I used to attend this church as a teen. I am not the victim mentioned in the article.
Here are some notable highlights:
To be a criminal act in Michigan, the victim either had to fall under a special class of victims or there had to be proof beyond a reasonable doubt that there was force or coercion involved in the alleged sexual assault. — The special class of victims includes children under the age of 16, incapacitated victims, family members, students of a certain age, special education students, persons in foster care, clients of mental health professionals, prisoners, and patients of medical doctors, among others.
“In contrast, there currently are no laws in Michigan that specifically list or protect members of a religious organization as ‘status’ victims against sexual contact by religious leaders, authorities, or pastors, etc,” according to the prosecutor’s review.
While Michigan law does not state that it is illegal for clergy members to engage in sexual activity with church members, other states have amended their laws to include that language. Other states have also amended their laws to say that consent is not a defense in certain criminal sexual assault cases.
It was acknowledged that clergy in counseling roles have more power than a typical counselor or psychologist because clergy are also connecting parishioners to God, said Gary Schoener, a psychologist in Minnesota that consulted on the legislation changes in the early 1990s. Since then, Schoener has also provided testimony for other states looking to similarly update their criminal sexual assault laws in regard to clergy members.