MAST continues to hear from survivors on a regular basis. We are now aware of 60 cases of “bad endings” with MCC. One theme that often emerges is the extreme pain that many feel due to isolation from their communities in the aftermath of their bad ending with MCC.

…the unquestioned loyalty to MCC in many congregations adds to a sense of shame and isolation…

One survivor shared with MAST that they had not even written about the events in their journal, even years after being fired and pressured into signing an NDA as a condition for receiving a severance package. This person says, “I hid because I was ashamed. I sold my house, left the area. I couldn’t go to church in case ___ (MCC leader) showed up. No one ever reached out to see if I was OK.”

The Executive Directors downplay the seriousness of the investigation results, making it sound like MCC’s only mistake was not to respond more quickly to concerns that, they imply, were unfounded anyway.

It is concerning to MAST that MCC continues to imply that wrongdoing or harm might not be “clear” in this case.

In response to MCC’s plans for a “listening space where further engagement can happen with those who desire it,” MAST says, “The creation of a “listening space” that is controlled by MCC is a classic divide-and-conquer tactic, and way to contain the problem so that MCC is not held publicly accountable. Such a space does not prevent abuse from continuing and can cause more harm to those who come forward.”

Guest post 2 on NDAs by Into Account Executive Director Stephanie Krehbiel.

The short version: NDAs sustain and reproduce the most spiritually violent tendencies in organizational cultures. Abuse of all kinds–sexual, psychological, financial, spiritual, physical, emotional–thrives in cultures of silence. The normalization of NDAs makes that silence feel both necessary and legally enforceable.