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Historically, sad to say, the church has been the cause of trauma on many occasions. Unfortunately, time-and-again it has come to light that prominent leaders have misused their power, resulting in a lot of harm.  I am deeply troubled by the harm caused. The church is meant to be a place where people can feel safe and grow into healed, healthy individuals, living life through Jesus in all its fullness (John 10:10). We, as Christians, are meant to shine brightly as a city set on a hill and be like salt in a broken world (Matthew 5:13-16). The church acts as a window to see what God is like and the Bible says that by our fruits the world will know who we are (Matthew 7:20), so we need to bear this in mind in all our actions. Media attention has inevitably homed in on the bad fruit of moral failures that we have recently learned about and sadly this has caused many to be sceptical of the church and to question God. 

 

Those who suffered harm at the hands of the shepherds who were meant to care for them, will be left traumatised and need a great deal of support to trust again. Reintegrating into, what would very likely be, a different church may take months, even years. They will need space, understanding and, very likely professional help too. 

 

But why does such trauma happen in churches or Christian communities? Simply put, we know that we live in a fallen world, where, as the Bible says, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Hurt people hurt people and any one of us is susceptible to temptation to fulfil our own needs rather than trust and obey God. Since the days of Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel, the same temptations have prompted moral failures. Most of these fall into the category of striving for fulfilment in either money, sex or power and are due to unmet needs. This of course is no excuse for bad behaviour. Thankfully we have a loving Saviour who is in the business of redeeming those who come to him in surrender and by God’s grace we can be saved from temptation and sin (Ephesians 2:20). However, each and everyone of us need to yield to the Holy Spirit’s refining work and be transformed by the renewal of our minds (Romans 12:1-2).  

 

Reporting allegations 

It takes guts to report harmful behaviour such as bullying, assault or control, particularly if these are the actions of a revered or prominent leader. Sometimes, to complicate matters, that leader is a team member, someone who has supported you in your journey, or even a friend.  While it may be hard, we shouldn’t cover up for people who behave badly. Those who report allegations should never be disregarded but this is not always the case.

 

A good safeguarding lead who understands the dilemmas is vital. Even better would be to have a team of people who are trained in safeguarding. It is important that at least some of these individuals are separate to the leadership or management team to keep it objective. Safeguarding should be a prominent part of your organisation and robust policies are necessary in every church related setting. If churches or charities need extra support they could consider drawing on support from an outside agency such as Thirtyone:eight who can offer expert advice in situations where people are unsure what to do. 

 

So what if it happens in my setting? 

Moral and abusive situations have happened, and they do happen.  They impact various groups of people on so many levels, so how can we react?  It is not simple or straightforward and no one size fits all but here are some general guidelines: 

1. We need to be moved by compassion for those affected by abuse or maltreatment

2. Listen well without judgement

3. Thoroughly document events, any concerns and action taken

4. Don't try to do the investigations yourself

5. Report to local and regional leadership

6. Act accordingly, sharing facts with clarity on a need to know basis

7. Your church insurance company may need to be informed

8. Put in place appropriate and if possible, expert professional support for the victim(s)  

9. Pray for all concerned including those who are leading investigations and for those who are commissioned as interim leaders 

10. Use these opportunities to reflect on our church or organisational structure and procedures

11. Don’t hesitate to get help from a trusted professional body outside of your context if you need it 

 

If you are a leader   

Leadership is no easy calling. It can be lonely and is often a vulnerable place to be. We all come into our roles with our own personal template of the world, reactions and with baggage, perhaps due to past trauma. Feelings of inadequacy, pressure points such as new projects, struggles with team members, family pressures or isolation, can make leaders susceptible to temptation. Please hear me right – that is no excuse for bad behaviour, but what I am saying is that leadership have a greater responsibility for self-examination and transparency in receiving feedback. 

In the selection of leadership, there are several considerations to be made. It is also vital that ongoing training of leadership is a part of all our cultures and ingrained in our policies which also should be reviewed regularly. 

 

Consideration should be given to how we: 

• Select leaders/team members, whether paid or voluntary 

• Train leaders (or indeed anyone who aspires to leadership) 

• Provide ongoing support for leaders and team members 

• Provide reflective supervision for ministry leaders - an objective space, with and experienced, external supervisor/mentor

• Grow a healthy community for everyone by setting good examples  

• Create a culture of safeguarding as prevention not crisis 

 

It has been found that statistically over 40% of pastors have considered quitting ministry due to stress and burnout. We know that it really is a tough call. Expectations of leaders are sky high and support can be limited. Potential future accusations should not be a reason to avoid taking on leadership responsibility, but it certainly calls for being brave, connected and surrendered to Jesus. If you are in a leadership role we honour you and thank you for all you do. We also want to send the message that it’s OK to take a break and seek help. Self-care is not a selfish or optional extra, rather it’s essential to longevity in ministry. For more information, see our page Self-care for compassionate Christians.  

Or you could have us come and lead a self-care workshop for your team.