3 Mistakes Church Leaders Make Responding to Sexual Abuse Allegations

“1. Wait until disclosure occurs to prepare. If you wait for a crisis to prepare for a crisis, you will not be prepared.” - Lifeway

Discussion

I recommend reading this article. Some key takeaways are to make sure the abused is safe and then give them the time to decide what to do. We should all want justice, but the abuse victim has to be ready to take the next steps. Often once they are free of their abuser they just want to be left alone and to get on with their lives. Pressuring them to confront their abuser or to press charges is not our place. It is our job to make sure they are safe. If they do want to press charges and we can support those charges we should step up and testify. If we know of abuse, we must report it to the authorities. I wish more victims would step up, but we do not know all that they have been through and how much healing they need before they are ready.