Baltimore Church Founder Sentenced for Sexual Offenses

From: Baltimore Sun

A Baltimore church founder was sentenced to 20 years in prison Wednesday, with another 25 years held in suspension, for forcing his girlfriend’s teenage daughter to watch the couple having intercourse and to participate in sexual acts during a two-year period, the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office announced.

Read More

Anger Grows Over Church's Handling Of Criminal Investigation

From: Fox News Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, NC - More parents come forward with concerns about how Victory Christian Center and its school handled sex crime charges against an employee that also involved a minor.

Those parents believe the pastor needs to talk about what happened and address the impact on the children.

"Are they going to be open and honest or are they going to make it seem not as serious as it really is?"

Read More

Click for sex crime and background check information! 

Sexual Abuse in Church - Part 2

From: Carl Chinn - "Think About It" (reposted with permission)

NOTE: With last week’s news out of Penn State University, a lot of media attention has gone once again to the Catholic Church. As a non-Catholic, I once again reject the notion that this issue of sexual abuse is a Catholic problem. I am keeping this important subject posted for another week with another story from this past week, plus some additional bullet points.

The additional bullet points were offered by my good friend Vic Meyer out of Tulsa, OK. Vic has served a security role in church for many years, and has been baptized by fire into the subject of sexual abuse in a church. I know of nobody else who has walked through that fire like Vic, and he has come through it with lessons learned for all of us.

Vic Meyer adds the following. As I read his comments, I thought of the Penn State fiasco. How different it would have been for them if they had followed these three simple bullets at the very first hint of trouble. Take note;

· Successful child predators operating in spiritual settings could not operate without the absolute trust of those who surround them. Trusting friends and co-workers are necessary cogs in the gears that make the predator successful. Those friends and co-workers will be required to give them a pass on policy infractions, dismiss troublesome details, think the best when suspicion is in order and defend when the victim accuses.

· The process of gaining trust is called “grooming” and involves everyone who could stop the predator. The predator counts on those groomed to find the crime so repugnant that they refuse to believe either the victim or the evidence. For that reason the predator will always be among the most faithful and trusted.

· There is nothing romantic or consensual about adult on child personal/sexual relationships. It is a crime. Always involve the authorities and eliminate the “groomed effect” from your in-house inquiries by selecting people with no relationships to the accused.

-------

On Thursday 11/10, news came out of Corpus Christi, TX that the pastor -- related to the victims through marriage -- had sexually assaulted teens at his church. Jose Humberto Herrera (now 58-years old) had pastored the Iglesia Bautista Buen Pastor (The Good Shepherd Baptist) Church in Alice for 10 years. During that time, 2 teenage girls and their brother worked at odd jobs around the church.

Herrera has admitted to the abuse of the girls, and denied abusing the boy. The girls were 15 and 16 at the time of the assaults. The victims were his step-grandchildren. He is charged with all three crimes.

Fighting Sexual Abuse in Church

In light of Carl's article that was posted yesterday on "Sexual Abuse in Church" I wanted to take a moment and highlight a few things related to the topic over the next couple of days. 


The first item I want to address is my version of the "Rule of Two". Carl referenced the "Rule of Two" from the Boy Scouts of America Code of Conduct. To the best of my knowledge prior to his article I had never read this Code of Conduct, even though I use to be a Boy Scott... After reading it I thought that the Boy Scouts version had several good principles that can be used when conducting church outings. There are a few items that I think we should add to it when considering our local church.


Whenever you are considering activities with a minor you should always have two adults present at all times. This rule is to both protect the minor as well as the adults. If a second adult is present it may take away the opportunity that someone may have to attempt to conduct inappropriate conversations or actions. This action will serve in protecting the minors. In the event that a minor was to lie about a situation the second adults presence would serve as a witness to what did or did not occur. There are countless documented cases that resulted in a he said, she said scenario. Normally the courts tend to favor the minor unless there is extensive documented evidence that shows the minor to be lying. By setting up the situation in the first place to prevent the claim from even occurring will serve in protecting the adults. 


If possible it is always a good idea to have two adults that are unrelated. I understand that finding volunteers to assist with child care can often be challenging; however, the testimony of two unrelated adults can go a lot further then a husband and wife's testimony. I encourage the same principle when it comes to counting and transporting the churches tithes and offerings. There is more accountability from unrelated individuals. 


