Working toward safe organizational environments
Significant abuse prevention work and training around abuse awareness are still needed within Canadian Christian organizations, according to a February 2022 report by the Abuse Awareness and Prevention Network, a partnership founded by The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and other ministries.
Some EFC affiliates are increasingly prioritizing that work of creating conditions that will ensure the safest, healthiest organizational environments possible.
On TheAllianceCanada.ca denominational website for example, a tab at the top of the page invites people to Report Misconduct. In 2021 all Alliance churches were asked to link to the tab from their own websites. Clicking it leads to two options – Report Sexual Misconduct and Whistleblowing.
It is Elke Carlson’s job as director of safe ministry for the denomination to respond to any reports that come in. In the first nine months of her tenure in the role, she handled 49 complaint files.
The Alliance has carefully crafted policies in place surrounding sexual misconduct and whistleblowing, both of which Carlson manages and oversees. She describes the policies as “A small way of working towards creating safe places at The Alliance.”
Her role “involves creating awareness, response or action and then accountability systems” related to the two policies, requiring much travel for in-person consultation with churches.
Mennonite Central Committee Canada, the ministry arm of five anabaptist denominations in Canada, has an entire website dedicated to the issue at AbuseResponseAndPrevention.ca. A repository of resources including information about upcoming events and workshops, it provides guidelines and in-depth information about such things as sexual violence, family violence, online abuse and safety, and clergy sexual misconduct.
Work toward abuse response and prevention has been ongoing in the denomination for close to 20 years, says Lydia Fawcett, end abuse co-ordinator with Mennonite Central Committee British Columbia. Her work extends to the community beyond the Church and includes providing support groups for women, accountability groups for men, and resources and workshops intended to foster understanding about abuse and power for organizations.
“We provide a yearly training day to Mennonite Church B.C. pastors who are required to take ‘Relationships With Integrity’ every five or six years,” Fawcett writes in an email. “We review power, abuse, impact, and tools to help the individuals and support people in these situations.
“Last year we had Ruth Everhart, author of The #MeToo Reckoning: Facing the Church’s Complicity in Sexual Abuse and Misconduct, share from her knowledge as a survivor and pastor, and a pastor who had been investigated share from their experience. This was dynamic and appreciated.
“Our best hope is for a well resourced, wholehearted church leadership group, walking in the way of Christ, to support hope and healing for hurting people,” she adds. “We dream of Christ’s Church being a balm of healing to each other and the world in loving, strong and courageous ways.”