A Charge for Church Leadership: Speaking Out Against Sexual Abuse and Ministering to Survivors, Part 1
Timid at first, tentative as it were, he began the long journey down the aisle toward the altar rail. I, too, began to walk, slowly, watching each step as I descended the stairs that led from the chancel to the nave and down the aisle. He was large-framed, older, with a look that I took as anger etched across his face. I was younger, rather inexperienced, and nervous. Yet, passion forced the powerful words from my mouth as I brought the homily that Sunday morning. We walked toward each other as the crowded cathedral filled with the sound of music. The notes and the melody engulfed each parishioner who stood to sing, rendering them unaware of our movements. They saw neither my fear nor his angst. As if the sun stood still, we moved in slow motion, the moment quickly approaching when we would stand face to face. My heart was racing. I felt afraid. Perhaps I had overstepped my bounds—suggesting that houses of worship be safe places to disclose the secrecy of abuse. And then it happened. He fell into my arms—no angry fist had he—and he wept and wept and wept. It was as if we were dancing—this man and I—as we shuffled together out into the vestry area. With an usher as our guide, we found a quiet space downstairs in a classroom. The lines in his aboriginal brow were deep, and at once I knew that they held the story of pain—of terror—from the days of his childhood. “I have never told anyone,” he began. “This is the first time I heard someone in God’s house say it was wrong!”1
Spiritual shepherds have the potential to enhance the healing journey of a man or a woman of faith whose life has been impacted by the *trauma of *sexual abuse (SA). Often, however, pastors, priests, and other religious leaders have neither ears to hear the cries for help nor eyes to see their suffering. As a result, they become an obstacle, rather than a resource, on the road to recovery. Clerical silence is taken as complicity with the acts of terror; their dismissal of the pain and despair perceived as one more indicator of rejection. God’s rejection. 
An excerpt from The Long Journey Home: Understanding and Ministering to the Sexually Abused, edited by Andrew J. Schmutzer.
Several terms, prompted by an asterisk (*), have been defined by pastors, therapists, and theologians that contributed to the book and are included in a select glossary. Please also continue the conversation with Andrew Schmutzer as he answers questions throughout this series.
In this chapter, we consider the powerful opportunity that clergy have to speak out against sexual abuse and to minister with compassion and *best practices to those who have been impacted by it. Drawing on our joint experiences, Nancy’s extensive research program on abuse in families of faith and Steve’s years of pastoral ministry, we weave together what we believe is an evidence-based charge to church leaders. Offering God’s care to those who are hurting—a cup of cold water in the name of Jesus—should be natural to the followers of Christ. Sometimes, though, we need to be reminded that our actions and our words bring forth God’s healing power in the lives of others. As church leaders, we need to learn to pair the practical act (i.e., cold water) with our mission (i.e., in the name of Jesus).
The Language of the Spirit and the Language of Contemporary Culture
The truth expounded in the sacred Scriptures is clear—we are to expose the deeds of darkness (cf. 1 Cor 4:5; 2 Cor 6:14). Reading in Psalm 9, beginning at verse 8, we see that “He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.” For “The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,” the psalmist continues, “a stronghold in times of trouble” (TNIV). The prophetic voice, grounded in the twin pillars of justice and mercy, calls out for evil to be overcome and compassion to be offered as the healing balm of Gilead to wounds sustained at the hands of the powerful (Isah 58:6–7; Jer 22:3). And yet, even as the voices of religious leaders speak out to condemn sexual abuse, their hands must be ready to attend to the needs of those who suffer. In contexts where those impacted by sexual abuse look for help, the language of the Spirit must be accompanied by the language of contemporary culture. While the language of the Spirit includes religious words, *rituals, and practices that invoke the spiritual traditions endowed with sacred significance, the language of contemporary culture encapsulates issues of safety, legal processing, therapeutic respite, and material provisions.2
The Care and Assistance of Spiritual Leadership
Pastoral care—as we understand it—involves both. Proclamation and practical assistance are two of the core components of pastoral care. The language of the Spirit brings peace and healing—a vital supplement to the needs of daily life—breathing hope into dark, fearful places. Proclamation, or speaking out against the *prevalence and severity of abuse, is a necessary first step in offering a *sacred space safe for a victim to disclose the horror of what has occurred to them. When religious leaders stand behind the pulpit they are in a position of authority—moral authority—and here their words, however inadequate, become anointed, powerful, rendering problems on earth of heavenly concern. God’s voice to the people.
