Evangelical Church under pressure: Measures against sexualized violence decided!

Evangelical Church under pressure: Measures against sexualized violence decided!

On February 12, 2025, a pioneering conference of the city synod of the Evangelical Church in Frankfurt and Offenbach took place in the Frankfurt Dominican monastery. At the center of the session was the decision of a comprehensive package of measures to combat sexual violence. This decision is based on a detailed final report of a working group that includes 73 pages. The report was presented by a group of experts, including Pastor Gunter Volz from the Evangelical City Deanery and Monika Heil, Quality Management Officer of the ERV, and Markus Eisele, theological managing director of ERV and diaconal pastor. efo-magazin.de reports that the recommendations include targeted measures to raise awareness of sexualized violence and to analyze power structures.

The central topics dealt with in the report are the detection of manipulation, abuse of power and specific perpetrators. Priority training content should therefore include dealing with the aspects of secrecy, ingraining and threats. The credibility of those affected must also not be questioned. The package of measures also proposes the establishment of systematic knowledge and competence management and provides for the establishment of a specialist office for protection of violence. This is intended to establish effective quality management.

Requirements for effective changes

The challenges presented by the Evangelical Church are enormous. It is important to create comprehensive protection structures and to clearly name danger potential. The board of the city dean and regional association was commissioned to implement these recommendations in close coordination with representatives of those affected. The background of the initiatives are alarming results of the "forum study", which documents a decades of failure by the Evangelical Church and Diakonie in dealing with sexual violence. According to ekkw.de , many acts were not processed, so that those affected often do not feel heard and the perpetrators were protected.

This reality means that sexual violence is still not adequately addressed in many parishes. While children have been made in the Protestant daycare facilities, there is often a mistake in other areas that this is not a problem in their own ranks. The need for action is usually only recognized when concrete incidents become known, which underlines the urgency of a fundamental examination of this topic.

A look into the future

The Viceanist Stefanie Brauer-Noss thanked the parishes for their commitment in difficult times in her speech. The reform processes under the keyword "EKHN2030" are associated with challenges that go beyond the topic of sexual violence. They also affect the adaptation to falling membership and volunteer numbers as well as the efficiency of the existing structures. Another important aspect is the joint development of worship programs and confirmand: interior work in neighborhood rooms.

The desire for a thorough processing is also supported by Prälat Burkhard to Nieden, who intends to prepare for an independent regional processing commission. Currently, an estimated 80,000 personnel files are stored in around 400 different locations, including parish offices. Even if the majority of the files are in 12 church circles, it is important to encourage those affected to talk about their experiences, since the filing research only depicts the Hellfeld. ekkw.de indicates that additional measures are necessary to change and sustainable change to bring about.

Another component in prevention is the prevention law that has existed since 2018, which the Nordkirche has issued the first Evangelical Church in Germany. This regulates the handling of sexual violence and is supplemented by specific requirements for acquiring employee. Since 2022, ongoing training and checks such as the extended certificate of good conduct have been mandatory for everyone who works in the children's and youth area. Church- towards-sexualized-get-get-galt.de ensure and promote a culture of openness.