Rainbow Mennonite Church (RMC) strives to be a caring and supportive church community whereby we minister to one another in ways that help all feel welcomed, a sense of belonging, cared for, and safe. We recognize that carrying out our mission involves people and relationships, which presents the possibility for people to abuse their power by exhibiting inappropriate conduct (i.e., harassment or abuse). Therefore, in 2005 a Safe Sanctuary Taskforce was formed. The first Abuse Prevention Policy was adopted in 2008. In 2012 and 2017, the policy underwent editorial revisions. A major reworking of the policy was approved in 2020, which corresponded with constitutional amendments (adding of the Safe Sanctuary Committee). The most recent revision was approved by Church Council in 2022.
Rainbow Mennonite Church Abuse Prevention & Response Policy
The following policy and guidelines have been developed in order to reduce the risk of incidents of abuse, to educate RMC Employees, Interns or Short-Term Volunteers, and Congregants regarding abuse, and to develop a clear direction for a trauma-informed response to reports of abuse. In order to accomplish this, we will follow safety measures in the selection and recruitment of Employees and Interns/Short-Term Volunteers; we will implement prudent operational procedures in all programs and events; we will educate our Employees, Interns or Short-Term Volunteers, Congregants and Renters regarding all appropriate policies and procedures; we will have a clearly defined procedure for reporting all suspected incidents of abuse inclusive of all requirements of state law; and we will be prepared to respond.
You are invited to read and/or download the Rainbow Mennonite Church Abuse Prevention & Response Policy. Do not hesitate to contact the Rainbow Mennonite Church Past Moderator (pastmoderator@rainbowmennonite.org) with any questions or concerns you might have on this subject. This email is confidential and is only monitored by the Past Moderator.
Abuse Prevention & Response Policy (PDF 326kb)
Note: The RMC Safe Sanctuary Committee (SSC) carries special responsibility to monitor these guidelines, receive and process reports of suspected abuse, delegate and consult as necessary, and propose future changes to the Abuse Prevention Policy for Church Council approval. The Pastor, Past Moderator, and three additional committee members (appointed by Church Council) serve on this committee. At any time, you may email the church office (office@rainbowmennonite.org) for a list of current Safe Sanctuary Committee members. At any time, you may also email the Past Moderator at pastmoderator@rainbowmennonite.org.
As mentioned above, this email is confidential and is only monitored by the Past Moderator.
Reporting Abuse Form
When individuals wish to report abuse, please download and complete the abuse prevention form (link below) and email it to the following address: pastmoderator@rainbowmennonite.org Note: This email is confidential and is only monitored by the Past Moderator. Or, you can email the Past Moderator to state you have a concern and the Past Moderator can send you the necessary form to complete.