Guidance for Elders Dealing with Sexual Abuse Cases

We are thankful for the forgiveness and redemption found in the shed blood of our Savior, but acknowledge that we continue to live in a fallen world. This means we often have to deal with very broken and difficult situations. Thankfully, we can look forward to a time in eternity when this will not be. Until then, we must do our best to address these issues in a way that is pleasing to the Lord and helpful to those involved. One of the most difficult dilemmas we encounter from time to time is sexual abuse. This is obviously a serious issue for both the victim and the person committing the sin. In order to be as helpful as possible and to protect ourselves from being influenced by personal feelings, the Elder Body has developed guidelines for responding to these situations.

These guidelines need to be clearly obedient to and founded on God’s Word. Therefore, the document begins with the Scriptural Foundation and Key Principles. The other portions of the document contain suggestions for determining whether sexual abuse has occurred while also providing instruction for how to work through such situations.

Guidance for Elders Dealing with Sexual Abuse Cases is located in the Elder DropBox within the ACCFS folder.

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