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	Baylor Study Reveals Sexual Misconduct by Clergy More Common Than Many Realize By Erin Quinn Waco Tribune September 10, 2009 http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2009/09/10/09102009wacclergysex.html Baylor University researchers have found that sexual misconduct between clergy members and their adult parishioners is more prevalent than previously thought and happens across various religions and denominations. The School of Social Work on Wednesday released the findings of its yearslong study, in which more than 3,500 adults nationwide were asked whether they ever had been the object of a sexual advance from a religious leader. The study is the largest scientific study into clergy sexual misconduct with adults. It found that 3.1 percent of adult women who attend religious services at least once a month have been the victims of clergy sexual misconduct since turning 18. So, in the average U.S. congregation of 400 adults, seven women have been victimized at some point. Diana Garland, dean of the School of Social Work and lead researcher in the study, said she had studied congregational social work for the last 30 years and hypothesized that clergy sexual misconduct was a problem. "I got tired of watching congregations destroyed by this," she said. "I got tired of seeing survivors and their families thrown into crisis and lose their communities, and even lose their families." After interviewing more than 80 victims and their families nationwide, Garland said she was surprised by the magnitude of the problem and "had never imagined the extent." The study defines clergy sexual misconduct as "a religious leader's sexual overture, proposition or relationship with a congregant who was not his/her spouse or significant other." Garland said she found that mainly women fall victim to the misconduct and that most offenders are male. "But it's really not about gender or sex," she said. "It's about an abuse of power." The study found that 92 percent of sexual advances had been made in secret or not in open dating relationships. Sixty-seven percent of the offenders were married to someone else at the time of the advance. "I think it's such a more devastating problem because of the spiritual power (clergy members) carry," Garland said. "For many, they speak for God. These are the people to whom we confess our struggles. These are the people who are with us during the baptism of our children and to comfort us when relatives pass away. They have a knowledge that is all the more sacred about those they lead." Garland and other researchers on the study have developed strategies for preventing clergy sexual misconduct, which, she says, has become the goal of the results of the study. The study's Web site, www.baylor.edu/clergysex ualmisconduct, lists ways that people can prevent becoming a victim of someone abusing his/her power. The site also includes video interviews with victims of the misconduct. "The religious community should be a place where people, especially those in crisis, find comfort and support," said Randel Everett, the executive director and chief executive officer of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. "When a religious leader abuses the power or trust vested in them . . . it results in multiple sufferers. First the victim herself, then her whole family system and, eventually, the congregation and community." Contact: equinn@wacotrib.com
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