Guidelines for Elders/Wives dealing with CSA/SA
- Any allegations of CSA/SA amongst our fellowship meetings will be reported to the appropriate law enforcement immediately.
- With a single allegation, all elders will be contacted immediately.
- The alleged perpetrator will be immediately told not to attend any meetings.
- Ministers in the field will then be notified, though they will not be involved in the initial process of hearing the allegations or reporting it to authorities.
- Any victims who decide to come forward or anyone with concerns can talk with any elder/elder’s wife. They do not need to go to the elder/elder’s wife where they usually attend fellowship meetings if they are more comfortable talking to someone else. Certainly, a victim may also be more comfortable talking to someone other than an elder/elder’s wife initially.
- Victims can report to authorities first then inform/discuss with the elder/elder’s wife as appropriate.
- If a CSA/SA abuser – convicted or with allegations – moves to the area, the meeting in the area will not be polled to see if everyone is comfortable adding this abuser to the meeting. Rather, those who wish to have a bible study or meeting with this abuser may form a study group with those interested.
- Every elder/elder’s wife will take the Ministry Safe course every two years.
- For reference, Child Abuse Hotline (CSA): TN (877) 237-0004 and KY (877) 597-2331, Sexual Assault (SA) call 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Guidelines for Middle Tennessee fellowship meetings:
- The fellowship meetings will be a safe place – meaning no known convicted or accused abusers of CSA/SA will be allowed attendance at fellowship meetings.
- Any elder and/or their wife will listen to an accusation or concern of CSA/SA from their respective meeting and will aid in reporting it to the authorities as warranted and legally required. (Any accusations/concerns can be made either to the elder or their wife or both together depending on situation and comfort level. Accusations/concerns can be made to the elder or wife of another meeting if more comfortable.)
- Known offenders in the area will be shared with the elders and their individual meetings. Ministers will be informed of further communication to be disbursed.
- If you have children, please be aware of safe parenting to add another layer of safety to their welfare.
- Elders will make every effort to seat families together during the fellowship meetings.
- Elders will notify meeting attendees of friends and/or ministers visiting from other states/areas.
- For those visiting the meeting, elders will inform the visitor that there are children in the meeting and express that we have a zero-tolerance policy for CSA/SA.
WINGS Note: THese Guidelines were developed by 25 elders and their wives (not the workers).
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Pretty sad when visitors to meetings in middle Tennessee (wherever that is) need to be told of a zero tolerance policy for CSA/SA. I thought CSA/SA was against the law in the entire USA. Maybe too many group members and workers do not think laws apply to them. Very sad state of affairs.
I suppose it is inevitable that forums like this will attract the ‘Max’s of this world, who have nothing positive to contribute in dealing with serious issues like CSA, but enjoy putting down the efforts of others.
In your comment about Middle Tennessee, Max, you have not only insulted 25 families, but also the place where they live. I am not in the US, but even I can figure out where Middle Tennessee is. I’m sure it is a fine place, and from what I can read of the efforts that the 25 families/churches are making to deal with CSA, it is somewhere I would be happy to visit some day.
Regarding the comment about CSA/SA and the law, yes CSA/SA is against the law, but grooming by perpetrators is not, and by the time the perpetrator has broken the law it is far too late. Prevention is always better than cure.
I applaud the efforts by the folk in Middle Tennessee to try and keep their area safe. If every other area and region around the world did the same, we would be well on our way to a safer better place for all our children.
You and others that claim to be so concerned about CSA/SA in the group really need to do what many of us have already done, continue to do, and plan to do, with is to donate cash to Cynthia Lilies and her group at Advocates For The Truth ( https://www.advocatesforthetruth.com/donate ). Advocates is helping many victims today and will hopefully help bring justice to those who caused CSA/SA related suffering. My wife used their hotline – very good people at the other end.
Well written Tennessee! This sounds very positive🌷
It will be interesting if the meetings in this area will alert the members that their overseeing head worker, Jerome Frandle, was “Convicted and sentenced for failure to report CHILD SEX ABUSE of which he had knowledge”, taking place in a members home.
This looks like progress.
I’m hoping that Scott Mitchell is removed. He’s been reported to AFTT hotline.
Jerome is not behind these guidelines.
The Guidelines for Middle Tennessee fellowship meetings state: “1) The fellowship meetings will be a safe place – meaning no known convicted or accused abusers of CSA/SA will be allowed attendance at fellowship meetings”. The head worker, Jerome Frandle was “convicted and sentenced for failure to report child sexual abuse of which he had knowledge”, taking place in a members home. No doubt ” exceptions ” will be made for the head worker overseer of the state. There is always exceptions.