How do we prevent harassment and abuse in our churches? How do we respond when abuse happens? What needs to change in our churches so that victims feel safer to share their stories?
More than 160 people engaged these questions as part of the annual Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC) Pastors, Chaplains, and Congregational Leaders event organized by the Anabaptist Learning Workshop (ALW) in January 2019.
Trainers Marie Fortune and Emily Cohen (pictured above)—both from FaithTrust Institute—shared stories, theological resources, and practical curricula designed to help everyone in the church to be proactive in the face of sexual harassment and abuse. A primary goal of the day was to encourage an overall shift in church culture so that everyone sees #MeToo as their agenda.
Participant Scott Morton Ninomiya commented, “We cannot go back to the days of ignorance, denial, and suppression—though there is undoubtedly inertia still to be overcome. It is clear that each of us has a part to play in addressing sexual violence in our churches and that we can no longer leave sexual violence survivors and their closest allies to push things forward alone.”
The Anabaptist Learning Workshop is a program of Mennonite Church Eastern Canada in cooperation with Conrad Grebel University College.
School for Ministers
The annual MCEC School for Ministers is an opportunity for pastors and ministers to fellowship, reflect, and learn together.
