A small team of four professionals plus one worker liaison have been working on regional guidelines for the WANIDAK region, at the request of the overseer Darryl Doland. However, Darryl recently made the decision to be aligned with other overseers around the country and to scrap the WANIDAK project in favor of the very vague, 2 page document Oregon has been using.
The WANIDAK Guidelines Team decided to share their work widely for the benefit of many of the friends who have been asking for a safer path forward. If nothing else, it offers a model for dealing with CSA/SA within the system, and may help families set safer boundaries in their own lives and homes. The following content is from the WANIDAK Guidelines Team.
Dear all,
We want to acknowledge the hurt and suffering of all victim survivors in our fellowship, known and unknown. We see you, we hear you, we believe you, and we grieve alongside you for the pain you have experienced. Thank you for your bravery and your courage in being on the front line in our current crisis.
Each of us on the guidelines team were drawn to serve in this manner because of a deep love for God, a love for others, especially the vulnerable, and a desire to see the necessary changes to making this fellowship safer for all. Over the past five months, we have poured our hearts, and, importantly, our expertise as professionals into these guidelines. The final product is a culmination of countless hours of research, discussion, thought, prayer, and consultation, and we firmly believe that it adheres to best practices in the reporting and addressing of CSA and SA.
It was our hope and prayer that there would be a unity shown forth to the fellowship from the guidelines team and the ministry that would exemplify a deep care for victims, an unwavering commitment to the vulnerable, and a recognition and adjustment of unsafe practices. In the past month, following open discussion with the staff, the opportunity for the ministry to ask questions, give feedback, or express concerns, and continued conversations had within the ministry themselves, progress stalled. Ultimately, we provided a finalized copy of the guidelines according to professional standards and best practices, and this has been met with resistance from some of the ministry.
The final decision was made to not implement the guidelines our group produced. Rather, the ministry decided to pursue brief, ambiguous guidelines that rely on the workers to make decisions in conjunction with the elders, and the safety team should that team continue to exist. These shifts away from professional expertise while allowing for ministry-based decisions about the handling of CSA/SA are not something this guidelines team can support or condone. We found it imperative to release the official version of our guidelines for the purpose of transparency and in the hope of encouraging the ministry, and the fellowship at large, to adopt practices that promote safety. We want to make it abundantly clear that the attached version of the guidelines is the only product of our work that has our endorsement and support.
Even though these guidelines were not ultimately accepted or implemented, we believe that we can each take on the responsibility to make many of these things common practice and to keep each other accountable. We encourage you to read these guidelines as an educational tool, keep them as a reference guide, and most importantly use these concepts to help guide these difficult natural choices and conversations with people. We encourage the friends and the ministry to use this document to make safe choices. We implore everyone to please be mindful of the children and vulnerable among us and to do all we can to protect them. We can all show love by raising our voices in support of survivors and by all being active to hold offenders accountable for their actions.
It has been a privilege to be a part of this team and to dedicate our efforts into the hope for a safer fellowship. Our hearts are grieved at the direction this journey has gone, and for those who are mourning, we mourn with you.
We are sending out four documents: (1) the background leading to the creation of guidelines; (2) a summary of the guidelines; (3) frequently asked questions (FAQs); and (4) the full WaNIdAk proposed guidelines. Please feel free to reach out to us in the future if you need assistance, have questions, or have any concerns.
With care,
The WaNIdAk Guidelines Team
Summary of the Guidelines:
- All adults in our fellowship are expected to be mandatory reporters.
- Sunday, Union, and Wednesday meeting elders (and wives) need to complete MinistrySafe training yearly. Elders should create and foster a safe environment for all, especially for children and those who are vulnerable. Legally, elders would be considered clergy.
- There are consequences for unacceptable and criminal behavior.
- All CSA allegations must be reported to authorities. SA victims are encouraged to report to authorities. We will never attempt to handle allegations “in-house,” or to shield perpetrators from the justice system. We realize the justice system helps offenders by holding them accountable for their crimes.
- A Safety Team, composed of a team of friends and one worker liaison, will ensure compliance with policy, including facilitating:
a. Help for victims of abuse.
b. Third-party investigations regarding allegations.
c. Therapy, meeting restrictions, and a Safety Plan for perpetrators.
d. Appropriate communications.
e. Tracking of Red Flag behaviors and concerns.
f. Consequences for policy violations. - All past and present CSA and SA allegations will be taken seriously and handled professionally. Allegations will result in an immediate suspension of fellowship while:
a. Appropriate reports are made.
b. A professional investigation takes place (if needed).
c. Appropriate therapy is completed (typically 12 months or more).
d. Appropriate safeguards are established. - After therapy, a safety plan will be created and closed (designated, all-volunteer) meetings may be established for perpetrators, depending on the recommendation of their therapist. Offenders will continue to be restricted from attending gospel meetings, special meetings and conventions in person to keep these gatherings safe for everyone and to help offenders avoid triggers and temptation.
- Expectations for all adults, with additional provisions for elders and workers, are included and are expected to be followed by all adults in the fellowship. These include basic safety precautions, such as that no adult should be alone with a child in an isolated area unless they are the parent, guardian, or a designated caregiver.
