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GOVERNANCE & MINISTRY
by Dan Hotchkiss
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The Mystique of Confidentiality
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Excerpt
Confidentiality is a term of art in ministry. It evokes the seal of the confessional: most people expect, when they talk to clergy, that what they say will go no further. This is perhaps the most widespread expectation people have of clergy, one most of us try hard to honor. Unfortunately, keeping confidences is not as simple as it sounds: In many places, the law requires clergy to report evidence of child abuse and other crimes. Because these requirements change from time to time and place to place, it is not easy to keep track of them. Training programs like Clinical Pastoral Education leave many clergy with the habit of consulting about confidential matters with colleagues and supervisors. Sometimes this kind of consultation happens informally among colleagues, without a clear agreement to keep information private. These exceptions and others create a gap between the public expectation that clergy will keep confidences and
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