The functioning of society depends on public confidence in its organisations in all sectors, government, private and community. When people lose confidence, the processes of society are slowed and disharmony increases. People who lack confidence spend time and effort checking the credentials and the fine print, spending on security systems and ensuring appropriate safeguards are in place.

Concern about Sexual Abuse

Levels of confidence and trust in the Church in Australia have been damaged by the cases of sexual abuse. The Australian Community Survey (1998) found that the issue of sexual abuse by clergy had had a significant impact on people's feelings about the church. 54 per cent of a national sample of nearly 7000 Australians affirmed. The cases of sexual abuse by priests and other church workers have damaged my confidence in the churches.

Another 20 per cent were neutral or unsure and 26 per cent disagreed with the statement.

The concerns were strongest among some groups in the population which have given the churches the strong support. Many older people, for example, have been disillusioned by the cases which have come to light. People with primary education qualifications had higher levels of concern than did people with higher levels of formal education. The concern is certainly not just among people disillusioned with the church in general and seeing this issue as a justification for their feelings.

The people who had experienced separation, divorce and those who had been remarried expressed higher levels of concern than people in their first marriage or those who had not been married. Perhaps the pain of disapproval or exclusion some of these people have experienced in relation to their own situations has been amplified by the cases of sexual abuse.

There was a slight but significant tendency for men to express greater concern about sexual abuse than women.

Levels of concern also varied considerable from one denomination to another.

• 58% of Anglicans and Presbyterians expressed concern, compared with
• 55% of Uniting Church people
• 44% of Catholics
• 28% of Pentecostals, and
• 24% of Baptists, and
• 23% of Lutherans.

This issue has had an independent impact both on the image of the church and on attendance when a range of other factors are taken into account. While the sense that church is 'boring' has a stronger and wider-ranging negative impact, the concern about sexual abuse remains significant, independent of other issues.

Confidence in the church, as with other organisations, is not dependent just on the personal qualities of those involved. In many places, people will not know local clergy or other church leaders personally. They will make judgements about the church as a whole, through what they hear in the mass media, through the experiences of people they know and through their own past experiences.

The way the church operates as a system is important to the level of public confidence. The levels of transparency and general accountability within the structures has an impact. If structures are in place to ensure that clergy and others working in the churches are held accountable, and if there are impartial systems in place to deal with complaints, this may help to give people confidence. People want evidence that the system takes into account the interests and needs of those whom the churches serve.

Trust in Christian Organisations

In recent contract work, the Christian Research Association has completed several studies of client and staff satisfaction in Christian organisations, including aged-care homes and schools. In these studies. Two types of issues have emerged related to trust.

First of all, both clients and staff want organisations which perform professionally. Staff want to work in an environment in which they have a clear idea what is expected of them and where their skills are respected.

Clients want organisations which deliver what they promise, giving fair value for money.

From the point of view of both clients and staff, communication is very important. Both clients and staff like to know that their opinions are heard, their input is taken into consideration, and account taken of their interests. It is also important to both staff and clients that there are clear, fair, structured ways of resolving problems or complaints.

From a staff or client perspective, trust means that the interests of staff and clients will be fully considered. The organisation respects its employees and its clients and shows by the way it operates that it acts in their interests.

For organisations which explicitly describe themselves as Christian or have links with Christian denominations, there are additional factors. Some clients and staff expect that the organisation will demonstrate 'Christian values'. A Christian organisation is expected to maintain high ethical standards. For example, clients and staff may take it for granted that the organisation invests ethically.

In some cases, it has been expected that a Christian organisation will support Christian mission in a general sense, going out of its way to assist other Christian organisations which seek to serve the well-being of the community or aspects of church-life. For example, many Christian organisations operate as 'non-profit organisations', putting any surpluses they may produce back into the mission of the church. However, the demands of providing commercial quality services at 'non-profit' prices, or provide services without any expectation of payment can produce tensions. It is not always easy to keep the professional service dimensions and the 'Christian values' orientation in balance.

The link with church-oriented values can work against a company. In one survey, it was evident that those who had complaints which they felt had not been resolved interpreted this as the organisation not maintaining its Christian values.

Image and Management

There are many occasions when company directors, government ministers, heads of churches or even school boards wonder whether it is in their interest to make public information which could be seen to be damaging. It might be something as simple as results from a program not being as good as one would like them to be, or financial situations which cause some concern.

There is an in-built tendency, among both individuals and organisations, to present their best face to the public. Organisations naturally put the best spin on what has happened to them. Yet, the damage from hidden information coming to light may be considerably worse than that caused by the information itself.

At the moment, systems of accountability are not highly developed in many church organisations. It has generally been assumed that church organisations operate on the basis that most people who work within them are honest and trustworthy. The material cited above about sexual abuse suggests that these public perceptions are changing. Good will towards the churches cannot be assumed as readily as in the past.

Thus, it is increasingly important that churches develop systems of transparency and accountability and means of dealing impartially with complaints. Systems which monitor the service offered as well as the financial accounts are an important part of the process. So also are the systems of reporting. Development of professional codes of ethics play an important role.

Such systems reassure the public that the churches and their organisations will be fair in their dealings with others. They will contribute to the perception that the churches truly exist for all people, not just for those who have powerful positions with them.

Philip Hughes