellbeing and, possibly, safety of the alleged victim and/or accuser.
Often attempts will be made to discredit and/or pressure the accuser into
keeping silent lest they bring the church into disrepute or sully the good name
of the accused. If in any doubt about the right process to follow when an
accusation is made or rumours begin to circulate about inappropriate or illegal
activity, seek advice. The Assembly Office is only too willing to help in this
regard.
Have you observed or experienced a situation of ministering
to somebody who might pose a threat to the church or to the wider community?
How was the situation handled? What lessons can be learned from it?
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