Key Points:
- The apology, part of a resolution passed in the last hour of General Conference, is to be offered in the spirit of offering healing for all affected.
- The denomination’s Social Principles maintain that sexual harassment is an exploitation of a power relationship that interferes with the moral mission of the church.
- Not only was the apology statement read in its entirety during General Conference, but all United Methodist bishops around the world are to read the apology at their own upcoming annual conferences.
General Conference has issued a heartfelt apology to all who experienced sexual misconduct in The United Methodist Church.
On the final day of General Conference, the Rev. Gary Graves, secretary of the General Conference, apologized on behalf of the church for the way the denomination has prevented people from being held accountable for sexual misconduct, thus perpetuating harm within local churches and other ministry settings and damaging the United Methodist connection.
“The United Methodist Church apologizes for the times we allowed our desire to protect the Church to outweigh our desire to care for victims and survivors of sexual misconduct. We have allowed polity and protection of the institutional Church to prevent us from holding persons accountable,” Graves said.
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“We apologize for the times we have not listened to you, doubted your stories, ignored your wounds, and have not tended to your pain. We believe this has contributed to allowing an unsafe culture to exist.”
Submitted by the United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women, the apology was part of a resolution passed in the last hour of General Conference on May 3. It is to be offered in the spirit of offering healing for all affected.
“I am someone who works in the field of serving survivors of sexual violence,” Jesi Lipp, secretary of the Independent Commissions Legislative Committee, said about the legislation, noting this is the first step in committing to do no more harm. “People in our churches have suffered harm, and our church has compounded that harm in our silence.”
The denomination’s Social Principles maintain that sexual harassment is an exploitation of a power relationship that interferes with the moral mission of the church. However, people have been mistreated, abused and assaulted by church leaders — both clergy and lay.
Council of Bishops President Tracy S. Malone said the apology provides an opportunity for the church to acknowledge the harm done to survivors and victims of sexual misconduct.
“We have had services of lament,” Malone said. “We have had Thursdays in Black. We are a church that stands on the principles of ‘do no harm, do good and stay in love with God.’”
Not only was the apology statement read in its entirety during General Conference, but all United Methodist bishops around the world are to read the apology at their own upcoming annual conferences.
The apology and resolution also offer resources to help people who are victims/survivors:
- Read the apology statement.
- Information on the reporting process can be found at http://www.umsexualethics.org or from annual conferences.
- Information and guidance for all parties involved in a complaint process related to sexual misconduct are available at http://www.donomoreharm.org.
- Read Council of Bishops and United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women statement on the #MeToo movement.
Jessica Brodie is editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate.
News media contact: Julie Dwyer at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umnews.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free daily or weekly Digests.
Statement of Apology
Introduction
Sexual misconduct is a current and real problem within The United Methodist Church. Today, we acknowledge there are people here who have been mistreated, abused and assaulted by clergy and lay leaders in the Church.
We honor those who have shared their stories and those who have sat with their stories in silence. We commend the courage of all survivors of sexual misconduct to walk a path they did not choose. Too often, those who suffer from sexual misconduct are silenced, ignored or not believed by the Church.
Sexual misconduct includes psychological, emotional and spiritual abuse. This apology is a beginning point for confession and hope in prevention and response to sexual misconduct in The United Methodist Church.
Apology
The United Methodist Church apologizes for the times we allowed our desire to protect the Church to outweigh our desire to care for victims and survivors of sexual misconduct. We have allowed polity and protection of the institutional Church to prevent us from holding persons accountable, thus perpetuating harm within our local churches and other ministry settings, and damaging the whole United Methodist connection.
We apologize for the times we have not listened to you, doubted your stories, ignored your wounds, and have not tended to your pain. We believe this has contributed to allowing an unsafe culture to exist.
An apology is worthless without a commitment to the challenging work which must follow. The United Methodist Church pledges to:
1. Apologize in every annual conference across the connection.
2. Educate Church leaders regarding sacred trust in ministerial relationships and power imbalance within those relationships.
3. Provide healing resources to all affected in accordance with ¶ 362. Complaint Procedures.
4. Develop a trauma-informed response to complaints of sexual misconduct.
This apology alone is insufficient for healing. The United Methodist Church accepts our responsibility and publicly states our commitment to carry out the steps named to do no more harm. May God’s blessing and never-ending love guide our work and see it through.
