WASH LINE - Spring 2005

By Peggy Harris, W.A.S.H. Board Chair
Women and Men Against Sexual Harassment and Other Abuses
www.tagnet.org/wash

EDITORIAL

Here are a few comments that have been passed along to me by those who have been affected by abuse in the church.

“If solid, forceful, organized and corporate action would be taken on the recommendations outlined on your W.A.S.H. web site it might just open up the flood gates!  I said ACTION, not only writings and publication but real honest effort.  That would require brutal, honest and fearless soul searching in the very heart of the corporation.  Not smooth talkers and public relations people.

These recommendations were posted and sent in 1993!  While there has been some significant addressing of the problem, the word does not seem to be filtering down to the local church level.

RECOMMENDATION TO THE NORTH AMERICAN DIVISION (NAD)

Re: Physical and sexual abuse within the NAD of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Whereas, the Seventh-day Adventist Church's global mission is to contact people who have not been reached before with the gospel, and an additional goal of the NAD is to regain former members, and

Whereas, the church recognizes a responsibility to provide a safe place for children and members to be free from sexual, physical, and mental abuse, and

Whereas, the NAD has organized a Sexual Ethics Commission, therefore

IT IS RECOMMENDED that the NAD take a strong position against abuse and endeavor to prevent our church in North America from becoming a haven for abusers, thus attracting many former members who have been harmed by physical, mental, or sexual abuse; these goals will be accomplished by:

1. Utilizing a network of trained counselors through the Sexual Ethics Commission so that each union will have a list of resources available for their conferences.

2. Holding accountable perpetrators of abuse by strongly insisting that a known abuser be disfellowshipped.  When a church employee is charged with sexual misconduct, it is imperative that proper testing be done by competent therapists which will help to establish guilt or innocence.

When a church member is charged with sexual misconduct testing should be recommended to help determine guilt or innocence.  An offender could apply for membership again when recommended corrective procedures have been followed, including acknowledging their wrong-doing to the victim(s) and long term counseling for the abuser.  An offender must continue to be monitored and must never work or be alone with children.      

3. A firm statement by the NAD President that a strong stand will be taken against this abuse to be published in the Adventist Review and the union papers.

4. Affirming local conferences (such as Georgia, Idaho, Oregon, and Kentucky/Tennessee) who are leading out in abuse prevention through Family Life Ministries and professionally trained counselors, as well as encouraging other conferences to also provide similar education.

5. Counseling pastors and church leaders to report abuse of a minor to state authorities as required by state law.

TO THE GENERAL CONFERENCE

Re: Physical and sexual abuse within the Seventh-day Adventist Church

Whereas the problem of abuse exists in all divisions of the church, and

Whereas the global mission of the church is to contact people who have not been reached before with the gospel, and

Whereas the church also wants to reclaim former members, and

Whereas the church needs to be strong and filled with the Holy Spirit to finish the task here on earth and recognizes it's weakness and frailty and need of repentance, therefore

IT IS RECOMMENDED that the issue of abuse be addressed by the church's highest authority in order to bring about repentance and healing for perpetrators and victims, so that the church can become a hospitable place, reclaiming former members as well as bringing healing to members that have suffered harm.  This can be accomplished by such means as:

1. A firm statement, by the President, (joined by other leaders) that a strong stand will be taken against abuse, to be published in the Adventist Review, division, and  union  papers.

2. Providing guidelines for abuse prevention to all Divisions.

3. Affirming those Divisions that are addressing the problem of abuse within the church.

4. Encouraging church leadership worldwide to take steps to deal with existing cases of church members’ abuse in appropriate ways.

Another comment I often hear is “The Church just doesn’t get it yet.”  Too often people in the local church do not feel that the church is sensitive to this horrendous problem they are facing in their lives. 

So we continue to recommend that Conference, Union, Division and General Conference Officers address the issue in different ways that will get to the local church member level. 

The fear that if we talk about it, the flood gates will open is a very real fear.  And yet, that is what will bring the burst of healing – once the boil is lanced.

BIBLICAL HOSPITALITY

This section of our web site is beginning to grow.  Feel free to use the materials posted in both sections.  These are provided by W.A.S.H. to help church leaders and members in the healing process as well as prevention. 

LISTEN

People need to be able to express their concerns in the church without fear.  We can listen as church leaders and members when someone has something to say or report about abuse.  Unkindness to one another is probably one of the most experienced abuses we find in church.  People are hurt and because no one listens they eventually pull away from the hostile environment in churches to maintain their own personal and emotional safety. 

There are still some places on earth that have no value for women in the church.  Women have been told they cannot be a Sabbath School Teacher or do anything else up front.  People with this attitude have decided to pick and choose what scripture they will repeat and use.  In the Sabbath School Lesson of February 19 we find that God chose Mary Magdalene to give the important news to the world about Christ’s Resurrection from the grave.   Why on earth would God choose a woman, and not just any woman, but a former prostitute to give this precious message?  Then there was the Other Mary who went with her and was a witness to what happened to confirm what was said by Jesus, to the disciples who were cowering, fearful in their hiding place trying to keep safe.   God still surprises us in who He asks to serve Him and who are we to stifle His leading?  We still have lots to learn!

This page last updated on Sunday January 29, 2006 11:21 AM

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members and church leaders better understand the problems abuse brings and prevention methods.

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