UNITED STATES
Pokrov
Author: Father J. Gregory Waynick
Date Published: 11/14/2015
Publication: Pokrov.org
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Deciding which situations need your personal attention, and which do not, is a constant challenge for every busy leader. However, there are two types of incidents that always deserve a leader’s hands-on involvement: sexual misconduct and financial dishonesty. How well and how quickly you respond to these kinds of emergencies is crucial, as they can cause extensive damage to vulnerable persons and to your faith group.
As a faith leader, you want to do what’s right when an accusation of sexual wrongdoing happens in your organization (or when a sexual offender becomes involved in your congregation). Whether you are a pastor or an archbishop, how can you lead well in these very demanding circumstances?
1. Recognize the emergency
When a report of sexual misconduct occurs in your faith community, alarm bells should go off immediately in your head. Push everything else to the back burner; rearrange your schedule. This is a crisis that deserves your immediate and careful attention. (Government authorities should be contacted immediately whenever a sex abuse crime is suspected.)
Make it clear to your team that you are to be informed immediately of any reports of potential misconduct. Be vigilant in listening so that you are attuned to any mention of boundary violations which might lead to sexual abuse, such as, “Mrs. Smith called to complain that [youth chaperone] Jimmy was in the locker room shower at the same time as her son at the teen conference. She said Thomas felt uncomfortable.”
2. Get involved personally
Though you may see yourself primarily as a spiritual leader, you need to get involved personally. Do not delegate away this task, even while involving your leadership team in the crisis. It is painful work, nothing easy about it, but you must roll up your sleeves and do it. As the saying goes, “Being a leader is not a part-time job.”
3. Do your own homework
Your concentrated focus is demanded in abuse cases. Do your own homework! Don’t trust off-the-cuff or uninvestigated answers of others who may be involved. Find out for yourself what really happened. While others will assist in gathering information, you yourself should review carefully the evidence to get the whole picture. (Cooperate fully with law enforcement if they are involved.)
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