- These guidelines are based on best practices and backed by professional standards and research.
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Many thanks to the professionals who worked so hard to keep this fellowship safe from CSA / SA.
Adopt these guidelines in principle now. Remember the needs of the children & the innocent & act to protect them from the wolves.
The reason CSA / SA continue today is the Overseers allow it to continue in our homes & with our children & grandchildren, and those of the fellowship.
We absolutely do not have to obey this ministry & can act immediately to report such crimes to CPS / Law Enforcement in the jurisdiction where the crime occurred.
God wants a clean house & needs our help to keep it clean. Those who report will be believed & we will stand with them, hear them, & love them.
We will not keep the perpetrator’s secret. Their crime will be exposed. We don’t believe in cover ups & moving abusers on to another area to violate again. Enough!
All these downloads express the same things written over and over. Where do we go to get the Ministry safe training course??
https://ministrysafe.com/onlinetrainings/
I like them!!
Thank you, Guidelines Team. Notwithstanding historic efforts among the fellowship’s ministry to discourage higher education, and frequent disparaging of those who have obtained it, there are many in the fellowship with college and advanced university degrees. Many of these are also licensed professionals in law, medicine and social services. Life isn’t as “simple” as it was in 1897, or even in 1957. The leadership must avail itself of “in-house” expertise, especially in times like these. This Team, as well as other efforts, both individual and collective, to reach out and help, must not be rebuffed. These individuals have cared enough to spend long hours of valuable time to help address these issues that have riven, even gutted, the fellowship. It is extremely disrespectful of this time and effort to dismiss it. One only hopes that, with respect to those who have worked so hard to be a help, the old adage does not play out that, “no good deed ever goes unpunished.”
This is probably the deal breaker on these guidelines:
Section 9
“Workers will not:
Exercise power and control over the friends.”
That was definitely part of it. The power would have shifted to the people, instead of the ministry…and in the scripture it was the Elder’s that had the authority. So, they are in effect trying to tie the hands of those who want to help the victims.
Then maybe over the process of time and the proper training, even the elder’s would come to realize the Lamb wanted supreme authority over the church and the Holy Spirit would guide the people.
But I still don’t have it clear in my mind how the going from house-to-house thing will need to be structured to feed on the Lamb. I do think some people’s cooking of lamb is more savoury than others. There will always be ways for people to curry favour to come to their house and eat their lamb.
Further, this shaking off the dust of our boots thing when someone will not listen to the workers has been a very handy tool it seems – so not sure how we will clarify that in scripture so that that tool doesn’t get used on the victims and their supporters like it was used in the previous organization(s).
Ah yes. I have so many questions on how the new church will operate and how it should be structured. So many questions. New recipes coming out all the time. But no one seems to like the lamb roast with bitter herbs…since the days a couple hundred years after Paul planted some seeds in Rome and they had begun to grow. And the Roman’s were sharp people. Invented lots of things. Thing’s like how to cross pollinate things to produce hybrid seeds. And of course, hybridization of things is always good – it changes their nature somewhat and it allows the plant to resist certain things. And it can produce a new type of fruit that is less bitter to the people’s taste buds. And in case no one knew, Rome is that great city built right on the shores of Galilee. The bible even tells us so.
But if the Canadians only have one claim to fame, they invented CANOLA. In case anyone wonders, it is rape seed hybridized. The oil from rape seed was too bitter – and people did not like it. We (mostly Saskatchewan farmers take the credit) saved the world and the world needs not go without this new kind of oil. The cruse of this new type of oil we would all think should not fail. Horray for hybridization we read about in the bible!
Could these overseers who refuse to have guidelines be obeying Ray, Barry, and Dale?
You get an A+ for figuring out the truth about how this ministry works. When you have three at the top that don’t think CSA/SA is a big deal, and they put out an edict that all the guidelines need a “clear path back into the fellowship” (only because these silly men think if they show enough of what they think is “mercy” that God will be merciful to them – because, they have lived horribly themselves). These three men have incredible power in this religion that’s backed by the Living Witness Doctrine. So, if Darryl or anyone else dares to side with the victims, they will be removed from their pedastel and a more obedient soldier will be put in their place. This is one wicked system. Their focus should be on the victims, and instead it’s on the predators.
oh well – I sense the long arm of the law just grew a bit longer in the last few days. This ministry is proving to be a bit of a stretch.
Darryl Doland is pathetic He’s going to follow the vague document Oregon uses. Put out by who? Doyle Smith, everything he says is vague. Overseers, just please go away. Starting with you Shultzy. Victims, please hang in there, things will hopefully get better. FBI keep digging, ask them about all the crimes and then ask “show me the money”. Where is it overseers?
PD …..into bricks and mortar?
For all I know, I may have contributed to a church building or something like that over the years. Nothing would surprise me at the present time. Actually, let me back up and take that previous sentence back. Getting ahead of myself.
I am NOT surprised by Darryl Doland backing down. I AM disappointed… very disappointed. Where are the backbones???? It is obvious he has succumbed to pressure from somewhere.
People always demonstrate their trustworthiness by their behaviour, never by their words.
Sigh.
Marg Meyer (nee Magowan)