Tag: child sexual abuse

Guidelines for Child Safety in New Zealand

Guidelines for Child Safety in New Zealand

Definitions for these Guidelines:

“We” means the inclusion of both Workers (members of the Ministry) and Friends (members of this fellowship) who are part of this voluntary fellowship. 

“Child” or “Children” refers to any person or persons under the age of eighteen (18) years. 

“Parent” or “Parental” is meant to be inclusive of both the parents as well as legal or appointed guardians of any children. 

“Abuse” means any sexual contact of any kind with a child under the age of eighteen (18) years, without the child’s consent, or even with consent for a child aged under sixteen (16) years, because under the law of NZ no child under 16 years can give consent to sexual contact. 

‘Sexual contact’ includes sexual intercourse and also any indecent touching, including when the victim indecently touches the offender, following force or encouragement by the offender.

Statement:

As a fellowship we are committed to providing a safe and secure environment for children. All children have a right to feel and be safe. We are committed to the safety and well being of all children. We will ensure that a caring and appropriate response is initiated should abuse or suspicion of abuse occur. 

These guidelines are written with a focus on children who come into contact with or are part of our fellowship. 

The testimony of our fellowship is supported and maintained by being open and transparent.

Purpose:

The safety, welfare and well being of children is paramount; we believe children should never experience abuse of any kind. 

  • We are committed to conduct ourselves in a way that protects and safeguards children from any possible harm.
  • We are committed to support and respect the healing of survivors of abuse within, or who were once part of, the fellowship.
  • We have zero tolerance of abuse and will comply with reporting requirements of any suspicion of abuse, on reasonable grounds, to the authorities.
  • We encourage reporting by a parent to the authorities of any suspected abuse, on reasonable grounds. Whenever it is appropriate that the gospel worker who has been informed of such abuse should be the one who reports, he/she should do so.
  • We will never make any attempt to manage the legal implications of abuse within our fellowship.
  • We will fully collaborate with law enforcement authorities in any cases of abuse within our fellowship.

Reporting:

• If a child is at risk or in danger call 111.

• To make a report of concern: Call Ministry of Children on 0508 326 459

We encourage parental responsibility for providing education and boundaries to maintain child safety. We will respect any boundaries parents have in place. We encourage open conversation and education in families around child safety.

We expect members of our fellowship to keep children safe.

These guidelines are to be shared with all persons over the age of 16 years within our fellowship.

Any person under legal investigation, or convicted of an offence against a child, will not be permitted to attend any activity in our fellowship that provides access to children, nor any activity in our fellowship where known survivors of abuse are present.

We support a ministry that is itinerant and relies on the support of the fellowship to enable the Gospel to be shared.

All Workers and Elders have a responsibility to be aware of and support all aspects of a child-safe environment.

All Gospel Workers will undertake the following:

  • Complete child-safe training every 2 years.
  • Adhere to these Guidelines and the Workers’ Code of Conduct.
  • Ensure they are respectful of and acknowledge the rights of children, at all times.

Governance:

We will ensure biennial review of these Guidelines or as required.

All Workers will, before commencing in the Gospel work be provided with these Guidelines and the Gospel Workers’ Code of Conduct.

Gospel Workers from overseas visiting New Zealand will be provided with a copy of these Guidelines and the Workers’ Code of Conduct.

Developed and endorsed for New Zealand October 2023.

Worker Comments

Date: Thu, Oct 26, 2023
Subject: A month of visits

Dear workers and friends,

Some of you have been wondering how my travels have gone since leaving my field a month ago. During this time I’ve had more than thirty in-person visits with people who are concerned about the state of our fellowship. Every day there are additional phone communications from concerned people. I would like to share with you some of what I have learned.

Many, many people are still hurting. This hurt comes from numerous places—abuse, grief, betrayal, broken trust—the list goes on. I don’t claim to understand all the root causes. What I do know is this is not a time to say, “It’s not my problem” or “There’s nothing I can do.” We don’t have to be a therapist to reach out to people, sit together with them, listen with heart and learn from their experiences. Justifying, defending, or rationalizing to others how they “should” feel negates any benefit.

Compassionate listening can be accompanied by a willingness to help. A survivor friend recently said, “I wish they would just ask–What can I do to help?” This is the fruit Jesus said would mark a true prophet, the works James told us would prove our faith is not dead.

Along the way I’ve also had opportunity to visit with people who have other concerns. They fear that people are talking too much about negative things, or that doctrine is changing, or that people are losing their salvation. These are times to ask ourselves, “What am I afraid of?” Is the great God who we have put our trust in not able to preserve what is truly of him? Could he, in fact, be helping us see some ways in which we didn’t get it right?

