Ecclesiastical Process For
Review Of Ministerial Standing

 

The American Baptist Churches of Pennsylvania and Delaware (ABCOPAD) iscommitted to the highest biblically based standards for Christian conduct on the part of all itsministerial leaders. We will not tolerate clergy misconduct. We encourage our constituency tolive out Paul’s words to the Corinthian church “giving no offense in any thing that the ministry benot blamed; but in all things proving ourselves as God’s ministers.” (II Corinthians 6:3-4) Weask our people to truly reflect the person of Jesus Christ, and provide the highest standard forhuman dignity, integrity, and honesty in all relationships.

In the context of ongoing care for churches and their ministerial leaders, there may beoccasions in which allegations may be raised about a particular ministerial leader. ABCOPADaffirms its longstanding commitment to creating and maintaining an atmosphere where suchallegations can be heard and dealt with under biblical guidelines, such as those found in Matthew18:15-17. ABCOPAD seeks to strengthen the spiritual health and vitality of both its constituentchurches and its ministerial leaders through the following process of ecclesiastical review.

The ABCOPAD Commission on Ministerial Leadership is charged with the responsibilityto uphold professional standards of conduct among those it recognizes as ministerial leaderswithin the Region. The Commission is responsible for the recognition of Ordination andCertification and for the church’s review of recognition of Ordination and Certification.

 

The ABCOPAD Board, Regional staff, and Commission on Ministerial Leadership want you to know that our Region (which is all of you) has policies and procedures in place to deal with clergy misconduct. Here is our Ecclesiastical Process for Review of Ministerial Standing: These policies and procedures were originally approved in 1997 and were revised in 2017, so they have been in place for a long time. They allow us to deal with all kinds of clergy misconduct. Usually, allegations of sexual misconduct begin this process, though we have seen other kinds of misconduct. Allegations are always taken seriously. The process is confidential and allows victims a safe place to tell their story. The Region is also committed to our churches being safe places for children and youth. There are resources available HERE that will help you and your church protect minors. If you have any questions about these documents or these processes, please contact any region staff, ABCOPAD Board members, or me. Yours in Christ, Rev. Timothy Munson First Baptist Church of York Chair, Commission on Ministerial Leadership