The continuing ramifications of recent leadership scandals in evangelical churches and the wider Christian world are being freshly addressed by one of the UK’s leading evangelical networks.
Affinity – which links around 1,200 churches and Christian organisations – says it wants to aim towards healthy Christian communities ‘where concerns about pastoral malpractice can be raised and dealt with fairly, and in ways which are honouring to Christ, theologically faithful and legally compliant’.
Director Graham Nicholls says: ‘One group of evangelical Christians is wary of victim advocates, often saying “there is nothing to see here” and taking refuge in the fact that being a good and strong leader will always provoke opposition. They see the drive for more openness about safeguarding as mostly driven by a secular victim culture.
Is your church healthy? A sabbatical may reveal the answer...
What would you say if I told you that your church has more to gain by a generous sabbatical policy …