Isaiah’s plea rings clear again, “Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell my people their transgression.” We need to acknowledge and turn from evil and complicity to evil. After seven months, it seems we still have not come to this place of collective repentance. It’s not for us to tell people to ‘move on’ after two months, or five months, or any number of months, because they and God alone will decide when that time is.

Ones who step away or take a pause from meetings are frequently labeled as ‘the falling away.’ I have personally met with many of these friends, and I encourage you to do the same. The reality is that many people have left or have been driven out over the years for doing and saying what is right. Our operations have not been acceptably safe for women and children, despite leadership being previously warned of certain sexual predators. As someone recently wrote, “Stepping away from taking direction from someone who is showing questionable integrity is not the same thing as turning your back on God.”

For many, confidence in the ministry is still non-existent. Hearing words like, “Trust us, we are Spirit-led” doesn’t work, because those were the same words spoken before when wolves roamed freely in the sheep pen. I invite you to show humility and call together your ‘adversaries’ to know their concerns and how God’s Spirit is speaking through them. It helps greatly to listen introspectively and with self-reflection. Communicate regularly so that others know where you stand and what you are learning.

As a final note, it is unfortunately a pattern in these times of crisis for a church to discredit the character of victim-survivors and those who advocate for change. We are being presented with difficult information that challenges our perceived beliefs, and this may reflect poorly on our previous decision-making. I’ll share a few additional thoughts here in response to questions that have been asked:

1. My coworker and I made it clear in many conversations this year that we don’t desire to be ‘overseer.’ The alarming number of ‘bad apples’ who have been found in the overseer position through decades should cause all of us to stop and question the nature of a role that can foster poor behavior and unchecked spiritual authority. As it says in 2 Corinthians 1:24, ministers are not to have dominion over your faith, but are to be “helpers of your joy.” Many are asking how we can move in the direction of sharing burdens with others, as we read of in the book of Acts, so there can be better safety, accountability, and addressing of needs.

2. Listening to victims-survivors and having conversations about scripture-based changes to reverse a culture of abuse is not ‘making a following.’ I’ve seen peers also accused of creating a following simply for being a listening ear. Is this not a work for many to be doing? Jesus made it clear that the shepherd’s heart would be moved to leave the ninety-nine and go after the one. There are many ‘ones’ right now. There’s no need to bring an agenda, just a love for fellow humans, like Jesus. We will find that this kind of openness fosters good relations, and causes us to come away feeling that we received more than we gave.

3. Jesus said, “Whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Paul wrote, “No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” I firmly believe in and have taught this foundation of Christ. We know the storm will wash away what is sand, and the fire will burn up what is wood, hay or stubble. If anything of our own words and actions has been such, we should invite God’s cleansing, that only what is firm and secure will remain.

Your brother,
Greg Swenson
630-[redacted]
[email redacted but available from WINGS] @gmail.com

WINGS Note: For Greg’s explanation that he was stepping aside from the ministry see https://wingsfortruth.info/2023/08/22/worker-greg-swenson-steps-aside/

Convention Arrangements for Australia and New Zealand

25 October 2023

Dear NSW friends,

To ensure preparations and conventions are safe places for all there will be some changes implemented this year.

These are highlighted in the attached document.

Please submit your names through your elder with any additional requests you may have. For families who have already provided your elder with convention attendance details you may wish to provide more information, we are happy to receive any updates from you.

The coordinating workers for each convention are as follows – please let them know if you are attending a convention from another state or have any requests:

Should you wish to have further information, access to the Child Safe Policy, Workers Code of Conduct or any other information please let us know conv.feedback@gmail.com

We appreciate your patience and support as we work through these changes and look forward to seeing you all at our upcoming conventions.

2023/2024 Australian and New Zealand Conventions

We are all looking forward to the privilege of convention this year. The consideration and respect we show to each other and to the owners of the convention grounds will add to our time together.

The focus of convention is the refreshing of our soul. At the same time, we would like to acknowledge that convention has been a challenging time for some in the fellowship, including those impacted by child sexual abuse or who have been harmed within our fellowship.

We want convention to be a safer place, and some changes are being introduced this year to enhance the safety of our convention environment.

