UNITED STATES
Mennonite World Review
Jun 10, 2016 by Janie Beck Kreider and Mennonite Church USA
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Mennonite Church USA Executive Board affirmed recommendations from a sexual abuse prevention panel and accepted the resignation of board member Isaac Villegas during meetings June 2-4.
Executive director Ervin Stutzman reported that the board of Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va., Virginia Mennonite Conference and Lindale Mennonite Church in Linville, Va., have agreed to an outside investigation into their responses to abuse allegations against Luke Hartman, former vice president of enrollment at EMU, that will be conducted by an independent team unaffiliated with MC USA.
Stutzman emphasized that it is not a criminal investigation and that outside investigators will have no legal authority to demand documents or collect a body of information that would lead to a legal conclusion. Because of these dynamics, he said the full cooperation of all the institutions is voluntary, yet absolutely necessary.
“We are working together to bring the truth to light,” he said. “This process goes beyond what a criminal investigation can do. Our ultimate concern has to do with healing in our church, so we must address its ethos, how we treat victims of sexual abuse and listen to their stories, and how we treat one another and our church leaders.”
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