Presbyterian minister Rev. Dr. Robert P. Fourney has been deposed from office for sexual misconduct following an investigation by the Presbytery of East Toronto and its Sexual Abuse and Harassment Committee.
After hearing from three complainants and Fourney, Presbytery voted overwhelmingly on April 25 to remove the former nominee for General Assembly moderator from ministerial office. He is to receive salary and benefits until June 30, 2006.
Fourney had been senior minister at Glenview, Toronto, for nearly 10 years. He has decided not to seek a formal church trial on the charges.
"There really isn't a sense of ending," said presbytery clerk Rev. Jim Biggs. "The congregation has to grapple with this. The complainants still have scars. And Bob has a burden to bear as well."
But Biggs praised the complainants: "It took courage for them to come forward."
As reported in the Record last year, Fourney had been charged with sexual assault and sexual exploitation of a 15-year-old male in 1990 when he was minister at St. Andrew's, Windsor, Ont. Fourney pleaded not guilty to the charges in November, 2005, in Owen Sound court. The charges were later dropped when the complainant declined to testify.
Similar charges from an unrelated complainant had been laid against Fourney more than a decade ago that also failed to go to trial. Fourney confirmed last year that following that incident, he authored the unbylined article Guilty of Compassion in the June, 1994, Record about a fictitious minister charged with sexual assault. "The day before the trial was to take place," the story reads, "the charges were withdrawn without explanation."
Biggs said he was exhausted by the recent process and cautioned that it was not yet over. "This was such a heavy burden to have to carry because of the affection and respect we have for Rev. Fourney, and for the congregation of Glenview and for the complainants as well," he said.
"Anything that is emotional is tiring; but, you have to do it as well as you can, err on the side of caution."
Presbytery met in camera for its final deliberations and to hear the report of the committee ending an investigation that began in January. Elder Ken Craigie described the special meeting as "the most stressful event of my church life."
The committee advised presbytery it believed the complaints were true and recommended deposition from ministry as the appropriate discipline. It means Fourney may no longer function as a minister in the Presbyterian Church.
"The committee did a great job, they met many, many times and were quite diligent," said Biggs.
Presbytery offered pastoral support to the complainants and their family, to Fourney and his family and to the congregation of Glenview.
"There is a sense of relief that a phase of the process has ended," said Biggs, "but people are still hurting."
According to church policy, Fourney had 10 days after presbytery's decision to request a trial by the next highest court. Given the timing of the case, that would have been General Assembly, not the local synod.
Presbytery was required by church policy to hold its own investigation, putting Fourney on a paid leave of absence after being charged in January 2005. Fourney, who was one of the nominees for moderator of the 2003 General Assembly and former moderator of East Toronto Presbytery, has maintained his innocence throughout the process.
The church's national policy on sexual abuse and harassment was passed by the General Assembly in 1993. The policy provides the church with a method for hearing complaints. "Sexual abuse or harassment of any kind by any church leader, staff or volunteer will not be tolerated," it states. "Every allegation will be taken seriously." Prior to Fourney, nine ministers have had complaints sustained against them. Three of the nine faced criminal charges; two went to trial and one was found guilty.
When a complaint is made, it must be followed by discovery, intervention, investigation and adjudication, learning more about the allegation, hearing from those involved, informing the congregation, session and presbytery, installing pastoral support for all parties, assisting legal authorities in their investigation, and assisting presbytery in its own investigation and decision-making process. If a minister is found guilty under the policy, presbytery decides on disciplinary action, which can be an admonition, rebuke, removal from office or position, or deposition from ministerial office.
In some cases, such as when the accused or complainant is unsatisfied with the decision, presbytery may decide that the matter should proceed to a church court trial as outlined in the Book of Forms.
In an interview with the Record on press day Fourney restated his innocence. The interview will be published in the July/August issue.
