By Nelson Yoder & Brook Musselman
Mennonite Church USA took a significant step last summer when delegates gathered in Greensboro, NC affirmed the new Prevention and Accountability Resource. This document is designed to help congregations and conferences prevent abuse and respond effectively when it occurs. As Atlantic Coast Conference begins living into this resource, there are some important developments to share.
Why This Resource, and Why Now
MC USA’s existing polity manual, A Shared Understanding of Ministerial Leadership, has long provided a theological grounding for ministry by outlining qualifications, covenants, credentials, and ethics for credentialed leaders. But its authors always acknowledged that it wasn’t meant to be exhaustive. As the document itself notes, the intent is to “build lasting relationships of respect and integrity between congregations and conferences, and their credentialed leaders,” not to serve as a comprehensive rulebook.
The Prevention and Accountability Resource fills a gap that A Shared Understanding was never designed to address: the complex, sometimes painful realities of abuse in the church. It works alongside the existing polity rather than replacing it, offering concrete tools and clear processes where the earlier document left room for further discernment.
Two Sections, One Purpose
The resource is organized around two complementary emphases.
The Prevention section equips congregations with tools for building safe, healthy community. These include a Code of Conduct, Ethical Practice guidelines, best practices for congregations as employers, guidance for abuse prevention, and resources supporting clergy wellbeing. Taken together, they help us cultivate environments where harmful dynamics are less likely to take root.
The Accountability section addresses what happens when something goes wrong. It describes the screening process for persons seeking pastoral assignment. This process is coordinated through MC USA’s Ministerial Leadership Office, which produces a Ministerial Leadership Inventory shared with conference ministers, ACC’s Ministerial Leadership Committee, and congregational search committees. The current resource expands that screening to inquire into additional areas of a candidate’s life and history.
Critically, the resource also establishes a clearer process for investigating ethical violations. A new denominational role, the Denominational Minister for Church Safety, currently held by Michael Danner, works alongside conference-level safety liaisons to form Response Teams drawn from across the denomination. Complaints involving abuse are investigated by an independent organization, with findings reported to the conference Ministerial Leadership Committee for credentialing decisions.
Introducing ACC’s Conference Safety Liaison
As part of living into this resource, Atlantic Coast Conference has established a Conference Safety Liaison role. Nelson Yoder now serves in this capacity, bringing experience and training to this important work.
If you or someone in your congregation needs to report pastoral misconduct, Nelson is your first point of contact. Once a report is received, he will listen, provide helpful resources, and walk alongside you through the process. All conversations are confidential.
You can reach Nelson at: csl@atlanticcoastconference.net
An Invitation
We encourage every congregation to become familiar with the Prevention and Accountability Resource. Templates, forms, and additional materials are available through the MC USA denominational website. As always, your conference minister is also available to help congregations navigate questions and work toward healthy leadership and community life.