The pairing of practical assistance with spiritual resources empowers the *survivor, makes the offender accountable, and paves the pathway for safety, security, and a life where the pain and vulnerability of the past no longer controls the present. As a result, spiritual leaders have a very important and unique role to play in ministering to those whose lives have been impacted by various forms of violence and sexual assault. But this is neither straightforward nor easy. The message is difficult to translate whether one is a religious leader serving the flock or a professional in a community-based agency serving a diverse population. The charge for church leadership has implications for those who work in both sacred and secular contexts. Working together involves bridge building. It involves trust, respect, negotiation and sometimes compromise. Through collaborative efforts, churches, their leaders, and the people who support them have the power and potential to reach those who are vulnerable, those impacted by evil deeds, and communities everywhere. This we can say with confidence because it is based on more than twenty years of research attempting to understand the story of what happens when women, men, teens, and children who have been impacted by forms of abuse look to their faith communities for help in its aftermath.
Clergy Addressing Issues of Sexual Abuse
By and large a “holy hush” permeates religious congregations and their leadership when it comes to the issue of violence in general in the domestic setting. For many years, our research team has claimed that Christian family life can be dangerous to the physical, emotional, or sexual well-being of its members.3 So much can happen behind the closed doors of the family home. There are often tears held back behind the sweet Sunday smiles of parishioners. While it may be sacred, Christian family life is hardly safe at times. It is time for the faith community to wake up from its slumber and for pastors and religious leaders to sound out a call for action. But, like the priest and the Levite in the story of the Good Samaritan, it is so much easier to look the other way. Biblical love, however, looks past social class, ethnicity, and professional image.
Employing a variety of research strategies over the years—including questionnaires, interviews, *focus groups, and *community consultations—with pastors and church people from a variety of denominational affiliations, we have learned a great deal about *domestic violence in families of faith.4 We have heard of the desire of victims and survivors that their faith leaders address these issues head on—learning themselves, and then teaching others, to recognize its prevalence and severity in their midst. We have also documented the disappointment of those who look to the church for help only to have their pain dismissed, minimized or handled with disregard by well-meaning but poorly prepared spiritual leaders. While our focus has been firmly rooted in the broad area of domestic violence, there is much overlap in what we have learned about the “sacred silence” that pertains as well to sexual abuse.
Lessons Learned Along the Way
Below, we have identified some of the key findings to emerge from our studies. These provide a context for us to discuss why we believe pastors are a central component in any community-based response to sexual abuse. Observe the following.
- The majority of clergy are called upon several times a year to respond to a man or a woman who is coping with issues of abuse from their childhood;5
- Victims of abuse who look to their pastors for assistance are often unhappy with the help they receive. In particular, they are disappointed to find that there is limited awareness and understanding of the issues surrounding abuse and often a reluctance to provide help of an explicitly spiritual nature (such as prayer, Bible readings, or spiritual counsel);6
- Less than one in ten pastors report that they feel well equipped to assist victims and *perpetrators in the aftermath of abuse in the home;7
- Many clergy are reluctant to refer those who come to them for help to other professionals in the community or to community-based agencies where the therapists and advocates are employed. Where referrals are most urgently needed (among those religious leaders with little or no training) they are least likely to occur;8
- The informal support network that operates in many faith communities—especially where women reach out to other women in need—is one way that congregations put into practice the notion that “they will know we are believers by our love for one another;”9
- Mistrust between churches and community agencies poses a real challenge for those workers who desire cooperation and collaboration between congregations and the neighborhoods where they feel called to minister. Yet, there is evidence that initiatives to foster collaboration can be successful;10
- When clergy take seriously their responsibility to speak out against violence in all its many manifestations, offer support and referral suggestions, and hold those who act abusively accountable for their actions, the impact can be profound.11
The message for clergy is three-fold: (1) the need is great, (2) many men and women look to religious leaders for help in the aftermath of violence or sexual abuse, (3) and it is imperative to pair spiritual resources with practical help.
Christian churches and their leaders across this nation and indeed worldwide must provide resources for victims of sexual abuse. Those who have acted abusively must be called to account and the needed help must be found for them. Cooperation and collaboration with community-based resources, such as shelters, therapists, police, and legal aid must be encouraged. Churches, and those who lead them, must encourage all of us to condemn abuse, including sexual abuse, and seek our place as part of a broader collaborative community response. Without such initiatives, the pain often goes unrecognized and grows more severe, and the potential for healing is sacrificed to a *conspiracy of silence. When we feed, clothe, and weep with those who are suffering, we serve our communities like our mission statements promise. Our voices—both prophetic and priestly—apply God’s healing power to those who have been impacted by shameful acts of sexual aggression.
