Legal And Biblical Issues In Pastoral Confidentiality -- By: Alan D. Ingalls

Journal: Journal of Ministry and Theology
Volume: JMAT 06:2 (Fall 2002)
Article: Legal And Biblical Issues In Pastoral Confidentiality
Author: Alan D. Ingalls


Legal And Biblical Issues
In Pastoral Confidentiality1

Alan D. Ingalls

Associate Professor of Old Testament
Baptist Bible Seminary, Clarks Summit, PA

Bob, a member of your congregation, drops by your office one afternoon. He makes small talk for a few minutes and then squirms silently in his chair.2 You wait patiently for him to say what is really on his mind. Finally he takes a deep breath and begins: “Pastor, I’ve been having an affair with Susie for several months now. I know that it’s wrong and that I need to break off the relationship, but I can’t do it alone.”

You carefully guard your facial expression so that you don’t look shocked—which you are since this man is a deacon in your church and Susie is part of the worship team. You know both families well—you baptized Susie’s son just a few months ago. You offer to help him decide when and how to tell Susie that their relationship must end, and to help him put his marriage back together. Though you had seen no outward signs of marital difficulties in Bob and Jody’s marriage, you are now aware that there must be serious cracks in the relationship, and the strain of revealing this affair could spell the end of their twelve-year union.

You begin counseling with Bob. He discreetly resigns from the deacon board as you have urged him to do, and he tells Susie that he can no longer see her. Bob soon begins to avoid you, however, despite the fact that he still has some serious work to do on his own marriage. You discover that Bob and Susie are again seeing each other. When you confront Bob, he makes excuses and fails to deal with the situation. Church discipline now seems in order. How do you proceed? Since you have been counseling him and have assured him that your conversations are confidential, you do not wish to break your word and reveal the matter to the deacons. Yet church discipline is clearly warranted. How do you get out of such a mess, or better yet, how do you avoid getting into such a mess?

Confidentiality And Privilege

Two definitions are essential. Confidentiality concerns the legal and ethical obligation of a pastor to keep secret the personal matters divulged to him. When a parishioner shares embarrassing or damaging information about himself with his pastor, he does so in order to obtain help and counsel. To then make his secrets public knowledge—even through a “prayer request” or “sermon illustration”—is a grave breach of trust.3 Privilege concerns a le...

You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
Click here to subscribe
visitor : : uid: ()