Concord NH Rape Case Victim Goes Public

Trinity Baptist Church responds…

http://www.tbcnh.org/contact_us/article245254.htm

Don’t rush to judgment yet. Confident that the truth will come out. Psalm 27.

I’m always suspicious of cases unearthed by organizations that exist for the purpose of finding victims. Not that they are necessarily wrong, but there is built in temptation to find victims where they don’t exist and to distort the cases of legit. ones to fit the organization’s emphasis.

[URL=http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/pastor-no-cover-up-of-alleged-rap…] Pastor: No cover-up of alleged rape - Police told immediately, he says[/URL]

The former pastor of Concord’s Trinity Baptist Church says that there was no attempt to cover up the alleged rape of a 15-year-old parishioner in 1997 and that he immediately reported the crime to the police after learning of it.

“I was the first one to report this to the police, as was my duty… . The people who didn’t do their job was the Concord Police Department,” said Chuck Phelps, 51, who is now senior pastor at Colonial Hills Baptist Church in Indianapolis.

…
Phelps said yesterday that he reported the crime, as well as the names of the victim and alleged perpetrator, to the police and the Division for Children, Youth and Families within 24 hours of learning about it. He said that the woman remained in the area for at least two to four weeks before moving away and that he was never contacted by the police.

“I’m not in the ministry to hide felons,” Phelps said. “I’m not in the ministry to hide child abuse.”
…

Phelps said yesterday that he didn’t tell the woman she was responsible for what happened but that she needed to be responsible by avoiding contact with Willis, whose children she baby-sat.

“She’s not responsible for being raped. Of course not. She was an underage minor. That’s why I called” the police, Phelps said.

Phelps said he told her to “be responsible, don’t allow yourself to be around a person you know to be dangerous. She knew this person was dangerous after the first time, but she continued to be around him… . She needed to be responsible.”

At a church meeting, the woman said, Willis confessed to being unfaithful to his wife and Phelps read her letter about her pregnancy as she stood before the congregation.

Phelps said the meeting was not any sort of punishment, but was intended to inform the congregation and create a safe environment for people to help the woman with her pregnancy.

“I expected Ernie Willis to be arrested,” Phelps said. “So to prepare the church for his imminent arrest, I communicated with the church or had him communicate with the church that he had been unfaithful to his marital vows. And to the young lady, she was with child, she needed help… . There was no discipline. Discipline implies she was put out. She was not put out. She was embraced.”

The woman told the police Phelps helped move her to Colorado after she came forward. There, she said, she was home-schooled, was kept away from people her own age and gave birth to her daughter, who was then adopted.

Phelps said the woman was sent away in accordance with her mother’s wishes, to continue her studies in a safe home. He said that he knew the couple the woman stayed with through his previous work as a minister in Colorado and that they were experienced in home-schooling.

“Her mother turned to us and said, ‘I can’t care for a daughter in this situation,’ and our recommendation was, ‘What would you like us to do?’ … Her mom did not want her in the public school. That was her mother’s decision. What else was there to do?” he said.

I appreciate Chuck’s responses and glad that he didn’t stick by his earlier comment of “I’ve said all I need to say.” One of the things we can learn about this situation is the importance of keeping dated notes of communications (e.g. with the police), with timelines, etc. It may also be helpful to video, or at least audio, record church discipline sessions. I especially appreciated his clarification regarding the girl’s “discipline” and the explanation of her responsibility. Of course, there are a bunch of unanswered questions, and the reader’s comments mention quite a few—not the least of which concerns Willis’s ongoing membership in TBC(?!?). Nevertheless, Chuck’s steps toward fuller disclosure do help us better see that there’s another side to this. Let’s hope for more.

