Central District Conference leadership is excited to welcome Kristin Thomas Sancken as our Coordinator of Church Safety.
This is a new position serving approximately 8-10 hours per week. (The job description can be found HERE.) Kristin began on October 15. Kristin and her family live in Charlottesville, VA where they are currently members of an Episcopal Church. Her family formerly attended Charlottesville Mennonite and her spouse grew up at First Mennonite Church, Champaign-Urbana, a CDC congregation. Kristin has a Doctorate in Ministry from Western Theological Seminary (Holland, MI). Her thesis was, “Maternal Inheritance: Interrogating the Divine in Stories of Intergenerational Trauma and Sexual Abuse.” Kristin also has a Master of Social Work degree from Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond). Kristin spent part of her childhood in Central and South America and is fluent in Spanish.
Kristin’s role has two primary responsibilities:
- Kristin is our educator, resource person, and go-to person for Church Safety policies and procedures. She is available to review your church policies, train congregational leaders, and provide counsel and support.
- Kristin will work closely with MC USA leadership to follow up on all accusations of ministerial misconduct according to our new Prevention and Accountability Resource. Reports of abuse or misconduct can be directed to Kristin or Conference Minister, Doug Luginbill.
Kristin states, “I’m deeply honored to serve Central District Conference in this role. It uniquely aligns with my background as a social worker and communicator committed to trauma-informed ministry. I’m eager to contribute to the health and safety of congregations and pastors through this work.”
