Webinar: Bad Things Can Happen to Good Churches
As part of its ongoing commitment to serve the church, Auxilio Partners presented a free webinar on May 22, “Bad Things Can Happen to Good Churches: Steps to Protect Your People and Your Ministry.” The objective was to provide practical ways to respond to reports of harassment, spiritual abuse, or other harm, as well as offer preventative measures churches and faith-based nonprofits can take to minimize the risk.
In the 50-minute presentation, Melanie Acevedo and John Pearson discussed three key avenues through which these organizations can help ensure a safer, healthier ministry environment where leadership is equipped to address concerns with both confidence and care.
Acevedo is a consultant specializing in HR and volunteer policy development, training, and investigations for churches and ministry organizations. Pearson serves as Associate Coordinator with Reformed University Fellowship. The webinar was moderated by Denine Blevins, Executive Director of Parakaleo, a ministry that helps women involved in church planting around the world build gospel-rooted resilience and feel less alone.
“I feel some regret knowing that we even have to talk about this,” Blevins said. “If we want our churches and our ministries to value the dignity and the safety of the people that we serve, we need to take the appropriate steps to cultivate healthy and safe ministry environments.”
The webinar focused on three key topics:
Setting and communicating clear expectations for a church or ministry organization’s staff, leaders, and members;
Designing and adhering to an effective response process; and
Seeking subject matter support when further help is needed.
Resources
Report of the Ad-Interim Committee on Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault to the 49th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), referenced by Pearson in his presentation.
Additional resources for understanding the many forms of abuse in a ministry context, including from a theological and caregiving perspective:
PCA Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault (DASA) Committee. Website of the PCA DASA Committee, whose 2019-2022 mission was to provide resources to help and encourage church leaders to respond well in cases of abuse in the church.
Becoming a Church that Cares Well for the Abused. A training curriculum comprised of a handbook, introductory video, and 12 lesson videos in which experts from various fields provide information on understanding and implementing the best practices for handling a variety of abuse scenarios.
Help[H]er. A nondenominational, nonprofit ministry that produces and provides resources for helping women in crisis in the local church. Its Executive Director, Dr. Ann Maree Goudzwaard, was a member of the DASA.
Connect with Melanie Acevedo
For practical guidance and personalized support on preventing and responding to sexual harassment, spiritual abuse, discrimination, and other concerns involving your staff or leadership team; or for anti-harassment training or help understanding a difficult employee or leader situation, consider contacting Acevedo at melanie@mdacevedo.com. She also provides resources on her website, where you can subscribe to her newsletter or request a free, 30-minute consultation.