“Telios Law has broken the mold of scorched-earth institutional defense/plaintiff recovery to develop a restorative method of ministry investigations. The Telios method does not conform to the winner-take-all patterns of American law but strives to transform and renew the parties and the past.”

PCA member, attorney, and Telios Law founder, Theresa Sidebotham, has recently published Handling Allegations in a Ministry: Responses and Investigations. 

For over a decade, Theresa Sidebotham has been practicing law providing guidance and legal counsel to help religious organizations care for their people while advancing their spiritual calling. Handling Allegations in a Ministry springs from her desire to help churches and ministries prevent issues before they start and confront problems before they overwhelm the church.

Sidebotham asserts, “Allegations of harm must be taken seriously. The health and reputation of the organization, the potential victim, and the accused are at stake.” For example, a church office worker complains about romantic advances made by a pastor. Or parents in a congregation accuse a teenage boy of touching their daughter inappropriately. Or a woman in a ministry files a sexual harassment complaint about a male coworker, which turns into a confusing he said/she said clash.

With clear and practical guidance, this book shows how to:

• Respond to complaints and make appropriate reports
• Listen to and protect those who may have been harmed
• Create a fair process and communicate it appropriately
• Take responsibility and restore those who have been harmed

Attorney Hugh Jones of Charity Counsel says, “Telios Law has broken the mold of scorched-earth institutional defense/plaintiff recovery to develop a restorative method of ministry investigations. The Telios method does not conform to the winner-take-all patterns of American law but strives to transform and renew the parties and the past.”

In addition to the Handling Allegations in a Ministry, Telios Teaches offers training on Child Protection, Diversity/Inclusion, and Sexual Harassment Prevention. A subscription to the learning management system on the Internet also includes professional development courses on member care, apologizing, risk management, and more.

Handling Allegations in a Ministry is part of a triad of tools for prevention, protection, and response. These tools may be accessed at Telios Teaches, Telios Law, and Telios Investigations.