A troubling situation occurred recently when allegations were brought against a male member of a church. An underage female who isn’t affiliated with the church allegedly discovered the man filmed her while she changed in a bathroom of his home. The man has since resigned from his job as a schoolteacher. The FBI is now investigating the matter.
This raises the question of whether the church’s pastor should inform the congregation about the allegation and current investigation.
On the one hand, informing the congregation can help alert others to remain watchful of their children’s interactions with this individual. On the other hand, such communications must be handled with care.
This situation brings to mind a recent Legal Development written by attorney and senior editor Richard Hammar. Hammar recaps an Iowa Supreme Court decision involving a member who sued his church for defamation after the pastor emailed some members and included false statements about child abuse conducted by the member.
Unlock the article to read more about the facts of the case, the Iowa Supreme Court’s decision regarding the lawsuit, and two important takeaways for all church leaders.
To go deeper on this issue, especially when an allegation of abuse of a minor arises within a church, check out the “Responding to an Allegation” section of our Reducing the Risk training. For the first time ever, we’re giving you access to view it free for two days only. Be sure to learn how the entire Reducing the Risk training series would be useful for your church.
