It seems that there is a push in the Grand Ole Church (aka: COGIC) to maximize dollars through Church Mutual Insurance, through a church insurance program especially designed to cover COGIC churches at a group discount providing a 5% or 10% cash back in the form of a dividend or premium credit (whichever is allowable under applicable State law).
Church Mutual is one of the nation's largest insurers (among the top 3 generally) of churches, ministries and para-ministry organizations in the United States.
What I found interesting is that Church Mutual has many resources available to help church leaders and administrators assess and manage potential risks through both practice and insurance planning. According to the "Pastor's Letter" which is in a PDF in full below, Church Mutual plans to offer the church the following benefits at individual pastoral requests:
• On-site hazard identification/assessment • Ergonomic evaluations • Accident investigation training • Safety training and resource tools • Emergency preparedness and action planning • Loss analysis (identifying trending and root causes and offer solutions) • Review of programs/policies/procedures (specific to your ministry/operations) • Innovative property protection (examples – sensor technology, drones) • Accurate replacement cost valuations • Customized service plans • Safety Presentations • Security and emergency preparedness (workplace violence and armed intruder – incorporates ALICE and FIRESTORM concepts and training) • Severe weather preparedness • Protecting your youth (preventing sexual misconduct) • Slip, trip, and falls prevention• Online and telephonic safety support • Allergy and swimmer wristbands • Safety seminars, webinars, and videos • Risk reporter newsletter and risk alerts • Safety material (posters, brochures, checklists, safety programs, videos, newsletters, presentations, and webinars)
As you can see I have underscored part of this "plan" that offer benefits similar to a Safe Church Certification offered through I Am My Brother's Keeper Christian Advocacy Council.
I also find it interesting that I personally contacted Church Mutual about 4 years ago asking for their help in developing such a program and they had no clue as to where to begin or what to do.
At the end of the day the suggestions and services of Church Mutual are a step in the right direction and are good supportive measures, but close attention needs to be paid to what this program really is and what it does not do.
What is the COGIC Church Mutual Insurance Plan?
- The Church Mutual program is a buyers discount club. The intent of the program is to "leverage the buying power of the 10,000+ locations in order to reduce premiums" This means that it is like buying insurance in bulk or at a group premium rate.
- The Church Mutual program is a premium dividend or premium credit arrangement. When fully implemented the participating churches will either receive cash back for insurance premiums or a premium credit.
- The Church Mutual plan is a voluntary plan with no upward or third party reporting or accountability. IMBKCAC has called for a MANDATORY plan for all COGIC churches in all jurisdictions. Part of the Safe Church Plan (SCP) includes not only "mandatory" participation of all churches at all sizes and levels within the church in the SCP.
- The Church Mutual plan does not encourage 3rd party independent oversight. IMBKCAC called for COGIC to provide and submit to 3rd party independent oversight in matters of sexual abuse. We have also consistently and unfailingly called for the establishment of the following supports:
- A national sexual abuse advocacy hot line
- Transparent annual reporting of church related sexual abuse, molestation, rape and pedophilia available at least annually through every Jurisdiction at the request of any individual or entity.
- The Establishment of a Victims Advocacy Department (which can only be done at the General Assembly Level)
- Regional abuse response advocacy teams coordinated by the Victim's Advocacy Department to assist victims and their families in each region in the event of church related sexual abuse.
- The Church Mutual Plan does not provide a path for victims advocacy. This plan DOES NOT lay out the rights of victims rights. such as to whom and how to make reports, (which may be covered in some brief detail in the church official "sexual harassment policy") nor does it deliver a timetable to resolve complaints, and standards of care during the time a complaint is filed until a case has ceased.
Why Can't IMBKCAC Just Be Happy?
Though, as stated, Church Mutual has done much internal work to help their clients, in this case COGIC, by making them aware of the level of review that is essential to address the issues of church safety, the Church Mutual plan is simply is not a Victim's Advocacy Plan nor a SCP and should not be mistaken as such.
The Church Mutual Program is what it is, an insurance plan aimed at mitigating risk, maximizing premiums and overall company profitability.
