• all people should be treated with respect; and
• all members should develop an awareness about the impact of their behaviour on others.

Further, Renewal Ministries Fellowship considers it to be a fundamental obligation of all members to behave appropriately in the ministry. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.(Philippians 2:3-4) It is not acceptable to harass, bully or vilify a person or group of persons in any church or ministry activity or forum. These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.. In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires. These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Be merciful to those who doubt;snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear - hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. (Jude 1:16-23)

• modeling behaviour that values each individual as made in the image of God. God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.(Genesis 1:27)
• ensuring that its worship, pastoral care, services and structures are free from harassment, bullying and vilification. On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honourable we treat with special honour. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honour to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it.(1Corinthians 12:22-26);
• recognising harassment, bullying and vilification when it occurs and dealing with it. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy (Hebrews 1:9);
• ensuring that all members are aware of such policies and can access procedures easily;
• providing adequate training to assist in the prevention of harassment, bullying and vilification. Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. (1Peter 3:10-12 - quoting Psalm 34:12-16);
• encouraging the reporting of inappropriate and illegal behaviours. John (the apostle of love) set us an example in this, wanting all to know the situation -I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.(3 John 1:9-10

Renewal Ministries Fellowship rejects all activities or comments, which are:

• designed to harass a person or group of persons. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:18) Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous.(1 John 3:12); or
• made or done in a deliberately malicious, or divisive manner and where the intent of such activities or comments are to discredit, or defame, or express hatred and animosity or inflict injury or incite hatred or contempt for a person, or group of people. I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3)

• offensive, humiliating or threatening, and
• is unwelcome and unsolicited and
• a reasonable person would consider is offensive, intimidating, humiliating, or threatening to the person or group of persons.

• It makes the recipient feel upset, threatened, humiliated or vulnerable, it undermines their self-confidence and may cause them to suffer stress.
• It mostly uses unwarranted or invalid criticism, nit-picking, faultfinding and distorted or fabricated allegations.
• It includes behaviour that could be expected to intimidate, offend, degrade, humiliate, undermine or threaten.
• It is a form of abuse or assault (psychological violence), which has serious and devastating consequences not only for those targeted, but also for any organisation within which it is allowed to prevail.
• The perpetrators usually act covertly and systematically to undermine, control, and (if they deem it necessary) to remove their targets.
• Bullying is often more devastating than a physical injury as the suffering is usually compounded by denial.

• a personality clash
• people being unkind or "difficult"
• tough management
• something which only happens to children
• something which only happens to "wimps" or unassertive people
• something which those targeted can stop by standing up to the perpetrators
• something which can be resolved by a "no-blame" reconciliation process

1. It is essential that the imperative of servant leadership is taught and emphasised within all our congregations and ministries (this involves not just clergy, but all who hold positions in the body of Christ). Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:25-28)
2. As it is equally possible for leaders to be the victims of bullying and harassment as the perpetrators of it (many clergy have been bullied to breaking point or out of the ministry) it is essential that the same accountability and call to service of the other apply equally to every member and associate of Renewal Ministries Fellowship. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves.(Romans 12:9-10) Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4)
3. It is necessary that all members and associates of Renewal Ministries Fellowship have some understanding of the ministry's stance and policy with regard to abuse involving vilification, harassment and bullying. This is the first step in openness and in building an atmosphere of trust and safety for all members. This will be implemented through a combination of:
   i) open discussions
   ii) access to the policy on the Renewal web site

