MK forum

I agree, I would like to see NTM focus on this and really clean house.

Anybody want to venture a guess as to how many man hours go into one investigation? And how many schools are there? just saying.

I think there are many of us in NTM that would gladly take time to be involved in this, even full time. however, if you start training a bunch of us from scratch, you're just creating more delays. Unless you're talking about sorting file folders, which many people could do... but which has probably already been done. But what do you do with that information? Who makes the call on where to go from here? I can think of a handful of NTM people who would be well-qualified to engage in this: they are already engaged close to full time. In fact, though we seem to be a minority on this forum, i know there are many of my friends in NTM that are engaged in this at some level.... and not at the level of protecting the abusers.

Beyond calling authorities, I wonder what would happen if we called for a weekly day of prayer and fasting? Or a 7-day fast or a 40-day fast? How would God answer our plea for mercy, forgiveness, insight, and direction? Personally, I am in the process of finding out.... and maybe there are a lot of us trying that approach.

Well, Mrs. M, it looks like you've struck gold on this one! I am 100% in agreement with your sentiments - the endless meetings to determine when another meeting should be held to talk about what can be done to talk about how much NTM is concerned about all of this. It looks, to an outsider, like foot dragging. And, foot dragging is a proven strategy in these sorts of situations. Proven to work for the offender, I mean. NTM needs to take action now, not talk about taking action some time in the future.

Another MK is also on target when s/he points out that there are probably very few people in NTM who could handle an investigation of this sort. I am not even sure about the handful of people who s/he thinks are qualified. They sure don't have much to show for it. But, even if we grant that they are up to the task, they are disqualified by virtue of working for/ in/ with NTM. It is foolish to trust them to be able to overcome the inherent conflicts of interest that entails, a task that others as good as they have failed at.

Realistically, pulling missionaries out of the tribes to work on the investigation would not speed it up. Missionaries have numerous talents, but carrying out competent investigations is not a very widespread one. Witch hunts are a different matter, but no one is advocating that.

Still, a great deal can, and should, be done immediately. It does not take competent investigators, only honest people. As Another MK says, a lot of file sorting has already been done. Well, send that information to GRACE and any victim who requests it. Public and private requests for this sort of information have been ignored by NTM. Why? Not because they are seriously interested in helping the victims. Rather, it has just the outside look of protecting reputations, to borrow some of Sir Ornery of Thornery's words.

How about putting some statistics out on the web, NTM? How many cases of child abuse have there been in the schools over the last twenty years? Right up to the present. None of this "most of these cases were . . . " blah blah blah. NTM keeps records on everything - how many tribal missionaries, how many teachers, translations, pilots, everything! List these cases by field and type, and tell us what was done in each case. Oh, never mind that last one; we already know: Nothing.

Getting late on this side of the globe Mrs. M! My turn to quit. . .

Just a quickie idea: Perhaps GRACE can oversee a group of “biased” (insider) “lay” people, each pared with an outside, paid, independent, “professional” investigator, up to one pair for each abuse situation / location / country / language; plus any number of other pairs composed of up to each victim or his/her proxy who will accept coming forward to help in these investigations, paired with, at the his/her free will & optional choice with his/her own, independent, paid, “professional” or other “independent” support person that he/she would like to choose. Let these pairs of people be invited to "paid" expenses to go wherever, subject to GRACE approval and asking for whatever they need, and, as appropriate, put insiders to work for these people, getting what they need (leadership notes, a meeting with certain people, members and /or ex-members, lists of who attended at such and such a school, who was in leadership at the time, who know what, who decided what). Have the paid, outside independent "profesional" and the "biased" insider person each draw up a draft of what their investigations are finding, interpretations of the facts, and then let GRACE interpret the final interpretation of each pair for a final report.

Mrs. M. you make such a good point!!!! YOu are right, why not work from the inside first. Sin seems to permeate the core of NTM. It's almost like going to a prison and asking every hard core criminal to help in the law making process for our country. Sounds ensane to me. You can't take an already broken system and expect them to "fix the problem". My former employer's job was to work as a consultant for churches. Basically he would go in, find the problem, recommend the removal of the faulty leadership, and then the church would begin the healing process. I think the key here is find the problem within the leadership first!!!!!!

Thanks for all the interesting comments and good suggestions. Yes, I think that outside people are definitely needed. As has been suggested maybe if you paired them with a newer current member who has no family connections or history with NTM. Someone who can be objective and already has some experience and training with dealing with abuse. There must be at least 10 couples/singles who could fit that description within the mission. I would like them to have this as their full time ministry, they should have the freedom to spend all their ministry time on this with no other responsibilities.

I also agree that each field needs to be making this a priority. Educating, training on sexual abuse and exposing some of the wrong thinking/teaching (spiritual abuse) that has gone on. These people mentioned above could be assigned to various fields with the sole purpose of doing this very thing. I would like to see all the leaders who have this autocratic style of leadership removed from their positions. The child training methods of the Pearls and Ezzos should be addressed as well. Their teaching needs to be systematically taken apart and exposed for what it is CHILD ABUSE. Personally I would like all their books and child training methods banned from the mission and any other similar teachings. This is a huge task and we need people who can step up and administrate this effectively. Let's pray for that specifically.

It's like the careless woman who has broken down because she neglected to maintain her car and the guy behind her keeps beeping his horn. She gets out of her car and says to the guy, you get out and sit in my car and I'll sit here and beep your horn. Beeping the horn is good because it lets others know there is a problem. If you continue to beep the horn it aggravates the situation. You can wait to move on or you can get out of your car and help. The car needs pushed off the road and then taken to the repair shop and fixed. The woman represents leadership and the car is NTM. The person beeping the horn represents the abused and those supporting the abused. I see this forum and other efforts that the abused have taken as all part of Gods way of bringing this problem to light. In bringing this to public attention you are helping to bring resolution. It is God who is using the MK's to force NTM to deal with this. The praise and glory belongs to God. Lets pray and continue to work towards healing, compensation and justice for the MK's. I also want NTM to be purged and made better. I want NTM to have integrity as a mission. If they are not willing to face this and deal with it honestly and effectively I do not want to be part of them anymore. NTM prides itself on communicating the gospel effectively through the chrono teaching but they are certainly not communicating effectively when it comes to the question of, "Why multiple cases of sexual abuse going back 30 years or more have not been dealt with appropriately?" Why is it taking so long when like others have said many of these cases have been recorded and are on file. I've run out of time lots more that I'm thinking and praying about.

Just refreshing this thread for MK in the USA.

Wow, lots of swirling waters have passed under our bridge since last June when this site was created!

Does anyone think Tuti is still with NTM?

I just checked NTM's "Find a Missionary". Yes, she is.

Well, she's IN NTM. I don't know if she's WITH it.