While this is a very delicate topic, I think there is much to learn, as Bro. Bryan points out. Churches must keep good records, and we need to understand that the best intentions and well meaning actions can be twisted and re-interpreted at any point in time to attempt to criminalize church polity/methodology, ie the idea that women are practically prisoners because of the doctrine of submission, or someone feeling they were subject to public humiliation because leadership believes in bringing matters before the church. What seems perfectly normal to us, such as teaching Biblical gender roles in the home, looks outmoded, primitive, and suspicious to modern society. It is also difficult when you are in the midst of a crisis to act with foresight- sometimes you are too busy playing Whack-A-Mole with all the problems that keep popping up to know what all the possible ramifications are going to be.

As much as we need to be careful when discussing this, it’s a good time for church leadership to ask themselves what they would have done in a similar situation, especially since we can see these repercussions from this situation years later.

The fact is that a man had sex with a child. To label this as being unfaithful to your spouse is an understatement.

I am familiar with two similar situations. in the first, the adult male church member had sex with a teenager and was confronted with his crime. The pastor escorted him to the authorities, where he turned himself in and did his time in prison. In the second, the adult male church member was seduced by a 15 year-old (she testified to the fact that she had seduced him) and he chose to defend himself on those grounds. The judge ruled that there was no excuse for a man having sex with a child and the perpetrator is in prison.

If you were guilty of a crime, would you wait for the police to arrest you or would you turn yourself in to the authorities?

All of us are still getting the facts in this case and there still is much to learn.

http://cbs4denver.com/crime/tina.anderson.rape.2.1720573.html

The pregnant Anderson was then moved to Westminster where she lived with a family associated with Tri-City Baptist Church. The Pastor at Tri City at the time was Matt Olson, who has since left and is now President of Northland International University, a Baptist bible college in Wisconsin. Administrators at the College said Olson was away for several weeks and could not be reached for comment.

Larry Robbins, currently an assistant pastor at Tri-City Baptist in Westminster, worked at the church in the late 1990s and told CBS4 via email he remembers the situation. He says Olson “helped out another church and Tina Anderson by assisting the young girl.”

Robbins said Olson and Phelps knew each other and had worked together prior to the Anderson situation.

“It basically was ‘someone who knew someone’ making the connection with the … family who happened (at that time) to attend our church.”

“My only recollection was that Tina attended our church and was warmly welcomed and encouraged by the congregation during the time she lived here. There was really nothing secretive about any of it. It was really hard to believe that any investigator from Concord would have had any trouble contacting her 12 years ago — they must not have tried very hard at the time.”

Robbins said while he was aware of her pregnancy he was not made aware of the circumstances that led to it.

More on the rape victim

Anderson says the family she was housed with was “kind” and treated her well. She said she was home schooled, was not allowed to associate with other young people, was monitored closely by Olson and now feels there was a conspiracy to keep her under wraps.

“I think they kept me hidden to keep him (Willis) from getting in trouble and they covered a crime. They did wrong.”

She says at one point while she was living in Colorado, Olson had her write a letter to the wife of Willis.

“He made me sit down and write a letter of apology to the rapist’s wife for betraying her trust by seducing her husband. I basically wrote what they told me to write,” she said. “I think it’s completely disgusting. It’s wrong.”

I would urge caution here about being too critical of Tina Anderson. One of the easiest things to do is to claim that she and harsh commentators are just “disgruntled, disenfranchised church members” whose comments shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Without implying that it’s definitely the case in THIS situation, I know all too well how people can be terribly mistreated even in our “flagship fundamental churches,” discarded, and then maligned as malcontents—they are effectively silenced, declared not worth listening to. Unfortunately, some of those so mistreated end up becoming bitter, wanting nothing to do with fundamentalism at all. And some keep the church at arms’ length altogether.