• Pressure bullying or unwitting bullying is where the stress of the moment causes behaviour to deteriorate; the person becomes short-tempered, irritable and may shout or swear at others. Everybody does this from time to time, but when the pressure is removed, behaviour returns to normal, the person recognises the inappropriateness of their behaviour, makes amends, and may apologise, and - crucially - learns from the experience so that next time the situation arises they are better able to deal with it. This is "normal" behaviour.
• Organisational bullying occurs when an organisation struggles to adapt to changing demands, reduced income, cuts in budgets, imposed expectations, and other external pressures and responds to these pressures by abusing its members.
• Client bullying is where ministers are bullied by those they serve. Often the client is claiming their perceived right (eg to better service) in an abusive, derogatory and often physically violent manner.
• Serial bullying is where the source of all dysfunction can be traced to one individual, who picks on one minister/member after another and destroys them. This is the most common type of bullying.
• Vicarious bullying is where two parties are encouraged to engage in adversarial interaction or conflict. One party becomes the bully's instrument of harassment and is deceived and manipulated into bullying the other party. An example of vicarious bullying is where the serial bully creates conflict between employer and employee, participating occasionally to stoke the conflict, but rarely taking an active part in the conflict themselves.

• The underlying cause of this bullying is usually power abuse, with the perpetrators choosing as their targets anyone whom they perceive as a threat to their assumed power.
• The perpetrators are often superficially charming and may appear to be an asset to the congregation (particularly if the congregation is small), to the extent that observers may find it hard to believe that they are capable of bullying.
• Incidents reported by the person being bullied (often the clergy) may sometimes seem quite minor, but it is the sustained and systematic nature of bullying which turns seemingly trivial incidents into seriously damaging abuse.
• When those targeted resist the perpetrators' attempts to control and intimidate them, the perpetrators will simply intensify the abuse until the targets either leave or break down under the stress of what is happening.
• Anyone may find themselves the target of a bully simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
• The clergy can be particularly vulnerable as they stand to lose their ministry, calling, income and (in some denominations) home. The needs of various dependants may add to this vulnerability, for example a spouse's career, children's education etc.

1. The process begins with friendliness - "we're good mates here, look how good life can be for you if you go along with us".
2. Then vaguely critical comments are made (pleasantly enough) at church meetings and after services, which on their own sound harmless and too trivial to answer, but which subtly begin to undermine other people's respect for the target and their ministry.
3. This is backed up with similar comments behind their backs.
4. Then there are the continual nit-picking criticisms addressed to the target privately which begin, almost imperceptibly at first, to chip away at their self-confidence.
5. The target finds they are beginning to lose their joy in ministry and start getting very tired.
6. At this point the pressure is increased as the criticism is strengthened.
7. Then the shouting, the manipulation and the threats begin, which in their already weakened state the target often just can't handle. There may be threats to withdraw money from the church if they don't do as they are told, threats to destroy their ministry, and threats to make things very difficult for them.
8. The attacks become more intense and may focus on such areas as their partnership in ministry and their marriage.
9. Without appropriate intervention it all eventually becomes too much for the target to cope with and they either leave (often leaving the church community altogether) or suffer a stress breakdown and/or other health problems.
10. The targets are then accused of being unforgiving and unspiritual, when in reality they are severely traumatised people. Everything they do is watched and reported back - most of it distorted or taken out of context. The bullying continues to be denied and the targets blamed, told they are spiritually and mentally inadequate and should never have been ordained or in any ministry position, labelled as having psychiatric problems and accused of trying to destroy the church.

• Firstly raising the issue directly with the person they believe is responsible for bullying. Often, an informal approach can quickly resolve an instance of bullying.
• If that fails to stop the bullying then involve one or two other members in the discussions with the person you believe is responsible for bullying.
• If the issue is not resolved in this way the following procedure may be used to "tell it to the church":