Preparations and Conventions

  • We appreciate those who help prepare for conventions and look forward to your help again this year.
  • It is important you let either your elder or the worker coordinating convention know if you are coming for a meeting, a day or the whole convention. In addition, we would like you to confirm arrival and departure on the grounds and this process may look different for each convention. The process will be communicated on arrival.
  • Any person with a history of, or an allegation of, harm to children is not to attend preparations or conventions.
  • Attention is drawn to the potential hazards associated with convention preparations, and any child or young person attending preparations must be accompanied by an adult and supervised.
  • Children are always welcome at conventions and their safety is the primary responsibility of parents or a designated responsible adult.
  • Anyone wishing to bring guests from outside the fellowship (eg. evening mission meetings) is requested to check with the coordinating workers for that convention in advance. Guests on convention grounds should be always accompanied.
  • We would encourage parents to educate school age and older children regarding appropriate behaviour by other people and where to seek help if they feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
  • Children and young people are encouraged to be with a friend or sibling when not with their parents or responsible adult. Children and young people should check in with an adult regularly and remain with their friend or sibling.
  • Every attempt will be made for job allocations to fit around parental commitments. For children under 12, we encourage one parent to be always available for child contact.
  • Accommodation arrangements will be more flexible to allow families to make specific requests or bring their own accommodation. Family groupings are encouraged. The time children are left in tents alone should be minimised. It is requested that children not be left sleeping alone for extended periods, especially during meetings.

Anyone requiring additional support is encouraged to speak with the workers coordinating each convention or a trusted friend who can advocate on their behalf. If anyone has concerns about attending conventions this year, please reach out to your elder or one of the workers so we can assist in making alternate arrangements.

Feedback

Considerable input has been received on improving the safety of our children and young people at conventions. We welcome further feedback, either via suggestion boxes at convention or via email to conv.feedback@gmail.com

2023/24 Parents Information Sheet

We are eagerly looking forward to convention, and we understand that much of the information we’re sharing may already be familiar to you. The purpose of this communication is to provide helpful suggestions that will assist all parents in maintaining the care and supervision of children and young people while still enjoying the spiritual benefits of the convention.

We acknowledge that written clarifications like these can sometimes be a bit daunting. However, our primary goal is to address any concerns you may have regarding attending the convention.

We are pleased to have visiting workers at this year’s conventions. Our visiting workers have been confirmed by their home country as having no current allegations or concerns related to child sexual abuse or misconduct. They will undergo Ministry Safe training and adhere to the Workers’ Code of Conduct, just as our local workers do.

Visiting workers will be accommodated with friends or families who do not have children under the age of 18, unless a specific family makes a request and provides their consent to accommodate them. This practice also extends to visiting workers travelling by car within Australia or New Zealand.

This year marks the introduction of convention attendees designated as Child Safe Contacts to address any child safety concerns. For each convention, some people with “Working with Children Checks” and/or “Police Checks” and child safety training will be identified. Those who work in childcare, healthcare settings, police, social work or schools may already have valid certification. If you possess these checks, please inform your elder when submitting names for the convention. The contact details for Child Safe Contacts, workers coordinating convention, local emergency information, and reporting lines will be prominently displayed.

In case of any concerns related to child safety, we encourage you to report them directly to one of the designated Child Safe Contact individuals, the workers coordinating for the convention, or the appropriate emergency authorities.

Any person under the age of 18 planning to attend the convention must be accompanied by a parent or an adult designated as the responsible contact person for that child. This parent or adult will always have primary responsibility for the well-being of the child or young person during the convention.

Accommodations in tents with children will include only immediate family members unless specifically requested by parents/guardians. Children are encouraged to stay out of empty tents or other empty buildings on the convention ground.

In the case of dormitories, it is encouraged that parents or designated responsible adults be assigned to the same dormitory area as the child or children under their care.

For visits to shower and toilet facilities, children should be accompanied by a parent, sibling, or a responsible adult.

Parents, please take the time to acquaint your children with the convention grounds. Safe areas, restricted zones, play areas, common spaces for socialising, walking paths, and well-lit evening socialising areas for young people will all be clearly designated. It is also advisable to establish an agreed meeting point.

We trust that these measures will contribute to a safe and enjoyable convention experience for all participants. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated, and we eagerly anticipate seeing you at the convention.

Scott Rauscher letter to Montana and Wyoming Friends

Great Falls, MT 59403
October 20, 2023

Dear Friends in Montana & Wyoming,

Thank you for being patient with my lapses in communicating over the last several months as we are learning how to navigate important changes and safety measures with CSA and SA. We agree it is imperative that CSA and SA be dealt with directly and legally while focusing on the victim. We are very thankful for each one of you and we appreciate your patience and your support in many ways. We are truly mindful of those who are a victim of any form of abuse and every one of you that has suffered pain and loss. The ministry seeks to help and support each and every soul, and we apologize for any way that we have failed victims in the past.

