“Clergy Integrity RETRAINING” ??

North AL Conference Leaders Schedule
“Clergy Integrity RETRAINING” – A Passive Response to Email Pleas for Justice, from Employee/Victim in Clergy Sexual Misconduct Cases?

[CSPAC-ALL opinion-editorial]

How does a denomination, "retrain" their clergy to demonstrate and adhere to their proscribed ethics for clergy integrity? Doesn't such an admission of need strongly imply a lack of biblical accountability and genuine spiritual condition, on the part of ministerial appointments and elders?


In a stranger-than-fiction example of suspicious timing and an apparent damage-control

attempt, the North Alabama Conference website recently posted the following

announcement since new Bishop, Debra Wallace-Padgett, arrived on-scene in early September.

That announcement can be seen below and linked here :

Clergy Integrity *RETRAINING*

Start Date 10/18/2012

End Date 10/18/2012

Start Time 9:00 AM

End Time 12:30 PM

Address

Sylacauga First UMC

105 E. Spring Street

Sylacauga,AL 35150

Contact

Coordinator: Cindi Patsios

Coordinator Email: cpatsios@northalabamaumc.org

(205) 226-7970

___________________________________________________________________________

The North Alabama Conference website claims that,

"The North Alabama Conference is a connection of the approximately 739 United Methodist Churches within geographical area from the middle of Alabama north to the Tennessee state line."

With that statement in mind, it would appear that either a grave oversight or an intentional choice has been made in providing an event which retrains only 75 clergy, elders, deacons, associate members and lay speakers, a micro-percentage of less than 5% of likely attendees. At that rate the conference's administration would have to schedule a Ministerial Integrity Re-Training every quarter each year for four years and still fall short of certifying all their "required" personnel and lay members, every four years as mandated. 

A detailed reading of the announcement below, will provide readers with a fine example of carefully parsed language crafted to appease many who don't bother to assimilate what is really being said.

1. First, the "refresher" training session is stated as required for "all clergy" with the proviso that "all" means those who have "previously received Ministerial Integrity training."

2. Then, the announcement contains an about-face definition of who is required to attend, stating that

"All clergy includes: 

•  All clergy appointed to a church (Deacons,Elders, Local Pastors and Associate Members) 
•  Retired clergy appointed to a church
• ATEMs within the bounds of the North Alabama
• ConferenceLay Speakers appointed to a church."

Now readers can ask with me-- which is it? All? Or less than 5% of 'ALL' ?

This latest example of purposeful ambiguity and minimalist compliance on the part of the North Alabama Conference leadership, reeks of the long-standing stench of cover-up and masked appeasement which has passively facilitated, in essence, sanctioned sexual misconduct among clergy.
 

The rest of the posted announcement and related documents are below. Links to them are provided.
__________________________________________________________________________________

Link to announcement
Only 75 people can attend this event. Registration will be on a first come basis when payment is received.

The Conference Committee on Ministerial Integrity on the Prevention of Clergy Sexual Abuse has scheduled required refresher training sessions for all clergy in the North Alabama Conference who have previously received Ministerial Integrity training. The North Alabama Conference insurance, the Bishop and Cabinet and the Board of Ordained Ministry now require this retraining every four years. All clergy include:

All clergy appointed to a church (Deacons, Elders, Local Pastors and Associate Members) 

Retired clergy appointed to a church

ATEMs within the bounds of the North Alabama Conference

Lay Speakers appointed to a church

Thursday, October 18, 2012                   Sylacauga FUMC 

The retraining will begin at 9:00 AM and last until 12:30 PM. You must attend the entire training to receive credit for it. Latecomers or those who leave early will not receive credit for attending. Registration and attendance will be listed and submitted to the District Superintendents. There will be a cost of $12.00 that will include materials and coffee.  

Registration deadline is October 11, 2012. TELEPHONE RESERVATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED!

At this time there are no other trainings scheduled for 2012

  Click link below for printable registration form 

Retraining_Sylacauga_10_18_2012_BQFJSFNR.pdf

Registration form for the chosen few or not-so-integrous, 5% in attendance.

I like my auto mechanics to be ASE Certified before they work on my drive-train or brakes.

I like my surgeons to be licensed physicians in their state of practice.

I like my clergy, elders and deacons to possess integrity and purity in their ethical understanding and demeanor, but in God's name, why do they NEED a "refresher"?

Perhaps, because many of their district and conference leadership have proven their impotence and sin in their passive authority and personal examples of politics and power manipulation!

Wait a minute-- let's get this straight: the conference deemed it necessary to include an attendance compliance policy to define the integrity necessary to receive credit for the ministerial integrity "retraining refresher?"

Frankly, now I'm afraid of all those leaders whom the conference anticipated as "latecomers or those who leave early" still expecting to receive their certification. I find this disclosure revealing and profoundly disheartening.

I think I'd better plan to visit the Anglicans this Sunday.