Clergy Abuse is certainly not limited to something sexual. There is guilt and intimidation and violations of confidentiality. There are those researching Facebook profiles so they can give "Words of Knowledge" to people. There are those demanding tithes and offerings - and birthday gifts. There are all kinds of ways that bullies can intimidate and do harm - without touching. And we're THICK with it! And because there is basically no church discipline, especially for a non-denominational church of one, there is no one to call except the police or the courts (or Congress, but that never seems to do anything).
A lot of the more subtle abuse seems to come from our tendency to want to make people fit into our mold. To tell them to go home because they aren't dressed well enough or because they raise their hands - or don't raise their hands. Because they read the wrong translation or because they don't agree with us on every little thing.
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Musical Interlude |
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Jesus' last prayer before going to the Cross was that we would be ONE, not that we would be RIGHT. If we ALL see through a glass darkly then we're ALL wrong about something and maybe THAT is what we have in common - hubris - that we're sure we're the ones that don't see darkly. I've heard tons of pastors preach about how America is the sleepy, self-contented Church of Laodecia that is really blind, wretched, naked and poor - but it's always "them out there" not us in here!
Anyway, here's some of what we DO know about the physical abuse stuff.
Abuse Litigation - Criminal or Civil
We know of over $5 BILLION dollars in criminal and civil judgements or settlements with the Catholic church.
There is no other central reporting for other denominations, churches, camps, ministries, etc. But let's take a look at what we DO know. Some is in litigation. Some are sealed settlements.
Major Christian Bodies That Have Faced Class-Action / Systemic Abuse Lawsuits
Roman Catholic Church
This is by far the most documented.
Notable jurisdictions with systemic litigation include:
Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Archdiocese of Boston
Archdiocese of Chicago
Dioceses in New York, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, San Diego, Orange, etc.
Many religious orders (Jesuits, Franciscans, etc.)
Catholic Church abuse litigation alone often accounts for billions of dollars in settlements, and hundreds of dioceses have been named as defendants.
Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)
While not all cases are class actions, the SBC has faced multi-claimant lawsuits and coordinated litigation against the denomination and affiliated churches related to clergy and youth worker abuse. In recent years, SBC has been reported as facing hundreds of individual plaintiffs filing coordinated lawsuits across state courts, pointing to systemic claims.
The United Methodist Church (UMC)
The UMC has seen multi-plaintiff lawsuits in several U.S. states over clergy abuse, mainly involving claims against annual conferences or local churches.
Some have involved grouping of many claimants rather than isolated individual suits.
The Episcopal Church (Anglican Communion in the U.S.)
There have been multiple coordinated cases and large local settlements (e.g., the Diocese of California, Diocese of Southern Ohio).
Litigation sometimes grouped by jurisdiction and time period.
Lutheran Bodies
Various Lutheran synods (especially ELCA-affiliated ones) have been defendants in multi-claimant lawsuits related to clergy sex abuse and institutional failure to supervise.
Churches of Christ / Independent Churches
While not a single denomination with centralized governance, some church networks and congregational associations have seen coordinated lawsuits against multiple congregations, especially where abuse patterns emerged.
Church of God (Various Fellowships)
Multiple claimants have sued various Church of God entities (e.g., Church of God Cleveland, TN) in cases that have been joined or clustered in multi-party litigation settings.
Pentecostal and Holiness Groups
Some smaller Pentecostal bodies (e.g., certain Assemblies of God churches) have faced grouped civil suits when multiple plaintiffs have alleged abuse by ministers with denominational involvement.
Presbyterian Churches
Various Presbyterian bodies (PC(USA), PCA, etc.) have been defendants in lawsuits where multiple victims’ claims are filed simultaneously, sometimes consolidated for pretrial purposes.
Notes on Class-Action vs Multi-Plaintiff / Coordinated Litigation
Not all coordinated litigation is formally a class action in the strict legal sense (i.e., certified as a class by a judge). Many abuse cases are instead:
There are also:
Independent or non-denominational congregations
Some have had multiple victims join civil actions against a single megachurch or ministry network.
Global Cases
Available data outside the U.S. (e.g., Australia, Canada, parts of Europe) mostly involves Catholic bodies, but some Protestant groups have faced coordinated lawsuits.
Parachurch ministries
Some parachurch organizations (boarding schools, camps, mission agencies) have faced large-scale litigation, though not always described as denominational.
