Follow Up on Post from June 18, 2019
Some time ago I wrote a post directed to observers in an unfolding saga of minors in a foreign country having suffered sexual abuse by a Christian missionary in the employ of an organization that was widely supported by people across the conservative Anabaptist spectrum. In that post I urged people not to abandon the truly Christian aspects of our culture in a rush to judgement.
Now that a number of months have passed, I'm ready to revisit the subject. Some of the legal matters have been resolved in the courts, and the perpetrator in the original abuse allegations has been sentenced to a nine-year prison term. I understand that several people who were most directly culpable (i. e. they had knowledge of prior offenses and did not take appropriate action to prevent future offenses) in the sending organization have been placed on temporary leave.
In the past few days I've learned of a similar problem that I don't believe has been resolved. Another person has apparently abused minors in the same country while working under the same organization. As in the previous case, a record of abuse in the US preceded the perpetrator's placement in a foreign country.
That something is very wrong, and some serious corrective action is needed has become clear in the intervening time since the first reports became known. I wish all the details of what should happen would be clear also, but that is not the case with me. Although I hear some voices speaking with a great deal of confidence about what should happen, I'm still in the mode of considering, weighing, questioning, and praying. Consequently, what I have to offer here should be regarded as being somewhat tentative. I do not offer it lightly, however, recognizing that some of what I think needs to happen will create an enormous amount of upheaval for some people involved only peripherally. I grieve for these people.
The person who has most recently been identified as a perpetrator needs to be promptly removed from contact with potential future targets. Perhaps this has already happened without my knowledge. His victims need to be offered help. I don't know exactly how "help" should look, but at the very least, the harm should be acknowledged as publicly as necessary so that no one persists in defending what is indefensible, and forgiveness should be sought by the perpetrator and his enablers.
At the crux of what is most clear to me beyond the need for dealing directly with perpetrators and victims is that organizational restructuring in the sending organization is also needed. I have no knowledge of exactly how this should look, but I think the loss of confidence has been so great that there will be little ongoing support for legitimate and necessary ministries if some fairly radical change does not occur.
I'd like to see a group of investigators being given full access to all records and being able to interview any person they wish, in order to identify who of the current board and administrative team should stay. I presume that a number of replacements might be needed if the organization is to survive. I'd like to see these replacements come from among workers who have served with integrity in foreign missions in the past, and are vouched for by native people being served in foreign countries. Perhaps headquarters should be moved elsewhere, to emphasize that the "business" is operating under new management--and to make a clean break with any unhealthy organizational culture embedded there since the organization's inception.
Who should make up the investigative team? I've heard GRACE suggested. While I understand why a pre-existing organization familiar with this kind of investigation has some appeal, I also have some reservations. I would much prefer that it not be people whose primary reflexes were honed in a legal environment. I would like to have it be people who have loyalty to or at least an understanding of historic Anabaptist theological positions and practical applications. I would love to have people involved who have training in psychology or counseling from a Christian perspective. Being seasoned by years of faithful Christian living would be an important qualification for an investigator. Having some distance from the situation would be needed as well. Although I don't expect to be asked, I can certainly think of enough such people to make up an investigative committee--just from my circle of acquaintances.
The most significant part of the organization welcoming an investigative team chosen by others is that it would demonstrate a level of openness and accountability and willingness to relinquish control that has probably not been sufficiently in evidence before now. I'm sure that to many who have reservations about para-church organizations, this debacle could serve as exhibit A about why such "independent" structures can be problematic. An elderly person I know and trust expressed reservations a number of decades ago about how this specific organization developed--and he was a first-hand observer from the beginning. As is abundantly clear to all now, he was right to be cautious. One specific problem now is that it's hard to identify where help might come from if those within the organization itself do not reach out for help--regardless what it might cost them personally, financially, and organizationally.
Along a radically different vein, maybe consideration should be given to mindfully dismantling the central organization that is currently struggling. Perhaps responsibility for the current ministries could be assumed by individual congregations or groups of congregations. Funding that has flowed into the organization's coffers in the past could perhaps be distributed to these congregations instead. I'm not sure how this would work, but people smarter than I could surely figure it out.