It is necessary to make it absolutely clear that Robert Corfield has no part in the ministry. Anything that he has done in the past to help us workers is being taken over by others. Our hearts go out to his known victim. We also want to apologize for the very inappropriate comments that were made in a recent visit regarding Dean Bruer. We recognize how these comments continue to harm people who have already been directly and indirectly victimized.

Our staff’s desire is to be approachable and communicate openly, while using discretion where it is needed as we work in a quiet, confidential way with victims. We intend to hold each other accountable while in this growth and learning space, by open communication with the staff and you folks.

Working together is very important and essential (Ephesians 4:3 – unity of God’s Spirit). As individuals – walking in His Spirit – we make up the Fellowship, which is His Body. Each one of us either adds or diminishes to His Spirit in every meeting. This is a great privilege and also a great responsibility. We are aware that God in His mercy is calling our attention to our need to take our salvation seriously.

We are thankful that we have the Bible as our map, Jesus as the Way, and the Spirit as our guide as we travel through life together.

As the Convention season begins to wind down – and Special Meetings begin – we are looking forward to and anticipating some very helpful days ahead.

Please feel free to communicate your concerns with me or any of our staff, or with those that you feel closer to. We do wish to hear your concerns and feelings. We will also include an updated list for trauma resources.

Every good wish in Christ,
Scott R.

Call for Assistance re Ira Hobbs

There is a current and ongoing effort to take ex worker Ira Hobbs to court to convict him of his 2019 rape of a sister worker. He used a date rape drug, while his ex-sister-worker wife was away from their house. The raped sister worker was staying in the home for special meeting rounds. The hospital found the date rape drug in her blood test. They repaired the life-threatening damage that Ira did to her from the rape. It is known by many that Ira has raped and had sex with sister workers and wives for the past 60 years, as well as documented horrible molestation of children.

Ira Hobbs molested my young daughter in our home. My daughter and I have agreed to testify against him. The advocate, investigator and prosecutor are gathering evidence for prosecution. More victims, and those with knowledge of these crimes, would be very valuable as they establish the case, and show his long practice of so horribly damaging so many.

If you are willing to help in this effort, please contact me at dwgardner46@gmail.com and I will connect you with the effort.

Ira practiced this horror for much of his lifetime, and was hidden, protected, and moved from place to place repeatedly by the senior overseers while in the ministry. Fortunately he was finally put out of the work after his life time of fornication and child molestation. He was very clever on how to enjoy his horrid fornication without leaving evidence that could convict him. That is why it important to gather more evidence, victims and witnesses to firmly establish his decades long pattern of fornication, rape and child molestation. He continues it, even after being put out of the work.

Any assistance in this effort would be greatly appreciated. Please contact me.

Thank you,

Sincerely
Dale Gardner
dwgardner46@gmail.com

WINGS Note: Posted at the specific request of Dale Gardner

Call for Honesty and Truth

Good morning to you all,

There have been some issues weighing heavily on my heart for a long time, so I feel I must write to you.

It concerns, firstly, the continuing abuse of women, children and men in this fellowship, particularly spiritual, sexual emotional and mental abuse which has been brought to your notice many times, with minimal effect. It’s shocking how you’ve simply allowed multiple sex offenders to continue in the work and/or leave the work covered by lies and deceptions, watched them get married and have even given them the place of ‘elder’ uplifting and endorsing them as good, worthy, godly men instead of declaring them ungodly and dangerous to our community.

Secondly, it is despicable the way you have covered the guilty and blamed, shamed and continually intimidated the victims, to keep the truth hidden. Do you have any idea of the trauma and shame these victims and their families go through for their lifetimes afterwards? Not to mention the exorbitant medical expenses.

We opened our hearts and homes to you all, as celibate servants of God, sharing everything we had and giving you our full trust, only to discover decades later the shocking extent to which our families have been abused and blackmailed into keeping quiet. This is absolutely devastating!  The betrayal of trust, the abuse of your authority, the lies and deceit that took place to cover up these sins committed under our very noses, whilst caretaking the Harare Conv grounds, is horrific and defies belief! 

Please don’t accuse me of having a hard, bitter and unforgiving spirit, because this is not so!  I am not looking for retribution for past offenses. I have a grave concern for the present and future safety of everyone in the fellowship, especially the young, innocent children, vulnerable adults and unsuspecting new workers. I feel I cannot stand by without voicing my concern, disillusionment and disgust!  Even if you yourselves are not guilty of these atrocities/crimes, covering and/or condoning these shameful deeds of others makes you guilty!