Sensitive Times...


Always have two adults of the same sex present during bathroom breaks. Some times this can be accomplished by having regular scheduled bathroom breaks and combining different classes to increase the number of adults present. Avoid situations that can be compromising.


Have two adults present while teaching Sunday school classes or providing child care. 


Have two adults present during sporting events or church outings. 


Have two adults present during drama practices or choir rehearsals. 


Do you have any idea's to add to this list? Please leave a comment and let our readers know your thoughts. 

Sexual Abuse in Church - Carl Chinn - "Think About It"

Reposed with Permission from www.carlchinn.com


Posted 11/6/11 From Carl Chinn - "Think About It"

There has been nothing unusual about sexual abuse in churches in recent days. As usual, there have been a lot of awful stories to read.

On Friday, 11/4, news came out of Cypress, TX that a 32-year old youth pastor was arrested for having sexual relations with a 16-year old girl in the youth group.  This happened in a very good evangelical church, led by a sincere pastor credentialed in Psychology, Religion and Christian Counseling and well known for his effective international conferences on marriage and family dynamics.

Yet under that canopy, 32-year old Chad Foster was unwittingly brought in as a youth pastor for the Community of Faith Church. Within a few months of that appointment, he took advantage of a 16-year old girl. What started as talking and texting, eventually ended in Foster’s home where he and the girl had sex a number of times.

On Thursday, 11/3, news came out of Murrieta, CA that the 41-year old founder and pastor of a church was arrested for having sexual relations with a 15-year old girl he had started counseling in 2008. A little math would indicate she was 12 or 13-years old when some kind of relationship began. The girl and her mother had come to the church for help, after coming out of a domestic violence past. The church had taken them in, and even given the mother a job for a season.

But the mother had grown uncomfortable with the amount of time pastor Matthias Anderson  of New Wine Ministries was spending with her daughter, and left the church. She had recently discovered e-mails that suggested the two were continuing to see each other, and was finally able to get her daughter to admit they had been engaging in sex for some years.

On Wednesday, 11/2, news came out of Marengo, IL that a 39-year old youth minister was arrested in an on-line underage sex sting.  Marengo First Assembly of God youth minister Barry Caudle thought he was having internet conversations with a 14-year old girl interested in sex with him, but it was actually an undercover law enforcement sting operation to catch pedophile activity.

When the married man continued communication with this girl, he crossed the line of “grooming and unlawful luring of a minor” which resulted in his arrest which stunned the church leadership.  

On Wednesday, 10/26, news came out of Logan, OH that a 30-year old youth pastor was arrested for having sex with a 13-year old girl in his youth group This time it occurred in the Logan Church of the Nazarene where Travis Branstetter served as Youth Pastor. As such he became interested in the young girl, and would take her hunting with him. At some point those woodland expeditions led to sex.

When investigators did finally get the girl to admit to what was happening, she detailed approximately 10 sexual encounters with her youth pastor.

THINK ABOUT IT …

·         All of these children thought they were in a loving consensual relationship. Those who took advantage of their vulnerabilities and trust were filthy predators engaging in gross pedophilia. There is a reason “consensual” is irrelevant under the age of 16.

·         Churches of all faiths need to step up leadership selection, management and accountability procedures in light of this serious issue. In most of the stories in this category I have read through the years, the issue of negligence on the part of the church was easy to establish by the prosecution.

·         This subject has been viewed as a “Catholic problem” by many. I did not choose a week on purpose that had no Catholic stories. It isn’t hard to find news stories of all faiths –Mormon, Islamic, Catholic, Amish, Jewish, and Protestant – no faith is free of such vial sexual activity.

·         The U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops now leads the charge in battling this issue. They have published the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, and update that document as needed. It is an excellent template for any faith taking this issue seriously. Even if you are Protestant like me, please read this document. It is a profound model developed through painful experience, and can be easily edited to fit any faith. I hope other faiths can be more proactive and avoid adding to this tragic list of victims.

·         Become familiar with Boy Scouts of America, Codes of Conduct. There are many applicable models for a church in there as well (see especially article IV, items 10: “the 2 deep rule” & 11: “the rule of 3”)

·         The next TAI will be about youth training. It was written in part due to this serious issue of sexual abuse in church.