With that said, I don't quite know how we or anyone should feel about this program. Premium discounts are good. Information on preventing sexual harassment, abuse, sexual misconduct and rape, is good, however, it is misleading to think that this plan provides a level of safety or security and restoration of victims. Making that assumption could be a very bad assumption in the long run.
Most churches and leaders will look at the plan and choose the short path to say that the church has solved issues pertaining to sexual abuse, victimization and rape. Similar to the Catholic Church, COGIC, it seems, will view the relationship with Church Mutual as one in which all problems dealing with sexual abuse, rape, pedophilia and clergy sexual misconduct is satisfied.
While I can only hope that church will respond with a higher level of intent and integrity, I cannot say that this program will do anything to solve problems that have arisen over the years and yet continue to plague all of Christianity and religion in general today.
Below is a very good video by Church Mutual partners Godfrey & Kahn SC which deals with and addresses many aspects of church related sexual abuse and misconduct (aka: SINS)...I believe that will be a good starting place and churches should know that victims grow...they have memories...and one day, every story will be told!
CHURCH MUTUAL LETTER TO COGIC PASTORS
Yahweh the Carnivore:
ReplyDeleteProstitute's son Jephthah, in victory vow with God, makes burnt offering of only daughter. (Judges 11.29,39)
Girl Not So Lucky – Religious Fanatic Sacrifices Virgin Daughter
"I will give to the LORD the first thing coming out of my house to greet me when I return in triumph. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering ... her father kept his vow, and she died a virgin."
Exodus 32.27,29 The blessed murders
"'Today,' Moses said, 'you have consecrated yourself to Yahweh, at the cost of your sons and brothers. And so he bestows a blessing on you today.'"
Saul loses out
When the Lord says kill everyone He means EVERYONE!
"You didn't kill enough," says the Lord. "You can't be king!"
"And Saul defeated the Amalekites … and devoted to destruction all the people … But Saul spared Agag and … all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.
And Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?" … Then Samuel said, "Bring here to me Agag the king of the Amalekites." And Agag came to him cheerfully … And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the LORD in Gilgal. And the LORD regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel."
– 1 Samuel 15
Presumably, the god of love and peace lovingly enjoyed watching Agag be hacked to pieces with a sword. So much for love your enemies and pray for those who use you spitefully.
"And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand ... Then Judah went up, and the Lord delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand; and they killed ten thousand men at Bezek."
ReplyDelete– Judges 1.2-4.
May the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of his word!!
God was delighted with the massacre
Kings 10.19.30)
Usurper Jehu tricks all the priests of Baal into temple slaughter.
(2 Kings 10.19.30)
"Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, slay them; let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out,
"And the LORD said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing right in mine eyes, hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the 4th generation shall sit on the throne of Israel."
As if any of that should make YOU feel better about being a rapist, abuser, and a pedophile!
DeleteWell it puts one on equal footing with Yahweh. Plus, pedophilia is an attraction to pre pubescent children. That's the medical and psychological definition. Learn your terms.
DeletePedophilia is NOT an attraction to fully developed late teens or early 20s women. Women that most men are attracted to by the way.
DeleteWell the "evidence" in public including that of the testimony of your BROTHER concludes that YOU are not only a pedophile, but a hypersexual pervert in need of help. That is not God's choice or problem but yours.
DeleteIn addition, as you've tried, even through the public lie that you can't read, to state that GOd somehow endorses pedophilia and rape either explicitly, implicitly, or by a complicit response is not supportable by scripture or otherwise.
In other words, there is LESS evidence for God being abusive or misogynistic than there is or you being the same!
And the ONLY people, what some 50 plus years old, that attempt to make a difference or clarification between attraction for a "barely legal" girl and a underaged child is someone who is morally BANKRUPT and a sexual PERVERT.
ReplyDeleteThis "most men are attracted to" some 20 something women, is some GARBAGE that you have read somewhere to support your ILLNESS and the DEMON that dominates your character. Even in that you will meet GOd and the VICTIMS that you have made in eternity and answer before GOd for all that filth and defilement.
No, you didn't start the the sexual perversion in your life, but you feed it, and from what I believe revenge, by first committing incest with the daughter of the family member who initially raped you...then that demon was out of control taking over your actions until this day...and all the church boy clones that you get to cover up for you are stupid idiots too!!!
SMH!!!!