Study Guides

A Time to Build: Creating Sexually Healthy Faith Communities provides guidance on “safe congregation” policies, including the prevention of sexual abuse and sexual harassment, as well as ideas for worship services and sermons on sexuality issues. It outlines strategies for sexuality education, for becoming a welcoming and affirming congregation, and for how congregations can advocate for sexual and spiritual wholeness in their communities.

A Time to Heal provides tools that faith communities need to determine under what circumstances, if any, a convicted sex offender may be involved in the congregation; determine how to respond if someone in the congregation is accused of a sexual offense; be sensitive and supportive of persons in the congregation who have been victims of abuse; and develop strategies to keep children safe and prevent sexual abuse from happening.

This guide book affirms the unique role of congregations in providing sexuality education. It explains why religious institutions must be involved in sexuality education; how churches can provide sexuality education in the congregational environment; and how churches can support sexuality education in the community. This resource includes an extensive listing of denominational statements on sexuality education and a thorough guide to sexuality resources available from many denominations.

Rev. Haffner developed this online manual for the Unitarian Universalist Association. The manual is based on three tenets that indeed present a balancing act, as faith communities develop policies:

1. We have a responsibility to assure that children and youth will be safe in our congregations from sexual abuse, sexual assault and harassment even or perhaps especially when we do not know if there is an offender in our congregation. Indeed, we have a responsibility to see that our congregations are sexually healthy congregations and free of sexual harassment, abuse, and exploitation for all of our members - children, youth and adults - as well as visitor and staff.
2. We are called to treat every person with worth and dignity, and to offer a congregational home to all who are seeking one like ours, while honoring that in the case of an individual with a history of sex offenses, there must be limitations to congregational involvement. That commitment means that only in rare cases will a person be denied access to ministry and fellowship. In the words of one congregation's policy, we must provide "compassion, support, affirmation, and protection against further harm."[vi]
3. We have a responsibility to educate ourselves about child sexual abuse and healthy childhood sexuality, to be well informed about sexual offenses and offenders and to develop processes that will help us make good decisions about the actions that we are called to take. We must be willing to listen, to use a democratic process, and to be humble about our own certitudes in creating these policies.

Sexual and reproductive health organizations can benefit from collaborative relationships with clergy and faith communities. This booklet provides instructions useful to any secular advocacy organization on how to engage faith communities in the work of sexual health, education and justice.