When an allegation of abuse surfaces, church leaders often face immediate confusion. Should you wait for the police to finish before taking action? Does filing a report satisfy your duty to the church body? If civil authorities close a case without filing charges, does that mean the church’s work is done?

During an independent church abuse investigation, investigators establish the scope, collect records, conduct voluntary interviews, evaluate the evidence, examine the institution’s response, and prepare findings and recommendations.

When an allegation of abuse comes to light, leaders naturally focus on the Alleged Offender, gathering facts, weighing conflicting accounts, examining evidence, and ensuring a fair process. That focus is essential for immediate safety and administrative decisions, but stopping there leaves some of the most critical institutional questions unanswered.

A credible church abuse investigation is structurally independent, aligned with truth, trauma-informed, and grounded in objective evidence evaluation. Investigators must be free to follow relevant evidence, examine institutional causes, coordinate responsibly with civil authorities, and report their findings without institutional control.

Report distribution is a foundational structural element of an investigation. Decisions about who receives the report must be established in writing before anyone knows what the investigation will uncover.

Survivor Wendy Westerfield explains her personal interaction with the GRACE Investigation Team, and what she learned about “holding space” for difficult experiences.

Four reasons faith organizations should resist investigating allegations before reporting to authorities.

What makes an “independent investigation” truly independent? Are survivors best served when an institution investigates itself? Boz Tchividjian draws on his experiences and explains why finding the truth is essential.

Some missionary cultures are in need of a conversion.