Episcopal Diocese of Albany - Sexual Misconduct Policies and Procedures Manual

Business Office: 68 South Swan Street - Albany, NY 12210 - (518) 465-4737
Christ the King Spiritual Life Center: 575 Burton Road - Greenwich, NY 12834 - (518) 692-9550

Introduction | Policy Statements | Definitions | Procedures | Covenant For Sexual Responsibility

The Church has always recognized that those who are set apart for ordained ministry bear a particular responsibility to pattern their lives according to Jesus' example. Not only are bishops, priest and deacons regarded by the faithful and the world as examples of what a Christian life should be, but any moral offense by clerics is especially hurtful because it betrays that trust committed to them by the Church to nurture and care for every member. Cranmer's words, (on the title page of this document), which used to be in the Anglican ordination service, are a forcible reminder of how serious is this responsibility. We acknowledge the goodness of our natures as sexual beings. Feelings of attraction are human and good, ordained by God as revealed to us in such passages from the Holy Scriptures as the creation stories (Gen. 1:1-2:25). These feelings can enhance the chemistry of working relationships.

Within the Church in both educational and pastoral settings, occasions arise that can lead to intense, self-revelatory occasions of intimacy. These occasions can foster a degree of intimacy between clergy and their parishioners which has at times contributed to the blurring of physical and emotional boundaries that should be maintained between them. When feelings of sexual attraction approach the threshold of one's becoming unfaithful to baptismal, ordination or marriage vows, acting out such feelings is crippling and destructive to the authenticity of ministry.

By virtue of the canons of the Episcopal Church and their baptismal and ordination vows, clergy are charged to love, teach, and nourish others and to be models for Christian Living. Thus clergy are to treat members of their congregations, other staff members, other clergy and all in need who come to them, in such a manner that they may experience the healing ministry of Christ and be received with the same care and dignity our Lord showed to those who came to him.

The purpose of this manual is to set the parameters of expected behavior around the topic of sexual misconduct and to establish consequences for stepping over these boundaries. These parameters and consequences apply to all who minister in the Episcopal Church of the Diocese of Albany, whether clergy, lay employee, or volunteer.

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