Now that a number of months have passed, I'm ready to revisit the subject. Some of the legal matters have been resolved in the courts, and the perpetrator in the original abuse allegations has been sentenced to a nine-year prison term. I understand that several people who were most directly culpable (i. e. they had knowledge of prior offenses and did not take appropriate action to prevent future offenses) in the sending organization have been placed on temporary leave.
In the past few days I've learned of a similar problem that I don't believe has been resolved. Another person has apparently abused minors in the same country while working under the same organization. As in the previous case, a record of abuse in the US preceded the perpetrator's placement in a foreign country.
That something is very wrong, and some serious corrective action is needed has become clear in the intervening time since the first reports became known. I wish all the details of what should happen would be clear also, but that is not the case with me. Although I hear some voices speaking with a great deal of confidence about what should happen, I'm still in the mode of considering, weighing, questioning, and praying. Consequently, what I have to offer here should be regarded as being somewhat tentative. I do not offer it lightly, however, recognizing that some of what I think needs to happen will create an enormous amount of upheaval for some people involved only peripherally. I grieve for these people.
The person who has most recently been identified as a perpetrator needs to be promptly removed from contact with potential future targets. Perhaps this has already happened without my knowledge. His victims need to be offered help. I don't know exactly how "help" should look, but at the very least, the harm should be acknowledged as publicly as necessary so that no one persists in defending what is indefensible, and forgiveness should be sought by the perpetrator and his enablers.
At the crux of what is most clear to me beyond the need for dealing directly with perpetrators and victims is that organizational restructuring in the sending organization is also needed. I have no knowledge of exactly how this should look, but I think the loss of confidence has been so great that there will be little ongoing support for legitimate and necessary ministries if some fairly radical change does not occur.
I'd like to see a group of investigators being given full access to all records and being able to interview any person they wish, in order to identify who of the current board and administrative team should stay. I presume that a number of replacements might be needed if the organization is to survive. I'd like to see these replacements come from among workers who have served with integrity in foreign missions in the past, and are vouched for by native people being served in foreign countries. Perhaps headquarters should be moved elsewhere, to emphasize that the "business" is operating under new management--and to make a clean break with any unhealthy organizational culture embedded there since the organization's inception.
Who should make up the investigative team? I've heard GRACE suggested. While I understand why a pre-existing organization familiar with this kind of investigation has some appeal, I also have some reservations. I would much prefer that it not be people whose primary reflexes were honed in a legal environment. I would like to have it be people who have loyalty to or at least an understanding of historic Anabaptist theological positions and practical applications. I would love to have people involved who have training in psychology or counseling from a Christian perspective. Being seasoned by years of faithful Christian living would be an important qualification for an investigator. Having some distance from the situation would be needed as well. Although I don't expect to be asked, I can certainly think of enough such people to make up an investigative committee--just from my circle of acquaintances.
The most significant part of the organization welcoming an investigative team chosen by others is that it would demonstrate a level of openness and accountability and willingness to relinquish control that has probably not been sufficiently in evidence before now. I'm sure that to many who have reservations about para-church organizations, this debacle could serve as exhibit A about why such "independent" structures can be problematic. An elderly person I know and trust expressed reservations a number of decades ago about how this specific organization developed--and he was a first-hand observer from the beginning. As is abundantly clear to all now, he was right to be cautious. One specific problem now is that it's hard to identify where help might come from if those within the organization itself do not reach out for help--regardless what it might cost them personally, financially, and organizationally.
Along a radically different vein, maybe consideration should be given to mindfully dismantling the central organization that is currently struggling. Perhaps responsibility for the current ministries could be assumed by individual congregations or groups of congregations. Funding that has flowed into the organization's coffers in the past could perhaps be distributed to these congregations instead. I'm not sure how this would work, but people smarter than I could surely figure it out.
posted by Miriam Iwashige at
12:05 PM
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