Texas, BGCT's, sexual abuse policies?

[William Thornton]

[William Thornton]

[jerryl]

This site might broaden our understanding of the BGCT process.



And from looking at the information on that site, I'd say:

1) In Church Actions in Incidents of Clergy Sexual Misconduct the BGCT suggests a the same process be used by a church for these offenses:
• Sexual intercourse with persons outside of a marriage covenant.
• Oral sex with persons outside of a marriage covenant.
• Unwanted or inappropriate physical touch.
• Physical-sensual displays of the body or titillation of senses in suggestive ways.
• The use of pornography, individually or with others, to stimulate erotic fantasies.
• Verbal or visual contact with another person which implies or demands sexual response.

This is overly broad for my taste. Are we to create a BGCT permanent file for a singe minister who has a sexual relationship with someone outside the congregation? (It may not be good, but I don't consider that abusive.)

Pornography? in the church office, yes. At home, give the person some privacy.

I think some of the sexual harassment issues, esp. inappropriate touch, could on first time offenses, begin with a less structured approach. Sometimes, and I say sometimes, touch and "verbal or visual contact with another person which implies or demands sexual response," could be inappropriate, but unintentioned behavior that could be corrected by simply informing the person how the iteration was perceived. I'm not giving everyone a 'by' on the first offense. In some cases discipline and/or counseling should be implemented.


2) The plan sounds well and good, but I don't see many churches having read and made appropriate plans to implement this procedure if a incident occurred. Plus, it expects church insiders to implement this procedure. It makes me think having detached outsiders who have implemented such an investigation would be a very good idea.

I just don't see a church handling this well by itself. (They at least need to be able to call upon someone from the Assoc. or State convention. as a mediator/facilitator/consultant.

3) Information on clergy sexual misconduct will only be received from an elected officer of the church, including but not limited to the Chair of Deacons, Chairs of Personnel Committees, and the church’s legal Trustees. And the BGCT will simply determine if there is a confession, conviction or 'substantial evidence that the abuse took place'. That determination will have to be made from info given by the church leader, BGCT will do no investigation.


This is the worst part, in my opinion. This really limits the usefulness of the system. Since the BGCT won't do investigations, it would be hard for the BGCT to do anything with a report from an individual. BGCT needs to do some investigation on its own.

4) Information is only given out when requested by an officer of the church, including but not limited to the Chair of Deacons, chairs of personnel and search committees, and the church’s legal trustees.

And the only information given will be that the clergy-person is in the 'file'. The BGCT won't discrimination between the 'innapropreate use' of a porn mag and the seducing a member of the minister's congregation.

Just my take on reading this material for the first time.

jerryl

[Dee Ann Miller]

[William Thornton]

[Dee Ann Miller]

[Christa Brown]

[Dee Ann Miller]