Object Lesson in Crisis Response

From Texas, we have a report of accusations against a church staff member, and an illustration of a church that did almost everything right.  According to the news report, authorities have charged a youth pastor with sexually assaulting a minor.  The church where he was employed a the time issued a statement with a timeline indicating that it responded correctly to the crisis.  The church suspended the pastor, prevented any continuing interaction with minors, and notified law enforcement.  The church notified its members of the events, including the fact that the events alleged had happened at another church and did not involve anyone in the current church.  The church nevertheless offered counseling to anyone who might need it.  On a particularly good note, the church asked anyone with information to call law enforcement.

The church also conducted an internal investigation, and the news report isn't clear whether the church notified authorities before or after conducting the investigation.   Mandated reporter laws require almost immediate notification.  An internal investigations need to be at the same time, and assuming that the church didn't delay its official notification, it acted appropriately.  All in all, the response hit almost all of the right notes for the organization.

The only quibble I have with the reported response is the church's statement that if its denomination had had a database of offenders, the church likely “never would have been exposed” to the youth pastor.  My concern is that this statement sounds like the church has decided the youth pastor is guilty as charged.  It leaves the investigators open to a claim that they were not objective, but began their work with the presumption that the events had happened.  As I have written before, we recommend that all investigations be scrupulously objective.  Investigators need to be trauma-sensitive when questioning victims or other witnesses, but they should not assume wrongdoing until they have completed their investigation.