Skip to main content

From our friends at Telios

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monument, CO, October 25, 2022: Attorney and Telios Law founder Theresa Sidebotham has just published a book titled Handling Allegations in a Ministry: Responses and Investigations.

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; and
  • Take responsibility and restore those who have been harmed.

Theresa 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 married pastor. Or maybe parents in a congregation accuse a teenage boy of touching their daughter inappropriately. Perhaps a woman in a ministry files a sexual harassment complaint about a male coworker, which turns into a confusing he said/she said clash.

About the book, 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 both parties and the past.”

For over a decade, Theresa has been practicing law to help religious organizations care for their people while advancing their spiritual calling. This book springs from her passion to help churches and ministries stop trouble before it starts and deal with problems before they get big.

In addition to the new book, a law firm spin-off 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.

This book is part of a triad of tools for prevention, protection, and response. Access these tools on the Internet at TeliosTeaches.com, TeliosLaw.com, and TeliosInvestigations.com.

The book, ISBN 9781959099000, is available here:

https://www.amazon.com/Handling-Allegations-Ministry-Theresa-Sidebotham/dp/1959099000/

It’s published by Illumify Media in Littleton, Colorado. The paperback costs $14.99. The eBook is $6.99.

Briggham Winkler

Author Briggham Winkler

More posts by Briggham Winkler