1. The complainant voices their concerns and is offered a Consultant to journey with them through the complaints process. All Consultants must be familiar with the issues involved in this form of abuse (bullying, harassment and vilification) and be sensitive discerning and committed to confidentiality,
2. The complainant's story must be heard in such a way that reduces fear and anxiety and does not blame, shame or in any way punish the complainant.
3. When a complainant approaches a Consultant, the role of this Consultant is to listen, take the complaint seriously, assist the Complainant in clarifying any confusion about the situation and outline options for dealing with the complaint and the possible implications of such options. The complainant should also be made aware that any victimisation as a result of reporting bullying or harassment will not be tolerated and will be regarded as a serious breach of discipline, automatically resulting in a formal investigation that, if proven, may result in disciplinary action being taken against the respondent, which can include dismissal from their position.
4. It is essential that the complainant gives permission for any further action to be taken, and that he/she is aware of the options and possible consequences of choosing them. At each stage of the complaint's procedure the Consultant needs to ascertain the consent and desire of the complainant to undertake any step. Conciliation and mediation processes may be undertaken in isolation or as consecutive means to resolving the issue. An inability or unwillingness of a victim to proceed through either or both of these processes does not exempt the Ministry leadership from taking further disciplinary action should the investigative processes and interviews of both victim and alleged bully indicate and there is a case to answer. It must be recognised that the emotional burden of such a process in cases of intentional and/or severe abuse precludes effective conciliation or mediation processes.
5. The complainant may, but is not obliged to, choose to try again to resolve the matter through informal procedures. The suggestions outlined below do not need to be undertaken in any particular order, or at all, nor are they necessarily appropriate in all circumstances.
   a) Say "no" to the Respondent and make it clear that the behaviour is unacceptable and unwanted. It might be appropriate to have a supportive person present for this conversation.
   b) Keep records of incidents/witnesses, etc., for possible future use.
   c) Write a letter to the Respondent asking that the offensive behaviour stop immediately.
6. With the complainant's consent and comfort ascertained, and with the support of the Consultant, a detailed factual documentation of the complaint is to be prepared by an Investigator during an interview with the complainant. The Investigator is to be a member of the Management Committee familiar with the issues involved in bullying and harassment. The documentation should include:
   a) a specific description of the behaviour/s involved,
   b) the status or position of the church worker involved,
   c) the date/s of the alleged behaviour/s,
   d) the status of complainant at the time of the incident/s,
   e) the consequences/aftermath for the complainant (eg. leaving the congregation, spiritual and emotional crises, therapy),
   f) information about others who may have experienced similar abuse by the church worker or who may have witnessed alleged abuse.
7. Complainants will be invited to read and sign this notation at the end of the interview process to signal agreement that the notes represent a fair and complete account of information given. The Consultant and Investigator also sign this document.
8. During the investigative interview the Consultant and Investigator need to determine whether or not the complainant has attempted to make known the offensive nature of the behaviour to the respondent and the results of this attempt. Some empowering of the complainant through education and skill development may avoid a lengthy and painful complaint process. However, it must be made clear that responsibility for the creation of the offensive behaviour does not rest with the victim and that support is available through the Renewal complaints procedure.
9. A brief factual description of the complainant's emotional state should be made, recorded and signed by the Consultant and Investigator with reference to his/her situation, ie. whether or not the person has divulged this previously or received counselling.
10. At the conclusion of the investigative interview/s the Consultant and Investigator meet with the President of Renewal Ministries Fellowship for a Reporting Conference to determine further action.
    a) If the Consultant and Investigator have reasonable grounds for believing that a complaint has not been made in good faith they have the discretion not to proceed with the investigation and report such a decision and the grounds on which it is made to the President.
    b) If the Consultant and Investigator believe the complaint was made in good faith but believe it to be untrue, eg. the behaviour in question does not constitute bullying or harassment, or other issues seem to be effecting the complainant's perception of the alleged behaviour, the Consultant and Investigator need to hear the complainant's distress and possibly advise/facilitate appropriate pastoral care and educational opportunities, and the Investigator may be able to mediate with the complainant and church worker for reconciliation and understanding.
    c) If the Investigator has reasonable grounds for believing that the complaint has some basis they are to meet with the respondent (who may choose to have a support person present for the meeting) to discuss the allegations with them and compile detailed factual documentation of their response. The purpose of this process is to convey to the respondent that a complaint has been received and to hear the respondent's version of the situation. The Respondent will be advised that retaliation and/or threats of retaliation against the Complainant or others working with the complaint will not be tolerated by the leadership, nor will any behaviour be tolerated that initiates, fosters or contributes to such retaliation or threats of retaliation. If the Respondent denies the allegations then the first step is to find out the facts, this may include confidential interviews with everyone affected by or knowledgeable of the situation. Confidentiality must be guaranteed for all who supply information to the Investigator.