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.

A deeper look into the ins and outs of reporting abuse. A recorded conversation with GRACE's own Mike Sloan, Amy Stier, and special guest, Eli Molina. We answer questions such as: What is a mandated reporter? What does reasonable suspicion mean? Where do you report abuse? Does a church need to investigate?

Many reasons exist why people fail to intervene in abuse situations. Here are a few of them.

A culture of ministry that is centered upon the institution will go to great lengths to protect its reputation, compromising the value and protection of the vulnerable.

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

While offenders should receive the love and forgiveness of Jesus, we must realize that forgiveness and love do not eliminate the consequences of the sin.

Essay by Joey Mangano on the relationship between sexual abuse and insurance companies.

Why do so many victims remain silent? In over twenty years of confronting abuse, Boz Tchividjian shares what he has learned about the silence that imprisons many survivors. 

A Proposal for a Federal International Mandated Reporting Law

Why do so many churches fail to do the right thing when they learn that one of their own has been accused of sexual abuse? All too often it’s because the victimized are repeatedly overshadowed by the need to protect a “righteous” reputation.

In the past 20 years, I have come across many situations where folks  have found themselves conflicted about whether to say something after observing unsettling behavior between an adult and a child.  Unfortunately, too many have decided it’s best to remain silent. 

Examining the crisis of culpability at Hillsong Church when pastor Brian Houston failed to report his predator father, Frank Houston, to authorities.

Dr. Thema Bryant-Davis explains how the Black church can directly confront child abuse, beginning within its own community.