Ethical Question

Pastork, that is a difficult situation. I am very curious to read the responses to this thread.

I did some research and found the following on a law firm's website concerning Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse:

Given the fact that the confessed abuse took place (supposedly) over a decade ago, I don't know how this would apply.

I guess I would recommend the pastor approach the man about further counseling regarding this problem to insure he has controlled that problem. Perhaps a reminder of how the current environment is so attuned to possible child abuse that he might want to seek further counseling to prevent any perception of guilt?

A difficult situation indeed. Sorry I couldn't be of much help.

 

Christian Ethics that preclude doing the right thing is neither Christian nor ethical.

 

We are not catholic priests. We don't offer confessionals as the standard way to achieve forgiveness for sins.

Therefore if a brother takes a counseling confidence relating to serious danger and acts on it for good outside the counseling arena I would not quarrel with the whole idea of doing that. But it should not be a common thing.

Because where do you draw the line? Suppose a member of the congregation comes and asks for help overcoming a habit of adultary. Do you "help" by informing the spouse? Most of us would not.

It should be in deadly serious situations - ongoing assaults, eminent suicide, things like that.

 

In counseling situations, counselees should always be informed up front that the counselor cannot and will not protect them if they have committed an illegal act.

 

In counseling situations, counselees should always be informed up front that the counselor cannot and will not protect them if they have committed an illegal act.

 

Here's my two cents.
Yes, counseling is confidential. Even the fact that someone is seeing a pastor for counsel is confidential. A pastor can be sued for breach of confidence. But more importantly, the pastor's own ethics demands that he respect the privacy of his ministerial conversations. That includes sermon illustrations. Relate in a sermon, "I once had a man say to me . . ." and you've eroded your respect in the eyes of your congregation. And don't say, "Back in my last church. . ." Then the people will wonder, "Is he going to talk about me at his next church?"
No, that doesn't include pedophilia or threats made against persons. The pastor is legally, but most of all, morally bound to report such cases.
No, one does not have to inform the person about such cases. The pastor is not duty bound to keep confidence, nor is he duty bound to inform the counselee that he will be reported. The pastor does not have an obligation to a pedophile or a violent person. He must not be an enabler of sinners.

 

A further note on this subject relates to the responsibility of pastors to reveal certain privates given in a private counseling session. While we do have a moral responsibility to deal with information given in counseling sessions the legal requirements vary from state to state. As pastors in Wisconsin we are not legally required to reveal child abuse, etc. However, since I am an Wisconsin EMT I am required to report any such knowledge under penalty of law. Of course with the current problems with Catholic priests, our law might change.

 

Does the protection of the innocent ever come into play? If I were a parent in the church where the (ex)pedophile was attending, and that man had never actually given up his practices, but had learned how to hide it better, I would look at the pastor as being responsible for this man. If the pastor sees no remorse in a lost soul, does he stop preaching the Gospel because that soul says he's saved? And when the person oversteps his boundaries and violates another person to satisfy his perverse ways, someone has to stand up for what is right in God's eyes, not in what is written to protect the violator.

 

Before anyone in our church can work with children they undergo a criminal background check and the church also contacts previous churches where they've worked with children and people they've given for references. Some of our long time church members were upset that they had to be 'checked out' but it was mandatory for all of us. Even my husband, who is a listener for AWANA in a room with probably 12 other listeners had to be 'checked out'.

I would be VERY upset if a pastor did NOT report a man or woman who had done wrong like in that situation mentioned above! I've contacted a police officer friend when a visiting 4 year old child in VBS told me about Daddy hitting Mommy and how scared he was of his Daddy.

Diane