I, therefore, can no longer listen to you preach God’s precious gospel whilst these matters are not dealt with, so I am withdrawing from the meetings until such time as this situation is rectified. 

This does not mean I have abandoned God. I am standing for honesty and truth and will continue serving Him.

Greetings

Gwen Bartlett

WINGS Note: Written by a 92 year old lady who lived on convention grounds in Zimbabwe for 30 years.

An Alarm and Call for Action

This message is addressed to the dear, godly friends and workers of the fellowship that has been called the truth for about 125 years. It is also a message that the corrupted and perverted friends and workers, and those who have hidden the perverts, should consider. It is written by me, ex member Dale Gardner, who was put out of the fellowship, more than 35 years ago, by the head overseers of the eastern United States, because I had exposed the fornicating, raping, child molesting senior worker, Ira Hobbs. I long to again be in fellowship with the Godly workers and friends. I still consider them my people. But only if and after they totally separate from the horrid sexually perverted and corrupted friends and workers, and the concealers, that are presently so deeply ingrained in the fellowship. The leaven that Paul described, has worked very deeply in our fellowship.

Have you read the account, in the book of the Judges chapters 19- 21, from thousands of years ago, of the horror of the death of the Israelite concubine, raped to death by the Benjaminite sodomites? I plead to you dear and Godly friends and workers of the fellowship  that you would read and consider that horrific account that God has chosen to leave, as direction, for how to respond when sexual immorality is present among His people. As you consider this horrific account, please remember the words of our Saviour to two of the churches in Asia. His statement was directed to the churches, not the fornicators in those two churches. He said, “I am against you, because you allow fornicators among you”. Do you understand that our Lord and Savior is against us, the fellowship that calls ourselves the Truth, because this fellowship has allowed fornicators to remain among us for the 125 years of its existence? It is reported that William Irvine declared that he started this fellowship as an experiment. He was a fornicator himself, fathering an illegitimate child, with some reports that he continued in sexual perversion. How can it be that a corrupted and fornicating overseeing ministry has been able to so control the fellowship, hiding the fornicators, and freely raping and molesting wives, sister workers and children in this fellowship that calls itself the truth? It is so obvious that the time is long past that the friends should have been awake, and put out the fornicators as quickly as they were discovered. God gave directions through Paul and John as to how to separate fornicators from the church. Have we thought seriously about why we did not do this? We need to start thinking and then take action. The action must be much more than just talk and words. What a horrific mess we are in because we have been sick and sleeping for 125 years, allowing evil fornicators and overseers to control and put us to sleep.

It is long past time to take action! What is the action we should take? There are many thoughts and ideas on this question, and a number of actions are happening. This is very good. However, to date, it appears that there are extremely limited results as far as forcing out the corruption, including the leaders of the corruption. It is now very difficult, and maybe impossible, because of how long and deeply the leaven has corrupted so many in the fellowship, both workers and friends.

It is so important to remember and understand that God has always taught to separate good from evil. That separation began as recorded in Genesis, when he destroyed all the evil people of the earth in the great flood. The Bible gives us a number of accounts of how God Himself, at times, separated good from evil. Other times God gave His help as His people took action to separate from evil. Then there are times when God left it up to His people to choose to separate themselves from evil. But He has made it plain that He is against the church if they do not keep separated from evil.

Some in the fellowship believe that this can be accomplished by forcing the perverted workers and friends out of this fellowship. Others believe this is now impossible because of the depth and breath of the leaven. Some understand that all of those, including both friends and workers, who have concealed and hid the fornicators are also guilty and responsible for the horrid damage to thousands of women and children in the fellowship. Oh what a mess we have allowed, and it will continue until the separation is made. Once this separation is made, the evil workers and friends will continue in their perversion, but no longer able to molest and rape the godly friends, workers, and children of this separated fellowship. Some believe this is the only long term effective answer to the horror presently allowed by the fellowship.

A very important but difficult consideration is the matter of our history of believing and calling our fellowship the truth. Jesus has made it clear, as previously referenced, that He is against us because we have allowed fornicators among us. It is very obvious that our group is far from being the truth. We can never be the truth, but we can become the Church of God as Paul called the Corinthians. Jesus is the Truth. We can become a healthy body of Christ. If we do our part, He will help us with what only He can do. So please do not think that by separating from the present corrupt, fornicating, concealing ministry, that we would be separating from the truth. Instead we would be separating from an evil that God despises. We can then become a church of believers that Christ will rejoice in, The Church of God, as Paul so beautifully called the Corinthian church.

