December 6, 2023
The Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada (EMCC), its national leaders and staff, member churches, and global workers are deeply committed to the safety of every individual who interacts with us so that they may experience the love, message and life of Jesus. Over the past year, we have been continuing our work to ensure we live out this commitment and bring abuse into the light and give voice to those who have been harmed.
In 2022, the EMCC developed a strategy outlining our response to allegations of abuse and proactively preventing abuse in our EMCC ministry. While our strategy is focused on EMCC credential holders, staff, board members, and volunteers at EMCC-sponsored events, we seek to provide coaching to support our member churches as they develop strategies and policies.
The following is an update on where we are at with implementing this strategy.
1. Reporting Portal
The reporting portal on the EMCC website has been launched as a way for survivors of abuse or those currently in abusive situations alleged against an EMCC credential holder, EMCC National Team Member, or Board Member to safely and confidentially connect with our third-party Abuse Response Facilitator to report their concern. Our Abuse Response Facilitator is mandated to confidentially receive preliminary information and work with victims to determine next steps—which may include providing support from a Survivor Support Specialist or qualified counsellor, sharing their experience of abuse with an individual who is trained in trauma-informed care, or requesting an independent investigation be conducted. Go to the EMCC Reporting Portal.
Further, we would request anyone who has information about alleged abuses to report it to us, for the sake of the victims and survivors and as part of your moral, spiritual, and legal obligation. Please use the same portal and identify yourself as one who has relevant information related to a situation allegation or investigation.
The portal is also available for credential holders who may have engaged in acts of abuse to confess and work with the EMCC on the next steps in their accountability process.
Any allegations or confessions of abuse against a child or vulnerable individual will be reported to the appropriate authorities.
2. Counselling Support Grants
We have implemented procedures, mechanisms, and resources to support survivors through grants for counselling services. These grants are adjudicated by a third party in order to protect confidentiality and ensure equity. Survivors who wish to access these grants can use our EMCC Reporting Portal to contact our Abuse Response Facilitator for more information.
3. Survivors Support Specialist
The EMCC understands that survivors have unique support needs as they journey through their healing process. We are highly supportive of the concept of Survivor Support Specialists (also referred to as a Victim’s Advocates) and have funding available to survivors to access this support. If you are a survivor and wish to connect with our Abuse Response Facilitator about the services of a Survivor Support Specialist, please reach out through our EMCC Reporting Portal.
4. Response Advisory Team
The EMCC has engaged a team of highly qualified individuals to support the work that we are doing. These individuals will provide advice and guidance, take reports of abuse, conduct independent investigations and participate in the development of resources for our credential holders.
5. Communication
We have expanded our Updates section on the website to continue to provide updates on specific cases as well as General Updates on the work the EMCC is doing.
1. Equipping Credential Holders
We will be introducing a requirement for all EMCC Credential Holders to take sexual abuse prevention training. We are currently working on that curriculum.
2. Annual Attestation Process
Each member congregation is responsible to have an Abuse Prevention Policy in place and follow it. This may be Plan to Protect or other abuse prevention protocols. Member Churches are asked to annually report that they have a policy in place and are following it.
Each credential holder is responsible to complete an annual report and in that report to confirm that they have reported any known allegations of abuse that they have knowledge of.
There is much important work before us.
