Virtually every CGL policy requires that the church give notice to the insurer as soon as the church has information about an event that may trigger a claim. Most churches have a Commercial General Liability insurance policy (CGL) that provides coverage for injuries that occur in or related to church programming. To understand and appreciate VPC’s choice, some explanation is needed. Vienna Presbyterian Church understood this difficulty – and chose a brave and narrow path. This last challenge is usually the most difficult, involving many pressures that most onlookers will never see or appreciate. How does leadership balance the inclination to withhold negative information, yet comply with the law? How does leadership balance what and when to tell the congregation (especially when the matter will be reported in the media)? How does leadership balance the needs of the victims with the fact that the accused is a trusted member of the staff? How does leadership balance the HR issues during a pending investigation? How does leadership balance its desire to provide healing to victims and the risk of legal liability stemming from actions meant to facilitate healing? When a matter is investigated, beat reporters will pick up the story – sexual abuse stories (especially those involving churches) are eagerly reported. Public perception is critical to the church nonetheless, state laws mandate the reporting of actual and suspected sexual abuse. The first inclination is usually one of limiting who knows what. When an outcry of sexual abuse finally rises to the attention of leadership, there are many immediate challenges, including the balance of discretion versus disclosure. Church and ministry leaders soon realize that their ship is in rocky waters – some they can see and others they cannot.Īt this point, church and ministry leaders usually ask: how did we get here do we have a meaningful safety system,* what is our exposure what are the ‘rocks’ that surround us how do we move forward, and how do we balance all of the competing interests? When church and ministry leaders finally stop to address a sexual abuse outcry, the matter has become multifaceted and seemingly impossible to balance. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that many church and ministry leaders misunderstand, minimize, ignore or mishandle warning signs and victim outcries. No one today will argue the fact that child sexual abuse is occurring in the evangelical Christian church this is a significant problem all by itself. The article describes the struggle between church leadership and insurance defense counsel in detail, after church leaders recognized that a former youth director had victimized girls in the church’s youth group. Recently, Vienna Presbyterian Church of Vienna, Virginia made headlines by ‘trying to do the right thing’ about past sexual abuse at the hands of a student ministries director hired by the church.
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