Clergy Sexual Misconduct. John Thoburn Thoburn
discovered, it is recommended that the team prepare the clergy person for the possibility that he may need to relinquish his current ministry (this will be established during the assessment and evaluation). The primary focus is restoring him as a person and follower of Christ. The team provides the minister with a comprehensive sexual dependency or deviancy evaluation, including intervention and treatment recommendations for each incident of clergy sexual misconduct. This assessment is coordinated by the team therapist. This practitioner may also make recommendations to refer the pastor to a local therapist who specializes in clergy mental health issues, including sexual addiction, to do the evaluation. A consultation protocol with the local therapist is established throughout the evaluation and treatment process. The therapist conducting the evaluation may request to consult with a medical doctor, psychiatrist, chemical dependency counselor, or other practitioners as needed.
The team assesses the impact of the clergy misconduct and makes care plan recommendations for the clergy, spouse, and family. In most cases, the team therapist suggests a care plan that involves providing each of these parties with their own therapy advocate. Practitioners trained in systemic approaches to therapy with specific experience in sexual addiction treatment, trauma resolution, and resiliency modalities are often best suited to serve their needs. This component also includes treatment recommendations and a care plan for the clergy marriage. The clergy couple’s therapy plan can be developed on a timely basis once personal evaluation and care plans have been established for each spouse. Finally, as the couple’s care plan is being put into place, a thoughtful approach to the practical needs of the family and each family member’s care can be initiated. A sensitive function of the team is to assess and make care plan recommendations for other parties directly harmed by the clergy sexual misconduct. Specific policies and approaches in these situations need to be developed in consultation with legal counsel as well as appropriate organizational consultants and treatment providers.
The team has the vital role of recommending, developing, and overseeing a plan for attending to the needs of the parishioners of the pastor’s church. Systemically, the health of the Church depends upon governing leadership to responsibly and fairly address the issues. An optimal plan includes a communication protocol for the congregation. First, there must be an appropriate and timely disclosure of information regarding the clergy sexual misconduct, guided by denominational policy and legal consultation (see chapter 6). Second, once an approved plan has been determined by the oversight team and denominational leadership, trained facilitators can be recruited to address the disclosure, debriefing, and support needs of parishioners according to the unique dynamics of each Church situation. A responsibly planned intervention with care to avoid further harm can support the restoration of all parties (Ruth & McClintock, 2007).
The Oversight Team will have the long-term ongoing task of shepherding the congregation through the acute and chronic phases of the crisis, including reconstruction of leadership as well as restoration of faith and trust in spiritual leadership. The team will need to carefully evaluate the structures of the congregation, just as it does the life of the pastor. Often misconduct involves unconscious (and sometimes conscious) collusion on the part of others along with the pastor; this will be a time for the Church to honestly evaluate and reflect on intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental dynamics within the congregation.
The Oversight Team facilitates the policies and protocols for the denomination’s approved treatment and care plan for the clergy person, which includes any care plans for impacted parties. Further, they are to evaluate and recommend the fitness of the clergy’s reinstatement to ministry to the denomination or governing body. Upon denomination approval, the team provides oversight and accountability for the pastor’s plan for reinstatement to ministry.
Under the policy directive of the denomination or governing body, the team develops and oversees clergy professional and personal development programs. Emphasis needs to be on providing formats scheduled on a regular basis to support pastors’ personal, relational, and spiritual health and vitality. Key components would also include the implementation of policies, guidelines, and programs regarding sexual health and appropriate conduct. A comprehensive model for addressing clergy sexual misconduct involves a proactive orientation to prevention and education regarding health and sexual integrity, combined with treatment and restoration.
Assessment, Treatment, and Oversight of Clergy Sexual Misconduct
Assessment
A multidisclipinary approach to clergy sexual misconduct includes the use of evidence-based assessment instruments and inventories to accurately diagnose the problematic sexual behavior and history of the pastor (see chapter 5). The pastor’s psychosocial history will be considered, which includes facts related to his family, health, and education. Other interactive conditions, such as dual diagnoses and the presence of other addictions, are also assessed. The evaluation integrates the assessment and implications for the clergy marriage, family, and other impacted parties. Depending on the findings, the pastor may be referred for a medical or psychiatric examination. A polygraph test is recommended to verify the information that is gathered in the initial inventory and information gathering, as well as to challenge the pastor’s denial. It is important to include interviews with other parties directly impacted by clergy behavior for corroboration regarding the behaviors being investigated and evaluated. Appropriate treatment recommendations would be an integrated component of the evaluation.
Finally, upon completion of the evaluation, a treatment plan is recommended by the team therapist, taking into account the therapy needs of the pastor’s significant other and other affected people. After reviewing the evaluation and treatment recommendations, the Oversight Team needs to collaboratively determine a summary recommendation to denominational leadership regarding a restoration proposal for all parties. A key factor in this determination is the pastor’s amenability to treatment. He must acknowledge his misconduct and demonstrate a willingness to meaningfully address his identified issues. The pastor’s perspectives and orientation are vital for achieving real change and restoration.
Intervention and Treatment
Recovery and restoration require a comprehensive approach to intervention and treatment. As a point of reference, Patrick Carnes’s task-based treatment model entails a three- to five-year time frame to meaningfully integrate the multiple components of recovery to achieve lasting change (1991; 2005). All parties involved need to be aware of the necessary commitment of time, energy, and resources for treatment. It is also important to do a thorough evaluation to determine if the pastor’s treatment recommendations are within the congregation’s available resources. All impacted parties’ openness to care and intervention also need to be thoughtfully considered in this determination.
An effective comprehensive approach to treatment encompasses the following three dimensions for the pastor who has acted out sexually:
1.Behavioral relapse prevention. This includes monitoring the pastor’s sobriety regarding the problematic sexual behavior or addiction and other interactive or concurrent addictions. Healthy self-care interventions need to be proactively put in place to monitor the problematic behavior or addictive cycle. This component also provides the grounding essential for deeper healing work.
2.Resolution of personal core issues, including building healthy esteem and resiliency. This component includes treatment modalities for resolving trauma, loss, and corresponding underlying shame issues that often originate from dysfunctional family-of-origin dynamics. Significant emphasis is placed on integrating spiritual formation and restoration.
3.Relationship healing and reconciliation, including the development of healthy relationship competencies. This segment addresses reconciliation of the person’s marital and family relationships. Attention is also devoted to repair and restoration with the Church.
These three components are accomplished optimally in appropriate treatment contexts specifically designated to address the issues of problematic sexual behavior or addiction and recovery. Appropriate therapy contexts can include group treatment and support groups as well as individual, marriage, and family therapy under the care of experts. In some instances, inpatient or intensive outpatient treatment may be appropriate