I know firsthand what it’s like to be the powerless victim of a pastor who “can do no wrong.” In my case (along with many others in that particular ministry), the shameful treatment came from the top, and there was no one to appeal to. If I had tried to tell a deacon how I was mistreated, I would be considered an unsubmissive troublemaker and summarily fired. It wouldn’t be the first time. I heard many former staff and church members spoken of disparagingly, but I eventually learned that their treatment was similar to my own, though perhaps for different reasons—none of which were justified. So, generally our family suffered silently so as not to jeopardize our income, and we prayed diligently for another place to serve. There were a few people outside the organization with whom we shared our story. Most listened quietly and offered the obligatory, “Well, we’ll pray something else opens up for you.” A few tried to offer some kind of defense of the pastor. But for the most part, we just took it. The deception—both we and the entire congregation were deceived—and the hurt, though, took its toll. For our part, my wife and I carry scars, fought and sometimes fight the bitterness battle, and will never be able to look at a large fundamentalist ministry with strong pastoral leadership without wondering how many people were broken and cast aside for the sake of “the empire.” I won’t begin to describe the effects on my children.

The sad thing is that were I and the many other victims to stand up and say “Hey, listen! This is wrong! This is what happened to us!”, there would be all kinds of smooth talk to spin things, and we would be the bitter, critical-spirited bad guys on a vendetta. We would be marginalized and the powers that be would stand with the abuser. I heard it with my own ears, enough times to keep my mouth shut.

Again, I emphasize that I am not saying that this is the case in the TBC, Concord situation. I’m simply encouraging us not to marginalize Tina Anderson and others whose comments are unflattering. They may very well be bitter, critical, and disgruntled…but they may also have been given a reason to be.

I haven’t commented here for some time now, but this case just blew me away. I am a little confused about what kind of info is still coming in this situation that should cause any to withhold assessment. A girl is raped and the fruit of the validity to her claim is pregnancy…the accused pervert confesses responsibility…but…is not taken to the police??

“I expected Ernie Willis to be arrested,” Phelps said. “So to prepare the church for his imminent arrest, I communicated with the church or had him communicate with the church that he had been unfaithful to his marital vows.

Chuck Phelps said the public confession was for unfaithfulness, not the crime of raping a minor. Reporting the accusation within 24 hours was appropriate, but the thought of allowing a child rapist to only publicly call (without shackles and an orange jumpsuit) his sin unfaithfulness to his wife is seemingly an almost unbelievable scenario. What excuse could there be for not immediately escorting this rapist to the police where his confession would be given…seduction or no seduction?

There is enough information here to makes us sick to our stomachs for this devastating crime and to provide insight about how we deal with each case of such accusation.

As I am understanding the facts, the best case scenario I can imagine here is that the physical involvement between the listed parties was consensual. That being said, I am having difficulty understanding why church leaders would believe that the responsible thing to do here would stop with reporting it, and not being willing to pursue to the matter to the fullest extent of the law. If a church member would murder another member, would anyone argue that church discipline would be adequate, and that the consequences available at the discretion of the state ought not be implemented because it was a church matter? I understand the principle that believers ought not to take church matters into public courts (1 Corinthians 6), but at the same time, the jurisdiction of a local church to carry out the consequences of justice is limited. This isn’t as simple as settling interpersonal conflict. The church has jurisdiction to settle a matter like this in the body, but I believe that part of that solution involves leading the adult in this specific scenario to a willingness to accept the consequences for one’s actions, and if he is not willing, delivering him up to the authorities anyway.

BTW- a good article on handling abuse matters like this is [URL=http://www.peacemaker.net/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=aqKFLTOBIpH&b…] “A Better Way to Handle Abuse”[/URL] by Ken Sande of Peacemaker Ministries. The article’s conclusion:

In one case, a pastor discovered that a man had abused several children in the church, including the pastor’s daughter. In the midst of his own personal anguish, the pastor prayed to respond to the situation in a way that would reflect the love of Jesus. After consulting with a Christian conciliator and the church’s insurer, the pastor and his elders set out to minister to everyone who had been hurt by this dreadful sin.

They persuaded the abuser to confess his sin to the families of the children and to turn himself in to the police. He willingly accepted his prison sentence, and was even grateful that his destructive behavior had finally been stopped.

