Church leaders often fear creating a scandal or accusing someone who may be innocent, said Hinton, who frequently advises churches on how to respond to abuse. Leaders often feel they have done the right thing by reporting to police, but he said their work is not done at that point.
Hinton said his counsel to church leaders is straightforward: If they know about allegations of abuse, they need to tell the congregation.
He said that if a congregation is not told, it will lead people to assume the worst. “They will wonder, what else are you covering up,” he said.
Frank Sommerville, a Texas attorney who specializes in church and nonprofit law, said that churches do need to take care when communicating about allegations of abuse to the congregation.
Sommerville said churches can expect a delay between reporting allegations to police and any action, such as filing of charges or making an arrest. They can use that delay to tell church leaders, such as board members or deacons, about what may be coming. The person accused of abuse should be removed from ministry while the investigation proceeds. Then, when the congregation is informed, after an initial report is made, it should be during a confidential, members-only meeting, he said.
That’s in part to allow law enforcement to do its work, said Sommerville. If charges are filed or an arrest has been made, the congregations should be informed immediately.
“Once an arrest has been made, you need to have a congregational meeting, and tell everyone what you know and what actions you have taken.”
Lou Ann Sabatier, a longtime communications professional and principal of Sabatier Consulting in Falls Church, Virginia, said church leaders also need to be thoughtful and intentional about how they tell the congregation about a crisis such as allegations of abuse. That includes being clear about the presumption of innocence even as they send a message that the church takes allegations of abuse seriously.
When a congregation is told about allegations, Sabatier added, it should happen in a controlled setting where people have time and space to respond and ask questions.
“This isn’t something that you would bring up at the end of announcements during the sermon, she said.
Sabatier said that church leaders have a moral imperative to tell the truth to their congregations. Even when the news is difficult.
“If you are not telling them, you are not being truthful,” she said.
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This article originally appeared on ReligionNews.com.
