Ethics & Safety
The Ethics in Congregational Life Program will develop and/or make available
to congregational leaders education, training, and other resources and services.
The goals of this program are to support leaders in creating safer space within
their congregations, encouraging right relations among persons who are part of
the congregation, and encouraging just relations between the congregation and
the larger community of which it is a part. The conflict management component
of this program will provide additional support and resources to our districts
in their support of congregations and find an appropriate role for the UUA in
direct service, developing resources and delivery systems as needed.
In addition to broad support for safe congregations and right relations, the
Ethics in Congregational Life Program will also include a new system for response
to complaints of ministerial misconduct that is grounded in principles of restorative
justice and reconciliation. These principles will be expressed by
- pastoral concern and response to persons victimized
- concern for the health and well being of congregations
- concern for the integrity of the ministry and the UUA
- congruency with UU principles
- transparency
The process, managed by the Director for Congregational Services, will:
- receive and investigate complaints
- coordinate support services to affected individuals and congregations
- present cases for adjudication by the Ministerial Fellowship Committee
- involve a corps of volunteer investigators and volunteer liaisons, the latter
providing both pastoral support and process information/advice to the complainant
- involve, when needed, a crisis response team, to provide support to congregational staff and leaders
- include an education and training component for congregational leaders
Process for handling complaints of misconduct
Unlike many other religious bodies, the UUA is an association of member individual
and independent congregations. The role of the UUA is to provide support to
its member congregations. It does not govern them. In our tradition of congregational
polity, each member congregation has the power to ordain, call/hire, supervise
and dismiss ministers and other staff; and to do so independently of the UUA.
It is the congregation, not the Association, that takes responsibility for regulation
of its own policies and staff.
For questions and concerns about ethics and safety contact Rev. Dr. Tracey
Robinson-Harris, Director, Congregational Services, trobinson@uua.org,
(617) 948-6462.
District Offices
An excellent resource available in every district office is Reducing
the Risk of Child Sexual Abuse in Your Church by Richard Hammar, Steven
Klipowicz, and James Cobble (guidebook, educational training manual, video,
and audio tape). District staff are available to consult with congregational
leaders, ministers, religious educators about issues of sexual misconduct and
boundary violations. Many districts have Safe Congregations Teams to help UU
congregations build safer communities by addressing issues of sexual abuse and
domestic violence. Some teams conduct workshops for district meetings and annual
religious education conferences. Contact
your district office for further information.
Responsible
Staffing: Helping You Create Safe Congregations for Children, Youth, and Vulnerable
Adults
Abuse of children, youth, and vulnerable adults is a horrific reality in our
society, and Unitarian Universalist congregations are not immune. The unfortunate
truth is that abuse has occurred in our own congregations. Congregational leaders
– paid and volunteer – know at a gut level that we have a responsibility
to be proactive in preventing such tragedy. And we do.
Balancing Acts: keeping children safe in congregations
Developing a Covenant of Right Relations is an important step in clarifying expectations and creating a safe environment for congregations. "Covenant" is Latin for "come together" and means a "solemn agreement" or "promise from the heart" regarding a course of action between parties. Although the process of creating a covenant is unique for each group it may be helpful to review a sample Covenant of Right Relations.
Restorative Justice For All: UUs Responding to
Clergy Sexual Misconduct
January 2006 Update: Restorative Justice for All 
Resources
UUA President Issues
Pastoral Letter on Safety in UU Congregations (includes video footage)
Massachusetts
Clergy Reporting Law
Religious Institute
on Sexual Morality, Healing and Justice
Center for the Prevention of
Sexual and Domestic Violence - resources for
clergy, lay leaders, seminary faculty, chaplains, policy makers of religious
institutions, community advocates on the faith aspects of sexual and
domestic violence
National Domestic Violence Hotline
- if you need help go to
http://www.ndvh.org/ (or
call 1-800-799-SAFE or 1-800-78-3224 for TTY)
| Unitarian
Universalist Principles & Sexual Ethics
Closing Words
One of the Leader Resources
in Creating Safe Congregations restates our Principles in terms of sexual
ethics, and appears in every age level of Sexuality and Our Faith, the
companion volume to Our Whole Lives.
The inherent worth and dignity
of every person
Every person's sexuality is sacred and is worthy of respect, and therefore,
is not to be violated.
Justice, equity and compassion
in human relationships
We treat others as we would want to be treated; therefore, sexual exploitation
is wrong.
Acceptance of one another
and encouragement to spiritual growth
Accepting each other as we are means not taking advantage of what we have
or don't have*physically, psychologically and spiritually.
A free and responsible search
for truth and meaning
In our relationship to others, our freedom of sexuality is important as
is the responsibility for it.
The right to conscience and
the use of the democratic process within our congregations
As a community and as an institution, we have the responsibility to create
a secure and safe environment.
The goal of a world community
with peace, liberty and justice for all
We have the opportunity to create the kind of environment that lends itself
to peace, liberty and justice in human sexuality, and we can become a
model for the rest of society.
Respect for the interdependent
web of all existence of which we are a part
When we respect each person's sexual integrity we honor the wholeness
of life and we respect the web of all existence. |
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