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What is Pastoral Misconduct?

Pastoral misconduct can include a range of behaviors--sexual sins, financial irresponsibility (such as refusal to pay bills), chemical addictions (drugs, cigarettes, alcohol), theft, deceit, and other things.

Our focus here is sexual misconduct, which in itself can include a range of behaviors, including:

• sexual harassment (verbal or physical).
• sexual advances and/or sexual contact between pastors and their parishion-ers, clients, or supervisees.
• sexual advances and/or sexual contact with persons outside the church.

Such behaviors cross appropriate professional boundaries, abuse the trust placed in them, and violate pastoral responsibilities and privileges.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is often defined as sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and/or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. It occurs when:

• Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term of an individual's employment or their continued status in an institution.
• Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual becomes a basis for employment decisions affecting them.
• Such conduct has the purpose or effect of interfering with work performance by creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment (in the judgment of the affected person).
• Such conditions create an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment for another person regardless of the specific setting or circumstances or the relationship between the two persons most directly involved.

Sexual Misconduct

Sexual misconduct can include:

• Sexual contact with a minor.
• Sexual harassment, as defined above.
• Rape or sexual contact by force, threat, or intimidation.
• Sexual malfeasance, which is defined as a breach of trust resulting from sexual contact (with breasts, buttocks, or pubic area) within a ministerial or professional relationship.
• Generally unwelcome or offensive behaviors. Examples include winks, leers, suggestive comments, crude language, pinching, tickling, or unwarranted hugs and kisses.

These definitions are adapted from the Pastoral Misconduct document from the Office for Church Life and Leadership of the United Church of Christ.