Conference puts spotlight on failings in the church

(See the conference above - audio comes after 11 seconds)

Twenty-eight faith communities and church associations have joined forces for the “When the Church Fails” conference, which deals with how to detect and address unhealthy tendencies or abusive behaviors in Christian communities.

Throughout time, there are people who have in different ways burned themselves in church communities. People have been disappointed, burned out, or have faced outright abuses and abuses of power by unhealthy leaders.
“We need to talk openly about this so that we can prevent unhealthy trends and developments,” says Mikael Wandt Laursen, Secretary General of FriKirkenNet and one of those responsible for the conference.

‍ Therefore, a broad group of 28 denominations and associations from both the Church and the Free Churches invites to a four-night conference entitled “When the Church Fails”. Here we will talk about how Christian communities can become better at preventing failure, abuse and manipulation.
The conference is addressed both to church leaders and to people who have burned themselves on a church fellowship.

“We hope that we can send a signal to see our own shadow sides in the eye - and to invite dialogue with some of those who over the years have experienced the church as a place of pain rather than a place of safety,” says Mikael Wandt Laursen.

Some of the questions the conference will try to answer are:

• How do you mock a person of power?
• What to do to avoid sexual misconduct?
• Who ensures that all impact is done with respect so that no boundaries are violated?

The cast includes Bente Boserup, Senior Consultant in Children's Conditions, who will talk about “Religious pressure in the height of children”, as well as TV developer and protagonist of the TV documentary “Secrets of the Sect Leader”, Roald Bergmann, who stars under the heading “What I wish someone had told me”.

The conference will take place on 30 September at 16.00-20.00 at Copenhagen Cultural Centre, Drejervej 15 in Nørrebro, and it will be livestreamed at naarkirkensvigter.dk, where there are also more details about program and cast.