Some Intentional Pastoral Steps
Pastoral care can shatter the silence on this issue through intentional words and actions. Here are some steps every pastor can take:12
1. Every pastor and every congregation acknowledge that sexual abuse is a serious problem in society and affirm in the strongest terms possible that there is no biblical justification for it inside or outside families of faith;
2. Every pastor and every congregation affirm its intention to shatter the silence on sexual abuse by intentional words and actions concerning abuse and offering support—emotional, practical, and spiritual—to victims, abusers, and their families, especially those who seek out pastors and church leadership for support in the aftermath of crisis;
3. Every pastor undertake training opportunities to prepare themselves for offering help to those who suffer abuse in its many and varied forms. These may include print resources, attending training sessions, or visiting proven websites;13
4. Every pastor foster and support community-based policies, programs, and services that protect victims and hold offenders accountable;
5. Every pastor should consider how to make information available about sexual abuse to congregants in a way that is accessible but appropriately confidential (such as brochures in the church washroom, material on the church website that can be downloaded and printed at home, books in the church library, etc.);
6. Every congregation, with help from its administrative leadership, develop a protocol for dealing with pastors and other church leaders accused of abusing their own family members or other individuals with whom they are in relationship.
Even small steps toward the goal of speaking out and responding compassionately and with best practices to those who have been impacted by sexual abuse is very powerful. May we challenge each pastor to think creatively and to respond with courage.
PR
Coming up in the Spring 2014 issue: Part 2 of “A Charge for Church Leadership” continues with A Pastoral Perspective: Pastor-to-Pastor.
Notes
1. Based on an experience of Nancy Nason-Clark several years ago in Calgary, Alberta.
2. For elaboration, see Nason-Clark, “When Terror Strikes at Home,” 303–310; idem, “Christianity and Domestic Violence,” 161–66.
3. Kroeger and Nason-Clark, No Place for Abuse.
4. See Nason-Clark et al., “The RAVE Project,” available online at www.uwindsor.ca/units.socialwork/critical.nsf/.
5. Nason-Clark, The Battered Wife. Chapter 4, in particular, highlights some of the data surrounding clergy experience in responding to the needs of victims and *perpetrators of abuse. A total of 41.4 percent of religious leaders in a study of *evangelical clergy reported that they were called upon at least twice a year by “a woman who was abused in childhood by a parent,” and 20.9 percent were called upon at least twice a year by a man in similar circumstances.
6. Nason-Clark and Kroeger, Refuge from Abuse.
7. Kroeger and Nason-Clark, No Place for Abuse.
8. Ibid.
9. Nason-Clark and Kroeger, Refuge from Abuse.
10. Nason-Clark et al., “The RAVE Project,” 11:1.
11. Fisher-Townsend et al., “I am Not Violent,” 78–99; Nason-Clark et al., “An Overview of the Characteristics of the Clients at a Faith-Based Batterers’ Intervention Program,” 51–72.
12. Based loosely on some recommendations that Dr. Nancy Nason-Clark prepared on domestic violence for the General Board of Administration of the Wesleyan Church International in 2007, which were later adopted by its general assembly.
13. Such as the RAVE Project www.theraveproject.org; see further listing of websites under Web-based Resources in Appendix C of this book.
This chapter is from Andrew J. Schmutzer, ed., The Long Journey Home: Understanding and Ministering to the Sexually Abused (Eugene, OR: Resource Publications, 2011). Used by permission of Wipf and Stock Publishers. www.wipfandstock.com
About the Authors: Nancy Nason–Clark and Stephen McMullin.
Stephen McMullin is New Brunswick Program Director and Lecturer in Evangelism and Mission Acadia Divinity College (Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada). www.acadiadiv.ca/stephen-mcmullin/
Interviews with Andrew Schmutzer about The Long Journey Home: Understanding and Ministering to the Sexually Abused and his chapter, “A Theology of Sexuality and its Abuse: Creation, Evil, and the Relational Ecosystem” as appearing in Pneuma Review.
A Theology of Sexuality and its Abuse—Part 1 A Theology of Sexuality and its Abuse—Part 2
Interview 1 Interview 2 Interview 3
