Stanley J. Grenz and Roy D. Bell, Betrayal of Trust: Confronting and Preventing Sexual Misconduct. Second Edition. Baker Books, 2001.
Reference in: Church Conflict – Congregational Trauma, Ministerial Misconduct
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
This book is now in its second edition, and is one of most thorough and widely used on the subject, especially among evangelicals. While most books on this topic are written by psychologists, Grenz and Bell, as theologians, offer the advantage of seasoned biblical insight. They deal with the often challenging integrations of compassion and justice, forgiveness and discipline, accountability and restoration, hurting and healing.
This is certainly a key resource, and most groups who are charged to deal with the issue are likely to return to it frequently. Yet it is more introductory in some ways. It is probably the first and best resource for church leaders and members who face ministerial misconduct to get proper bearings, and then supplement it with other texts to craft a more comprehensive response.
Grenz and Bell describe the scope of the problem very thoroughly. One strength is their description of the types of pastors (with a focus on male pastors) who are more likely to be at risk, along with several warning signs to look for. This book is probably the best material available profiling pastors who misbehave sexually. They also discuss how ministers and their churches can create safeguards to prevent misconduct. They provide separate chapters on how misconduct is a betrayal of both sexual trust and power trust. Their section on ministering to victims is excellent, as is the chapter on the church’s response. The final chapter is addressed to “wandering” pastors as distinguished from “predators.” Predators actively seek opportunities for sexual abuse, but wanderers do not intend to and might even be said to “fall” into it. The appendix is a reflective self-assessment to help ministers understand how “at risk” they may be.
From the Publisher
Clergy sexual misconduct has become a crisis of nearly epidemic proportions. Without exception, these incidents inflict terrible pain on victims and tarnish the credibility of the Church in society. A comprehensive look at the problem, Betrayal of Trust offers practical, Scripture-based ideas on how to prevent abuse, minister to victims, and respond appropriately to cases of misconduct.
Sexual misconduct by clergy is a devastating issue that reaches across all denominations, damaging the credibility of the church in its wake. The media regularly reports on the moral failure of leaders and abuse at the hands of those who are supposed to be trustworthy.
Betrayal of Trust focuses on a common scenario of abuse-sexual involvement between a male pastor and a female congregant-and offers practical solutions on how to respond to and prevent this betrayal of trust.
This book presents methods that will help churches respond sensitively to victims and implement policies and procedures to prevent abuse from taking place. For clergy who may be at risk for this behavior, it offers help in establishing appropriate boundaries.
This second edition includes a new chapter that offers help for the wandering pastor and a risk-determination questionnaire for pastors who may become abusers.
About the Authors
Stanley J. Grenz, professor of theology and ethics at Carey/Regent College, is the author of more than twenty books.
Roy D. Bell recently retired from his position at Carey/Regent College. Both authors live in Vancouver, British Columbia.
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