I had thought that I would compare and contrast the horrific account of the wake up call and response, found in Judges, to the wake up call and response, to date, that God orchestrated with the death of Dean Bruer. It now seems this should be saved for another time, as this present effort has become so lengthy. If anyone thinks such a contrast and comparison would be helpful, please let me know and I will try to present a helpful account.

May God move our Godly friends and workers to understand the necessity, and be willing to take the actions, to separate from this horrid evil, and then continue in fellowship as a Church of God, no longer calling ourselves the truth, but followers of Jesus, who is the truth.

WINGS Note: Dale’s letters from 1988 and 2008 are available at https://wingsfortruth.info/2023/07/08/35-years-ago-to-taylor-wood-and-the-church/

The letters exposed long-standing abuse within the fellowship, but there was insufficient response from the ministry.

Harold Hilton / Scott Boswell field update #2

From: Harold Hilton
Date: September 29, 2023
To: [Redacted]
Cc: Scott Boswell

Subject: CSA procedure update

Dear friends and workers in CA, AZ, W. NV, HI, and Guam,

We feel it best to send out some updated information on our current CSA procedure.

Many have been working diligently these past months to investigate CSA concerns and allegations within the fellowship in our region. All of these incidents are tragic and we grieve for the pain and sorrow they have caused all of us, most especially those who are survivors of abuse.

We want to do all we can to be a help to the survivors. All allegations brought to us are taken very seriously.

All current allegations have been reported to the authorities.

 We also want you to know that some of our friends have offered financial assistance for any survivors of CSA who need help in covering counseling costs. Please feel free to reach out to any of the workers on our staff if you need help with this.

It has been arranged that individuals who have a record of any CSA offenses are meeting only with those who know there have been offenses and volunteer to meet with them.  They have been asked to not attend public meetings like gospel meetings, special meetings and conventions.

Thanks for all your help and prayers during these difficult days.

The California Staff

Further Letter from Concerned Friends

WINGS Note: Their previous letter was posted at https://wingsfortruth.info/2023/06/11/letter-from-friends/

To whom it should have concerned (Jeremiah 8:11-12, Ezekiel 13:10-11),

Actions speak louder than words, and the silence has been deafening these past months. This same silence compels us to speak. This is our testimony, and we stand and say it before God and before our brethren. James tells us “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” (James 4:17).

Three and a half months have passed since our last letter, enough time for there to have been repentance shown through actions and accountability shown through structural changes. What we have seen and heard has not been a response commensurate with the level of harm and betrayal we have witnessed. Most conventions have carried on with a business as usual approach, and many of the words said from the ministry there have been hollow and disappointing, ignoring what is going on around us. If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? (James 2:15-16).

Let us be clear: within the body of Christ there is no place for abuse, no place for lies, no place for evil, and no place for apathy. This should not be a difficult concept. Yet place has been made for each of these within this fellowship: amongst friends, amongst elders, amongst workers, and especially amongst overseers. And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.” (Gen 4:10).

We see and hear the cry of survivors of abuse. Sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and spritual abuse. We are told “Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:9) and “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (James 1:27). We are commanded by God to speak up in the face of oppression and to take action. Speaking up, defending the abused, seeking correction and justice: these are all actions we would expect to see an outpouring of from a ministry following God’s word.

Yet consider the facts. Recent and ongoing investigations have shown that there are over 550 known child sexual abusers within this church, amongst the friends, elders, workers, and overseers. Roughly 40% of these abusers are or were in the work. Many of these known abusers are still alive today. These investigations have also revealed that most if not all overseers have known about the vast majority of these abusers and have either been abusers themselves, helped cover up the abuse and silence victims and families, or remained silent in the face of evil. It has also been revealed that most overseers continue to allow many abusers to remain amongst the flock and refuse to cooperate with those attempting to bring the darkness to light. In multiple states and provinces, including our own, perpetrators have been allowed in meetings, even without notifying those attending.

Consider repentance. As faith without works is dead, repentance without change is disingenuous. This is clear in scripture: “…they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance” (Acts 26:20).

Repentance is not difficult to identify and is not hidden behind coded language. Repentance does not downplay the wrong done, such as in the initial letter we saw about Dean Bruer calling his terrible abuses an “immoral double life”, or the recent letter from the overseers in the ministry which referred to the previous horrific handling of child sexual abuse and sexual abuse as “resulting in inappropriate outcomes”. Fostering an environment for abusers, pedophiles, and rapists is certainly an ‘inappropriate’ outcome, but a more accurate description would be “perpetuating and approving evil” or “making place for darkness and destruction”. Should this need to be explained?

