Empowering Christian communities to recognize, prevent, and respond to abuse.

Internal investigations into potential wrongdoing can be warranted under many circumstances. Whether by a direct complaint or indirect rumor, when church leaders hear about misdeeds by a church employee or volunteer they risk adding to the church’s liability by not studying the issue more closely.

Over the last decade, there have been many high-profile cases of sexual abuse in churches, but sexual abuse is just one kind of problem a church may encounter. Financial fraud and theft—such as the case of the nuns who allegedly stole $500,000 from their church to go gambling—are probably more common than one might assume. There may also be isolated incidents of violence, verbal abuse, or other problems.

An internal investigation has several purposes. First, it helps church leaders understand the facts surrounding the problem. Second, it gives the church an opportunity to address the problem with the perpetrator, potentially by terminating the employment of someone who has behaved badly. Third, it gives leaders a chance to evaluate the church’s risks and, if warranted, seek outside help.