Cultivating Sanctuary: A conversation on preventing and responding to Sexual Misconduct by Church Leaders

September 8, 2022 - October 6, 2022

Thursdays: September 8, 15, 22, 29 & October 6 2022 1:30 - 3pm ET or 7:30 - 9pm ET

The cost for this 5-week Learning Centre session is pay-what-you-can. The suggested amount is $10/week; simply choose your amount in the drop-down menu and “sign up now”. We would like for you to join us, so if you can’t afford the honorarium at this time, please use the code “PandemicGrace” at checkout!

Hamilton , ON

Course Website

Disclosures of sexual misconduct and sexual abuse by church leaders, particularly in evangelical circles, are rising. Each new report makes it devastatingly clear that we, the body of Christ, have a problem we must confront and resolve in order to better protect members and respond well to sexual misconduct. When sexual misconduct by a church leader occurs, many ministry leaders and volunteer boards discover, too late, that they have not been adequately equipped to prevent or navigate through the complexities.

We invite you to join us this September, for a 5-part New Leaf Learning Centre series in partnership with the Mennonite Central Committee. Guided by the expertise of the MCC presenters, together we will learn what the Church can do to help prevent church leader sexual abuse and cultivate sanctuary for church members.

This practical equipping Learning Centre series is specifically designed for pastors, staff teams, church board members, ministry leaders and lay leaders.

These sessions will offer:

definitions for what constitutes church leader sexual misconduct including why and how it occurs.
best practices in developing policies for abuse prevention, and disclosure response.
conversation around the complex topics of responding to situations of harm, power and healthy boundaries, church culture, and healthy masculinity.
opportunities for facilitated conversations with other like-minded Jesus followers who desire to learn about this important topic
Q&A with our expert presenters

New Leaf’s intention has always been, and will always be, to serve the church in Canada. We desire a healthy, innovative, and Jesus-centered future for the body of Christ. It is our sincere desire we will all leave this series with practical knowledge and tools for harm prevention in our communities of faith.

We believe this shared conversation is so vital and timely for the church in Canada that we’re offering these learning sessions in both the afternoon and evening.

The Learning Centre sessions are recorded and made available for all those who may have to miss one of the sessions.

Schedule

Why does Clergy Misconduct Happen?

September 8 – Elsie Goerzen (MCC BC)

In this introduction session, Elsie will discuss what clergy misconduct is and why it happens. Through stories and real-life examples, participants will be able to deepen their understanding of these complex situations.

Elsie Goerzen has been with the MCC BC End Abuse Program since 2007. Previously she worked as a Registered Nurse, a child abuse prevention facilitator, a music teacher, and a parenting educator.  For 19 years, Elsie was the Coordinator of Sardis Doorway, a support program in Chilliwack for single mothers with preschool-age children. Elsie has been married to Walt for 54 years. They have two sons, two daughters-in-law, and five grandchildren ages 18-23. Walt and Elsie enjoy gardening, reading, and spending time with family.

Responding to situations of harm

September 15 – Heather Peters (MCC SK)

Oh no!! Now what?! How can churches best respond when there has been misconduct or abuse by a church leader? What will happen in a church that is experiencing a situation of clergy misconduct? How can a faith community appropriately support each other during a divisive crisis? Come explore these questions and more in session 2.

Heather Peters (she/her) serves as the Peacebuilding Coordinator for MCC SK. In this role she focuses on trauma education, restorative justice capacity building, and promoting reconciliation opportunities. She has been a community educator for more than 15 years around the globe leading workshops in churches, prisons, offices, playgrounds, in the shade of trees, and even classrooms. When not working, Heather is engaging with her daughter’s imaginative play, taste testing her partner’s baking, and scheming ways to ruralize her urban property in Saskatoon. Heather’s education has come in the form of a MA in Human Security and Peacebuilding, a BA in International Development, a Bachelor of Theology, and many life lessons from living around the world and seeking good and interesting relationships from the people that come into her life.

Abuse Prevention (part 1): Church Culture

September 22 – Val Peters Hiebert (MCC MB)

Does the culture we teach, preach and model in our churches give space for conversations on sexuality, gender, abuse, power, and patriarchy? How could we do this better and will it prevent abuse from occurring? Val will bring research and stories to this session on abuse prevention.

Val Peters Hiebert is the assistant program coordinator for the Abuse Response and Prevention program of MCC MB. This role complements her academic work where she most recently was Assistant Professor of Sociology at Providence College. Val completed a Theatre and Sociology BA at Providence, a Sociology and Anthropology MA at the University of Manitoba, and her PhD in Social Sciences (Sociology & Anthropology) at Western Sydney University. Her academic specialties are gender, children & violence, language & culture, cultural anthropology, and marriage & family.
Living on the hobby farm near Mitchell where she and her husband enjoyed their married life (Jacob Friesen 1960-2017), she is an active member of her faith community and invests considerable energy into community education an advocacy. She is an avid gardener with a pantry annually full of organic plenty, as well as a life-long runner and now cyclist. To her delight, she has also recently become a grandma!! Whether in the garden, the classroom, or the public commons, Val feels awed by the privilege and wonder of planting and watching things grow.

Abuse Prevention (part 2): Healthy Masculinity

September 29 – Rod Friesen (MCC ON) with Don Neufeld

Will a deeper understanding of masculinity be effective in abuse prevention? Rod and Don will highlight resources and experiences of success they have had in discussing healthy masculinity within the church.

Don Neufeld is the Canadian Coordinator for Mennonite Men and is a clinical social worker in private practice in the Niagara Region in Ontario. He co-edited the book Peaceful at Heart: Anabaptist Reflections on Healthy Masculinity.

Rod Friesen is the Restorative Justice Program Coordinator and began working with MCC Ontario in May 2017 and oversees programs and projects for individuals reintegrating to community from prison. He also is involved in peace and restorative justice education. Over his career in nonprofit management and human resources, Rod has been in various leadership roles in the social services sector. He has a passion for building peace by supporting creative ways to build healthy communities. Rod graduated from Conrad Grebel University College in the Master of Peace and Conflict Studies Program. In addition to having formal education in non-profit and human resources management, conflict mediation, he is also a Certified Human Resources Leader.

Power and Healthy Boundaries

October 6 – Jaymie Friesen (MCC MB)

Clergy misconduct is an abuse of power when people in leadership do not practice healthy boundaries. In this session Jaymie will bring her experience as an advocate to survivors of abuse in the church to explore the importance of deeply understanding power and boundaries as key attributes for all church leaders.

As MCC MB Abuse Response & Prevention Coordinator, Jaymie Friesen raises awareness and offers resources and workshops relating to healthy relationships, boundaries, and abuse, while supporting individuals and communities impacted by interpersonal trauma. Jaymie entered this role with experience as a healthy relationships educator, sexual assault crisis counsellor, and mental health worker. She holds a BA in Social Sciences and Counselling, and is currently working on her Masters in Psychotherapy and Spirituality.