Understanding and Working with Adult Sex Offenders in the Church

Abstract

Understanding the complexities, prevalence, and patterns involved in adult sexual offending can help congregations improve their ability to protect children, minister to offenders and their families, and react in a more proactive manner to these crimes. This article underscores the fact that most victims do not disclose their abuse and therefore, most offenders are never reported, let alone arrested or convicted. If, and when, offenders are identified, a series of sophisticated evaluation and treatment protocols ensue. Congregations are encouraged to support the criminal justice system’s attempt to rehabilitate sex offenders and resist the temptation to offer forgiveness and/or pastoral counseling, which too often results in an offender avoiding responsibility for their crimes and continuing to pose a risk to themselves and the community.