Repentance is a central tenet to Christianity. The fruits of repentance include deep sorrow and humility. Shallow, empty statements that attempt to justify past actions or inactions are not repentance. Claims of ignorance that sexual abuse could have lasting harmful effects on a survivor do not show repentance. Are any of you so ignorant as to not understand that child sexual abuse and sexual abuse is irrefutably harmful and wrong without the aid of a short course or a policy? Should any of this need to be explained?

Consider accountability. It is evident that the ministry, in particular those in the overseer role, are in a position where they feel they can judge the spirit of those within the church and even remove them. Yet these same overseers – as made clear by recent notes – believe that they are the only ones able to judge the spirit within themselves. That is not accountability, it is dictatorship. But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave (Matthew 20:25-27). Jesus’ own words condemn this attitude. The very words of the Lord rebuke you.

Consider your own words. We have heard words of callous ignorance, including “There is no crisis here” or “This is a storm clearing away the dead branches from the kingdom”. We have heard weak words of “we neglected to handle things completely properly in the past”, or “we did not understand that sexually assaulting a child was so damaging”. The best we have received is apologies devoid of repentance and policies so full of holes that many predators can slip right through. That and a pat on the head and an admonition to just focus on Jesus. Yes! Jesus is the answer. Why do you ignore him by allowing what is evil in his eyes?

Consider peace. Peace is not achieved by pretending a problem does not exist. Too many in the ministry to whom we have spoken are content to remain ignorant of the greater crisis at hand, with excuses of not wanting to feed on what does not bring them peace and not wanting to go looking for problems. Yes, I suppose in the parable of the good Samaritan, the priest and the Levite had a more peaceful day by passing on to the other side. But consider Jesus’ words: “… Depart from me… For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me” (Matthew 25:41-43).

Worse yet, we have spoken directly to multiple brother workers who express what comes across as a pride in feeling that the people in their field know more about this crisis than they do. How little care for souls does it show, to not bother to understand the state of the sheep?

Consider love, especially as it is outlined so clearly in scripture: “If I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing” (1 Cor 13:2,3).

As we observe the events unfolding around us, there is a standard by which we can measure what we see: “Is this love?” As we listen to the words said by those in authority, we can see if words are followed by action and ask, is this love? As we look around at the actions that are taken, we can see whose benefit they are for and ask, is this love? When we see abuse, lies, apathy, and self-righteousness, we can ask, is this love? When a predator can say the right words and adhere to the right form, and those with authority judge them as worthy over a victim crying out in need but not fitting into the box of uniformity: Is this love? When intelligent, caring workers – especially sister workers – seek to advocate for victims and they are doubted, discredited, punished, belittled, and ostracized, is this love?

When an overseer or worker who has been trusted with a victim’s story lifts their head and looks away, crossing to the other side of the street, but an individual who has left this fellowship stops to render aid to the victim, ask yourself this question: Who showed love? Who in this scenario exemplifies the love of Christ?

Love stoops to help a friend in need; love wants to feel the pain its neighbours often know; love lends a helping hand to friend or foe. “If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20).

What did Jesus answer when challenged on what was the greatest commandment? Was it “the ministry in the home and ministers without a home”, or was it to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and to love your neighbour as yourself? How did Jesus say that all men would know we are his disciples? Was it that we attend meetings without fail and follow every instruction given to us by the workers and overseers, or was it that we have love one for another?

When we allow in false doctrine, we give ourselves up to the control and fear of man. None is more harmful than the doctrine of exclusivity, which tells the lie that one must attend this particular fellowship and no other in order to be saved, and that before one can partake of the bread and the cup in remembrance of Jesus as he commanded, the approval of man rather than of God must be obtained. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever (Romans 1:24-25).

What we have witnessed is form and tradition as a proxy for the Spirit, and uniformity as a proxy for unity. We are told, “complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind” (Philippians 2:2), but this must be taken in context with verse 4, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus”. We want to be one in mind and love, but we need the mind of Christ.

The history of this fellowship is rife with lies and coverups; it has hidden that its origins come from the late 19th century, it has erased the role of its founders and early leaders including William Irvine and Edward Cooney, it has had deep divisions from state to state and country to country, and it has perpetuated cover ups of all forms of abuse to keep the outward appearance clean. We see a deep systemic institutional failure over the years that does not in any way resemble the mind of Christ. Is this love?

