I was driving to the office one morning a few years ago listening to the local radio show “Charlotte Talks” and the topic was clergy misconduct – sexual misconduct to be exact. The guest was an attorney for the Roman Catholic Church.
Misconduct in the Roman Catholic Church had resulted in the closing of many parishes and the attorney was talking about the Church’s responses to these tragedies. And then he said something that made me pull over into a parking lot.
“Actually all churches – including the Protestant ones are guilty of covering up clergy sexual misconduct.”
I immediately phoned the radio station. “My name is Jan Edmiston,” I said, “And I’m the General Presbyter in Charlotte Presbytery, and I can tell you right now that our congregations are consistently protected from clergy misconduct. We have processes for holding clergy responsible if found guilty. And we do not move misconduct pastors from church to church.” I was irked.
Every day in social media, I see the hashtag #NotADragQueen attached to stories about pastors, youth workers, and other church leaders who have been arrested for an array of sexual crimes. Many non-denominational and independent churches have no solid policy on misconduct and so the professional futures of those offenders could be bright. Who knows?
Many of our church leaders give Christianity a bad name. But not most. Definitely not all.
My point is that not all churches ignore serious boundary issues. Not even most churches.
Most pastors are honorable if imperfect servants who are currently exhausted and insecure about their professional futures. Many pastors serve congregations that cannot pay them a living wage. Many pastors make financial sacrifices to provide spiritual nourishment to God’s people. Most of the pastors I know love their parishioners – and strangers – every day.
I have enormous hope for the Church of Jesus Christ. This is a rich and blessed time to be spiritual havens for people who feel hopeless and desperate.
The future is brightest for spiritual communities that have clear policies for protecting clergy, church staff members, church members, and strangers who enter their doors/parking lots/social spaces. Policies are our friends. They keep us safe and secure so that we can be serve our neighbors and each other.
Although the opposite is widely believed, most of our churches exist to bring hope and meaning to this difficult and beautiful life. How would you rate the congregations you know to provide this hope and meaning?
A Church for Starving Artists 
I appreciate that the PC(USA) establishes and promotes boundaries to protect our congregations. It is one of the things I love about us. However, I can attest that sexual misconduct does occur and is excused away and that offending clergy do move on to other churches. It takes a lot of courage for a woman to report, be believed and supported – and that simply does not happen in every case. Although our protections are better than most, we still cover up offenders.
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Yes we do. And those who let misconduct slide are more concerned with their own reputations than the health of the Church. But I still believe it’s not happening in most churches.
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Community of Christ, the faith I follow and minister within, has had Child Protection classes, certifications, guidelines and policies in place since the 1980’s. (I don’t know the exact date.) This is because, yes, faith communities can be too trusting and naive. Sexual abuse and molestation is a crime, and children and youth deserve our protection, guidance, and advocacy.
Yours, Diana Hansen Community of Christ, Minister Arizona, USA
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Jan:Thank you, thank you, thank you. I get so tired and agitated at hearing the word “Christian” used as if it’s an all inclusive description, and as you point out on this issue, it’s not.Neither is it on “many if not most” issues. For example, I was angered by an NPR story on the Charlie Kirk murder and the interviewer was doing just that, as if all Christians backed Kirk, or other times as if all Christians support Trump.
Sometimes, I think our own openness is a contributor to this because we have allowed a particular kind of Christianity to go largely unchallenged in the marketplace.Now we are to the point of often identifying ourselves as “not that kind of Christian.” But I also believe that current events are presenting us an opportunity to reclaim and — to be crass — ADVERTISE/PROMOTE the way mainlines and other progressives approach the Bible. I’m not suggesting that we all are of one mind — indeed just the PCUSA has all stripes of congregations, but they are still part of the family. The same is true of our sibling denominations.
I know I’ve gone along a slightly track, but it is the same issue in both cases.
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