The leaders spent many hours with the families themselves, grieving and praying with them, and making sure they received needed support and counseling. In addition, the leaders improved their screening and supervision policies to guard against similar incidents in the future.

They also reached out to the abuser’s wife and children, who were so ashamed that they planned to leave the church. But the leaders understood what being a shepherd is all about. They ministered to this broken family, reassured them of God’s love, and kept them in the fold.

Instead of being dragged through an excruciating lawsuit, the victims and their families, the abuser and his family, and the entire congregation experienced the redeeming power of God. This remarkable process culminated months later during a Christmas Eve service. As the church prepared to sing “Silent Night,” two young girls came forward to light the candles. One of them had been abused. The other was the daughter of the abuser. As they finished their task and smiled at each other, the congregation saw tangible evidence of God’s love and grace.

Abuse in the church does not have to end with catastrophe. When a church follows its Lord, even this great tragedy can result in healing and restoration.

[Greg Linscott] BTW- a good article on handling abuse matters like this is [URL=http://www.peacemaker.net/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=aqKFLTOBIpH&b…] “A Better Way to Handle Abuse”[/URL] by Ken Sande of Peacemaker Ministries. The article’s conclusion:

In one case, a pastor discovered that a man had abused several children in the church, including the pastor’s daughter. In the midst of his own personal anguish, the pastor prayed to respond to the situation in a way that would reflect the love of Jesus. After consulting with a Christian conciliator and the church’s insurer, the pastor and his elders set out to minister to everyone who had been hurt by this dreadful sin.

They persuaded the abuser to confess his sin to the families of the children and to turn himself in to the police. He willingly accepted his prison sentence, and was even grateful that his destructive behavior had finally been stopped.

The leaders spent many hours with the families themselves, grieving and praying with them, and making sure they received needed support and counseling. In addition, the leaders improved their screening and supervision policies to guard against similar incidents in the future.

They also reached out to the abuser’s wife and children, who were so ashamed that they planned to leave the church. But the leaders understood what being a shepherd is all about. They ministered to this broken family, reassured them of God’s love, and kept them in the fold.

Instead of being dragged through an excruciating lawsuit, the victims and their families, the abuser and his family, and the entire congregation experienced the redeeming power of God. This remarkable process culminated months later during a Christmas Eve service. As the church prepared to sing “Silent Night,” two young girls came forward to light the candles. One of them had been abused. The other was the daughter of the abuser. As they finished their task and smiled at each other, the congregation saw tangible evidence of God’s love and grace.

Abuse in the church does not have to end with catastrophe. When a church follows its Lord, even this great tragedy can result in healing and restoration.

Perfect. And in what independent fundamental Baptist church did this occur?

[BryanBice] I would urge caution here about being too critical of Tina Anderson. One of the easiest things to do is to claim that she and harsh commentators are just “disgruntled, disenfranchised church members” whose comments shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Without implying that it’s definitely the case in THIS situation, I know all too well how people can be terribly mistreated even in our “flagship fundamental churches,” discarded, and then maligned as malcontents—they are effectively silenced, declared not worth listening to. Unfortunately, some of those so mistreated end up becoming bitter, wanting nothing to do with fundamentalism at all. And some keep the church at arms’ length altogether.

I know firsthand what it’s like to be the powerless victim of a pastor who “can do no wrong.” In my case (along with many others in that particular ministry), the shameful treatment came from the top, and there was no one to appeal to. If I had tried to tell a deacon how I was mistreated, I would be considered an unsubmissive troublemaker and summarily fired. It wouldn’t be the first time. I heard many former staff and church members spoken of disparagingly, but I eventually learned that their treatment was similar to my own, though perhaps for different reasons—none of which were justified. So, generally our family suffered silently so as not to jeopardize our income, and we prayed diligently for another place to serve. There were a few people outside the organization with whom we shared our story. Most listened quietly and offered the obligatory, “Well, we’ll pray something else opens up for you.” A few tried to offer some kind of defense of the pastor. But for the most part, we just took it. The deception—both we and the entire congregation were deceived—and the hurt, though, took its toll. For our part, my wife and I carry scars, fought and sometimes fight the bitterness battle, and will never be able to look at a large fundamentalist ministry with strong pastoral leadership without wondering how many people were broken and cast aside for the sake of “the empire.” I won’t begin to describe the effects on my children.

