When a Congregation Is Betrayed: Responding to Clergy Misconduct

When a Congregation Is Betrayed offers strategic resources to help clergy and lay leaders ultimately to survive and serve well in congregations where clergy misconduct has occurred. Many books, videos, curricula, and organizations address clergy misconduct and its effects on congregations, and the resource section at the end of this volume lists a number of valuable tools recommended by the contributors. In the earliest conversations that led to the development of this book, however, we asked ourselves, What is missing? What do congregation leaders need to know that no one else has covered? During many hours of telephone conference calls held over the course of about a year, it became clear we were being called to write a book that focuses on misconduct by clergy involving adult victims. offers strategic resources to help clergy and lay leaders ultimately to survive and serve well in congregations where clergy misconduct has occurred. Many books, videos, curricula, and organizations address clergy misconduct and its effects on congregations, and the resource section at the end of this volume lists a number of valuable tools recommended by the contributors. In the earliest conversations that led to the development of this book, however, we asked ourselves, What is missing? What do congregation leaders need to know that no one else has covered? During many hours of telephone conference calls held over the course of about a year, it became clear we were being called to write a book that focuses on misconduct by involving victims. Table of Contents includes: Part 1 The First Response Part 2 Models for Understanding What Happened Part 3 Roles and Responsibilities Part 4 What Do We Do Now? Part 5 Looking Toward the Future Appendices: A. Resources B. The Critical Incident Stress Management Method for Debriefing a Trauma Copyright: 2005