To: Clergy and Lay Members of the North Texas Annual Conference
First, let me say I am encouraged and renewed by being with you to celebrate the work we are doing together, to enlarge our covenant with new gifted leaders, and to learn new ways to be Christian innovators. Indeed God continues to do a new thing in our midst!
Bishop Michael McKee
Bishop Michael McKee (North Texas Conference Photo)
And yet, I acknowledge the pain that some are feeling, relative to both perceived and experienced injustices. Let me be very clear: it is never OK for a woman or any other person to be subjected to sexual abuse or sexual harassment, either by a layperson or by a clergyperson. As United Methodists, we abhor this behavior, and do not tolerate it in society, or in our churches. It grieves me, and I believe it grieves God when there is an occasion of boundaries that are crossed or indignity that is experienced in any way. I will continue to pray for the healing and restoration of all people, male and female, who have been treated as anything less than a beloved person created in the image of God.
While the Cabinet and I continue to discern additional ways to educate our churches and eliminate any inappropriate behavior amongst our laity and clergy, I want to clarify the protocols that are already in place. And, while I cannot address any particular complaint or allegation, I want to assure you that the North Texas Conference has, in all cases that have come to our attention, followed the policy guidelines of our Annual Conference. Any time there is an accusation of a breach of congregational or pastoral trust, our Congregational Assessment Response and Transformation (CART) team is deployed. These Crisis Team members are gifted in assessing and responding to crisis situations in congregations that may include loss of life or property due to accident or natural disaster, alleged dishonesty or illegal activities, or sexual misconduct by church leadership. Their work includes providing a group of trained laity and clergy who help facilitate healing to all involved—the aggrieved, the respondent (alleged perpetrator), and the congregation. Their work, while not of a judicial nature, includes:
· Gathering and dissemination of facts with appropriate transparency and to the appropriate parties;
· Providing educational resources on sexual misconduct and other breeches of trust, as well as our policies which govern such behaviors;
· Providing specially trained laity to serve as resources to those aggrieved to walk with them spiritually and emotionally through the process of reporting clergy sexual, financial, or other misconduct;
· Providing counseling referrals or assistance to affected parties as needed;
· Doing so with appropriate privacy for all concerned.
Always, the work of the CART Team is to help all parties move towards healing and reconciliation. While this work has been done effectively in many instances across our Conference, we will use this opportunity to review our protocols. I invite you to become familiar with our CART Team work (see below).
Equally important is our guidance by the governing polity of The United Methodist Church as outlined by The 2016 Book of Discipline regarding the investigation and disposition of complaints against members of the clergy. These guidelines utilized in conjunction with, but not as a substitute for, the civil or criminal process ensure that the voices of all affected are heard in a sacred and fair process. There will be no public statements about any specific complaint process due to our covenant of confidentiality for all concerned. The Center for Leadership Development has provided a list of resources that can educate and inspire change. These are listed below.
As we move through the pain that was expressed at Annual Conference, I want to remind you of the overwhelming love and grace of God that has an amazing and dependable capacity for transformation. As in all our endeavors, our prayer and daily efforts direct us to be living witnesses to the power of Jesus Christ that transforms the world and to present ourselves as an acceptable offering in all that we do or say.
Peace,
Michael McKee
Resident Bishop of the Dallas Area of the North Texas Conference
The bishop's statement was accompanied by the following list of resources regarding clergy and laity relationships from the North Texas Center for Leadership Development.
The following resources and others are available in the SPRC Toolbox on the CLD website,www.ntcleadership.org. For more information, contact Rev. Marti Soper, msoper@ntcumc.org.
Sexual Misconduct Policy 2017 https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.cloversites.com/f1/f16b34d6-818d-472a-bf10-c3dcc7128be7/documents/Sexual_Misconduct_Policy_2017.pdf
CART Teams
http://ntcleadership.org/clergy/crisisconflict-teams
United Methodist Sexual Ethics website
United Methodist Sexual Ethics brochure
http://umsexualethics.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/GCSRW-Sexual-Ethics-Flyer-0420105-Crops.pdf
Appropriate Clergy Boundaries
http://umsexualethics.org/appropriate-professional-boundaries
What to Do When Congregants Cross Clergy Boundaries https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.cloversites.com/f1/f16b34d6-818d-472a-bf10-c3dcc7128be7/documents/Sexual_Harassment_by_Congregants.pdf
I Am a Woman/I Am a Leader Brochure https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.cloversites.com/f1/f16b34d6-818d-472a-bf10-c3dcc7128be7/documents/womenclergy-CARD-template.pdf
Receiving the First Female Pastor in Charge