UNITED STATES
The Mennonite
Written By: Stephanie Krehbiel for the Anabaptist Mennonite chapter of SNAP
Mennonite Church USA, the Mennonite Education Agency, and the Sexual Abuse Prevention Panel have recently come forward with a statement “extending a broad invitation to any individuals interested in confidentially disclosing if they have been approached or abused by Luke Hartman, formerly of Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) in Harrisonburg, Virginia.” The statement invites these individuals to make contact with one of two appointed members of the denomination’s Sexual Abuse Prevention Panel. The statement also refers to an earlier press release by the Anabaptist Mennonite chapter of SNAP that issues a similar call. We emphasize, again, that we make no presumptions about Hartman’s innocence or guilt.
While the Anabaptist-Mennonite chapter of SNAP supports the proactive stance towards sexual abuse that led these entities to issue their invitation, we wish to clarify the following: We do not advise survivors of sexual abuse, harassment, or assault to report their experiences to pastors or other church officials. This observation is in no way meant to reflect on the competence or good intentions of the highly reputable individuals that Mennonite Church USA has selected to receive reports in this particular case. However, the Mennonite church is small and tightly interconnected. When survivors report their experiences to church leaders or insiders who may know the perpetrator, the report creates a conflict of interest for that person, which is not fair to them or to the survivor reporting to them.
Unfortunately, the long experience of SNAP and of survivors and their advocates in the Mennonite church has shown us that reporting sex crimes solely to church-appointed officials tends to produce more silence than justice.
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