The sad thing is that were I and the many other victims to stand up and say “Hey, listen! This is wrong! This is what happened to us!”, there would be all kinds of smooth talk to spin things, and we would be the bitter, critical-spirited bad guys on a vendetta. We would be marginalized and the powers that be would stand with the abuser. I heard it with my own ears, enough times to keep my mouth shut.

Again, I emphasize that I am not saying that this is the case in the TBC, Concord situation. I’m simply encouraging us not to marginalize Tina Anderson and others whose comments are unflattering. They may very well be bitter, critical, and disgruntled…but they may also have been given a reason to be.

It’s a double-edged sword. On the one hand, we know how far events can be misconstrued and twisted by the accusers, but on the other, it seems SOP for folks to engage in covering up unethical, immoral, and even criminal activity that has taken place in a church body. We just can’t know what has taken place when we aren’t part of the problem or the solution.

It isn’t just church leadership that should keep good records, btw, but if a lay person is in a conflict/crisis, they should also keep records of correspondence and use witnesses to conversations whenever possible.

The comments from the church completely avoid dealing with what believers are concerned about. The authorities were notified. The law enforcement authorities will have to explain why they didn’t purse this more aggressively. But, why did the church practice church discipline on the young woman? The pastor seemed to tell her that she put herself into a compromising situation. Maybe so, but the girl was 15. Do all 15 year-olds make wise decisions? Why did the man not confess publically, in church, to the rape of that young lady? Why were the situations dealt with as if they were unrelated? These are the issues that the church must answer. I don’t know pastor Phelps; I know he is highly regarded in fundamentalism. Maybe he owes us all an answer, maybe not. It is a shame to see ministries fail to confess their past sins because they fear what liabilites this may open themselves up to.

It’s a double-edged sword. On the one hand, we know how far events can be misconstrued and twisted by the accusers, but on the other, it seems SOP for folks to engage in covering up unethical, immoral, and even criminal activity that has taken place in a church body. We just can’t know what has taken place when we aren’t part of the problem or the solution.

You’re absolutely right, Susan. I think that one factor to consider in trying to determine the validity of the disgruntled’s claims is the authority structure of the church. 1) Just how readily does the pastor accept criticism and admit error/wrongdoing/failure? 2) If someone does feel wronged by the pastor and cannot seem to resolve the matter with the just the two of them, to whom can the hurt party turn? 3) Does it ever happen that the offended goes to a third party who is in leadership (deacon/elder), who ends up agreeing that the pastor was in the wrong? 4) Will the 3rd party go with the offended to try help the pastor see the error of his way? 5) And if so, is the pastor humble enough to agree & ask forgiveness?

In my situation referenced earlier, answers to the above questions are: 1) Never; 2) No one; 3) Rarely; 4) No way; 5) Are you kidding?

In contrast, if the answers are 1) very much so…2) a deacon/deacons or elder/elders… 3) yes… 4) yes…5) yes, then you can be 99% sure that a vocal, complaining, disgruntled (former) member is not worth listening to.

One of the things that troubles me when situations like TBC, Concord arise is a lack of willingness to say, “It would’ve been wiser had we __________.” The almost defiant “we did everything right…they did everything wrong” and “I don’t need to explain myself” attitudes tend to make me listen more attentively to the victim.

I am glad Phelps gave a better response. But I still wonder why this man wasn’t escorted to the police right after his “discipline?” I also wonder why instead of confessing his unfaithfulness, he was not also ordered to confess his criminal activity? Those are still nagging unanswered questions in my mind. They are not there to impune this ministry…they are there so that it can be a lesson for all of us in case some wickedness happens in our ministries.