Being clergy member means holding sacred trust with parishioners

I remember career day at my high school. Each year people came in from all kinds of professions and careers to explain how and why they thought their jobs would be interesting to us. They spoke about their work and usually emphasized the best parts of the job. But I cannot seem to recall that there ever was a representative from the clergy. Truthfully, I never even thought about being a rabbi. I was considering various professions, including being a lawyer, a disc jockey and working for the State Department in the Foreign Service.

Every profession is unique and has its perks and drawbacks. Being a member of the clergy, in that regard, is no different. It is a wonderful career choice for someone who loves to learn and to serve people. No matter the religion, a clergyperson can really make a difference in someone's life on so many different levels. But there are also challenges that a seminary education can never prepare you for.

Leading a congregation is a 24-hour-a-day job. You are the center of institutional activity and most often you receive respect for time-honored work. Yet the opportunities that come with the privilege of holding clergy leadership can, if you are not careful, distort the ego because congregants along with the tradition itself bestow so much adulation upon that leader. Newly ordained clergy, in particular, should be aware that lay leadership will expect their clergy to live a lifestyle that is consistent with the values of the religions they represent and teach each day to their parishioners.

What happens, however, when a clergyperson falls from the pedestal of sanctity and commits an act of moral turpitude? Inappropriate sexual behavior, financial mishandling of the congregation's funds, abusive behavior toward the staff and/or congregants are just a few of the troubling issues that can destroy a person's career and livelihood. Surely there are some actions in which peer and professional counseling and congregational support can enable that clergyperson to atone and re-enter the active ministry with integrity.

But there are other actions, such as inappropriate sexual behavior with adults -- and especially with children -- that, once proven, will compel the clergyperson to leave the profession for good. And yes, it is hard to fathom how anyone committed to public service in a faith community can willingly destroy both lives and trust.

All of the major religions in America and all over the world have stories of religious leaders who have gone astray. Most clergy organizations have an adjudicatory ecclesiastical body that has a set of written procedures for judging a clergyperson and deciding what punishments fit the transgression.

It is important that national committees of lay representatives and clergy work together not only to provide a fair and unbiased process to make the determination, but also to support the victims -- particularly if the action is related to clergy sexual misconduct. If clergy associations do not do so, then the people will certainly lose respect for not only the rest of the clergy but also for the religion itself. And if that is the case, then maybe the victims, their families and the community that supports them are justified to feel that way.

Clergy associations know how explosive these kinds of issues are to a congregation, let alone to the local faith community and even nationwide, given the proliferation of news on the Internet. There are legal and financial consequences for a congregation as well as the clergypersons themselves. One action by a clergyperson can cause an implosion of the entire community. What is equally problematic is if the lay leadership does not know how to be honest with the congregation in explaining the issues and helping everyone heal from the trauma that always attacks the spiritual core of the community.

Clergy and lay leadership alike have to be extremely vigilant to educate congregational staff and volunteers about sexual harassment policies in addition to frank discussion in a respectful manner to educate clergy how to avoid situations that will cause unrestrained gossip. It is frustrating and scary for all the hardworking, decent and honest clergy to hear stories of clergy sexual misconduct. Will congregants now suspect them because of the crimes of others?

I have faith that the overwhelming majority ofthose who serve God -- because they have chosen to be rabbis, priests, ministers and imams -- are honest people, despite the reality that even most honest and respected individuals commit, at times, serious mistakes for which they seek to atone. But that is not the same as someone who knowingly commits a heinous and immoral act for which there can be no excuse or possibly forgiveness.

I realize how hard it is for us to face this subject, but by doing so, we seek justice for clergy and congregants alike. Only when we have achieved real justice can we find peace in our communities and recover faith in our religious leadership.

Rabbi Brad L. Bloom is the rabbi at Congregation Beth Yam on Hilton Head Island. He can be reached at 843-689-2178.