You will have to forgive me for the lack of written correspondence, but events that occurred during Christmas have required me to go inward and give myself to just listening for awhile. Contrary to popular belief, more than just time is needed to heal wounds. So many of us walk around with the weight of past wounds, bringing them into our relationships, letting them keep us from the path of peace and wholesome happiness, blinding us from the beauty of every day and of life itself, and therefore spending life with a burden when we were meant to have wings. In part, by refusal to accept that alternative as well as the reality that I have nothing with which to distract my mind, I have dealt with hurt by seeking healing through God and solitude.

I’ve written a few letters that I will never send, as well as some letters to God. In our correspondence, He reminded me that we are never alone in our joys and sufferings, and all we have to do is ask in order for Him to share the burden. Most importantly, He reminded me that we are never given more than we can handle; we are never tested beyond our capacity to overcome. Good to know at such a young age, considering life’s tests will only get harder.

My time in Nicaragua is winding down; I will be returning early April for three weeks of Rainbow Network’s major fund-raising events and afterward staying. Many of you took a chance on investing in me and this adventure. I came here looking to get experience working for an international non-governmental organization, become fluent in Spanish, spend time in close proximity with the poor, and learn how I can best serve those in need. I also hoped to become closer to God and therefore a more spiritual and emotionally healthy, wholesome person better able to serve humanity. All of these things I have accomplished and not a penny has been wasted in effort.

I hope that by sharing with you the ups and downs, you also have felt a return on your investment. This growth has been made possible by you, as well as the lifetime of service I plan to give to humankind. This segment of my journey was essential in order to lead me to the next. I find myself now writing what so many of the people I have interviewed have said about Rainbow Network: This would have never been possible without your help. Thank you. Jessi

In honor of:

Because of the ice storms last week, the Interim Steering Committee was unable to meet; thus, there is not an update report from them this week. Over the last several weeks, though, many folk have asked questions regarding issues of ministerial standing and clergy ethics. Therefore, I’ll use this space and try to provide some insight and clarification about those topics from both the perspective of being a former Regional Minister (1998-2007) and the experiences and training from having served on several committees dealing with such issues.

Since the denominational "restructure" decisions in 1968, authority for the employment of an individual to serve as a local church pastor is always and entirely at the will of the congregation. The granting and certification of ministerial standing, however, became the responsibility of a region’s Ministry Committee. Ordination remained a partnership venture between regions and congregations, using the "Policies and Criteria" documents approved by General Assemblies. The primary criteria is threefold: demonstrable faith; a discernable call to ministry; and a sufficient "fitness for ministry "including "mental and physical capacities, emotional stability and maturity, and standards of morality." The current Ministerial Code of Ethics was developed in the early 1940's. While there have been some editorial updates, the essential core has stood the test of time and remained as the primary guide for ministerial conduct. All clergy sign a copy of the Code at ordination and are held to its high standard of ethics. Its violations then raise serious questions about one’s continuing "fitness" for ministry. All regional Ministry Committees have now developed guidelines for processing allegations of misconduct and detailing disciplinary responses ranging from reprimand up to permanent removal of standing. Such disciplines are generally dependent upon the severity and seriousness of the misconduct. Those decisions are not made lightly nor without cause and sufficient evidence as well as having rights of appeal.

Most of the current research about professional ethics and denominational policies have been developed since the early 1970's. State legislatures (Minnesota and Wisconsin most notably) have driven many of the modern laws about ethical violations in the helping professions. Rev. Marie Fortune is one of the early pioneers in the Church with her book Is Nothing Sacred? When Sex Invades the Pastoral Relationship. Such paradigms as "healthy boundaries," "abuse of power," "dual relationships," "mutuality of consent," "power and vulnerability," "betrayal of trust," and "forbidden zones" now permeate (or should!) the thinking around relationships between pastors and parishioners, employer/supervisor and employees, counselor and counselees, teacher/professor and students, doctors and patients, lawyers and clients. In all these relationships there is an imbalance of power and influence; and therefore, the professional has the sole responsibility to set boundaries to protect the more vulnerable and less powerful. These are the focus of ethics training seminars clergy are proactively expected (often required) to attend.

Within the church such vulnerabilities are even more problematic for victims because one’s faith concerns and church relationships are also at risk. Thus, such strong recommendations are made, like "pastors should not date parishioners" – because the boundaries and relationships are too dualistic and blurry nor should parishioners be used to meet a pastor’s emotional needs. The latter must be done outside the pastoral role; and, if not, then 99 times out of 100 ethical problems generally emerge and painful victimization occurs. Unfortunately, until the occasions of allegation come "close to home," people too often still hold to thinking ranging from the arrogant ["You cannot tell me what I can and cannot do."] to the more uninformed ["What’s wrong? They’re two consenting adults."] to the flippant ["Oh, boys will be boys!" or "The woman obviously seduced him."] to other reactions like denial, confusion, and/or embarrassment. Truly, in the professional (and especially clergy) relationships, none of that thinking can prevail. When clergy misconduct occurs, the Church must be responsibly responsive (as painful as it may be) and ministerial standing is generally at risk. Such infractions are that serious!!