Looking over the past decades, there have been many individual warning signs, but each was minimized and considered as small and isolated – maybe not to all individuals, but at least as a whole. And now the depths of the cancerous growths within the fellowship and ministry are becoming clear, growths of death and darkness which do not fit the pattern of the mind and body of Christ.

The lack of godly repentance, the lack of acknowledgement of the actions taken that caused this evil to fester, and the continuing lack of action to right the wrongs is deeply troubling.

Even to Judah it was said, “Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place… If you will not obey these words, I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation.” (Jeremiah 22:3,5). Are we so arrogant as to think these words do not apply to this church?

There are 33 times where the Bible speaks of leaders doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord. In Revelation, the church in Ephesus is told: “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.’” (Rev 2:2). It is our responsibility as a church to try the spirits and test the fruit, and to reject what is not of God.

Paul says “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; … Walk as children of light … and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them”, (Ephesians 5:6-11) and David says “I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.” (Psalm 25:6).

At this point, we simply cannot acknowledge the spiritual authority of those in the overseer position. We cannot partner with the works of darkness. We see that individuals, groups, and churches have come to you and you have neglected to heed our cries. Where is the integrity? Where are the basic moral values? Where is Jesus? We will follow the biblical path set out in Matthew 18 and now consider you as heathen.

While we have been disappointed in and betrayed by man, our eyes are open to the complete provision of God. We will continue to embrace true and honest fellowship, though not fellowship sanctioned by this ministry – we cannot lend even tacit approval to the works of darkness. But these past weeks have shone such a clear light on the joy and peace that can be found in trusting wholly in God’s leading. As was said to the rulers, elders, and scribes, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20).

The words in this letter have been strong, but they come from a place of love and genuine desire for this fellowship to repent of what is wrong and turn to what is right. God cares about you and about us. We challenge each of you to go forward and use your influence and position to stand up for others and embrace the mind of Christ.

With love and care for the survivors of all forms of abuse who have been wounded and betrayed in this fellowship,

Daniel and Shanna Faulkner

Safe Church Task Force

WINGS Note: A CSA/SA task force was formed by some friends this summer, in part because it was noticed that some regions were creating CSA policies quickly and other regions were resisting having any policy. So they formed a group to study best practices (and worst practices) and consult experts and research to take a science and fact based approach towards policy construction.  The Safe Church Task Force has asked WINGS to post their material.
WINGS has provided pdf versions of the linked material below.

The Safe Church Task Force came together this summer to identify what policy elements should be included in a safe church policy and what loopholes or “negative” policy elements should be avoided. The Task Force studied a wide range of external research, science, and reports from other organizations, including from various churches, youth-serving organizations, athletic groups, published academic research, as well as through direct conversations with survivors, experts, and other sources.

We are publishing our version 1.0 work product, in two files:

1) A slide deck overview of our effort: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ARtx-GKs8jLtfIK1_TQdyvGX6bDQCx6vU-pME-Ca4Ms/edit?usp=sharing

2) A Google Sheets file that contains five separate worksheet tabs, including the specific Safe Church Policy elements and the Safe Ministry Handbook elements plus an intro about the file, links to definitions, and resources: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xbefbeak-uRLSqb35w2MDRWJw5yQJzNZLqg0m0RfYxI/edit?usp=sharing

It’s probably best to go through the slide deck first, as it gives the background and gives the lead-in for the worksheet file, which is more actionable.

It is our hope that these findings will be considered as new policies are developed and existing policies strengthened, in order to end the abuse and provide healing for the survivors and the church at large.

We now move to the Engagement Phase of our effort. All members of the team (who are listed on slide 2 of the slide deck) would be happy to help support regional efforts to either implement policies or to improve existing policies. If you’d like to discuss, please reach out to any member of our team.

Also, we held a Zoom call on Sep 11th to present our preliminary findings, and that gives the voice-over for the slides (note that we did make tweaks to what was presented, based on inputs from that Zoom call, to arrive at the final v1.0 products noted above). The link to the Sep 11th Zoom meeting is: https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/share/ONPwDvRpS6PwUEjXA0hjk2HofEwA_m53hoilQcd6efPJjma8zhQNw3eAIAaCUI7p.695aDvo8a13nbDiD  and the passcode is e=AH&8xG.

Thanks for your support. And feedback is always welcomed at safefellowshipfeedback@gmail.com

safe-church-policy-elements-v-1.0-sep-20-2023.pdf
safe-church-csa_sa-policy-elements-findings-v-1.0-sep-20-2023.pdf