Queensland Pentecostal church’s child protection policy questioned at royal commission

An inquiry into institutional responses to child sexual abuse heard that the child protection policy of a Queensland Pentecostal church was based on a biblical reference that could be interpreted as “don’t get caught.” Chris Peterson, who became senior pastor of the church in 2006, told the royal commission that, in hindsight, the policy read as if it was saying “don’t get caught.” The hearing is examining how the church and the umbrella body for Pentecostal churches, the Australian Christian Churches, responded to the case of a former youth pastor.

The church’s training manual for workers used the phrase “the bible says to avoid the appearance of evil” rather than simply “avoid evil.” The manual said the child abuse policy was formed on the basis that the enemy would try to destroy the ministry of the Lord, and that it “shuts down opportunity for anyone to falsely accuse you.” A 13-year-old boy was sexually abused by the youth pastor at the church over two years.

The youth pastor, Jonathan Baldwin, was charged in 2007, a year after Peterson took over, and was jailed in 2009 for eight years, with a four-year non-parole period. He was sentenced for indecent treatment of a child under 16 and for one count of sodomy.

Counsel assisting the commission, Simeon Beckett, asked why the manual referred to “the appearance of evil” instead of simply evil. Peterson said the manual had been prepared by two church volunteers, one of whom was a teacher in training, and that neither had specific training in child protection. “I don’t think they viewed the document with that critical analysis,” he told the hearing on Thursday. He added: “Obviously its intent is genuine; the legal analysis may not have been very insightful,” and said, “Evil is what we’re really trying to avoid, not just the appearance, but evil.”

Peterson told the commission that he could not remember any specific child protection training during his six years at the church, though he said he had faith that the people running the youth program were competent. He said he would have applied the state policy of mandatory reporting of child abuse to police when it was introduced in Queensland. He also told Beckett that no written policy on mandatory reporting had been circulated to church workers.

On Wednesday, the father of the boy abused by Baldwin told the commission that the Pentecostal movement had shunned his son, who was still suffering the effects of the abuse. The account points to the need to speak up for those who cannot protect themselves (Proverbs 31:8-9).

Peterson said Baldwin had left the church before he took over. He said that when the offences became known, he offered pastoral and spiritual help to the boy’s parents.

Source: Read the original report