Share your story
While dozens have come forward to MAST to share stories of abuse at the hands of MCC leaders, we know there are many more out there. Over and over, we hear people telling us that they are not surprised by our allegations and that they also know others who were harmed. Those who share their own stories with us almost always mention multiple others who were hurt by MCC’s abuse. This Q&A can be helpful as you consider coming forward with your story, or as you support others who have been hurt and are thinking about whether to share.
Should I come forward with my story?
This is a personal decision. No one should put pressure on you to share your story if you are not ready to do so. We hear from many people who said that they reflected for a long time before deciding to share. It is healthy to consider your options carefully before taking action.
2. What are possible reasons to come forward?
a. It can support your healing process and help you feel less alone
People who have shared their stories with us so far tend to be encouraged and touched by the supportive listening of fellow survivors and allies. Here are some comments that survivors have made after sharing their stories:
“The more I tell the story the easier it becomes. It was like I had forgotten the story or put it out of my mind, but now when I tell it all these years later, I am surprised at what I all remember.”
“I haven’t told anyone any of this – you are the first to hear. I am shocked by my feeling – it is a bit of peace settling over me for having told this. I didn’t know how I would feel.”
“I am very grateful you are asking about my story and listening to me.”
“It really helped me to read the open letter and realize that I was not the only person who had an experience like this.”
“It’s good to know there were others. I wish I had known because I felt so much shame.”
“Hearing others validate the fact that the way I was treated was indisputably unjust helps to advance my own healing process.”
b. It can support the work of holding MCC accountable
We can add your story to our tally. To do this, we take note of basic non-identifying details of your story (for example: Salaried staff person in North America fired after extensive bullying and gaslighting and following repeated attempts to report to Human Resources). We also note specific patterns of abuse, and specific MCC leaders involved. Over time, this helps us to develop a fuller picture that can eventually be shared as part of an independent investigation (if this were to happen, we would only share identifying information with an investigator with your consent).
Your story can help us to debunk MCC’s false statements.
· For example, MCC claimed that they estimated that non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) had been used less than half a dozen times. We have now documented 11 cases of NDAs signed, and 3 more cases where NDAs were offered but workers refused to sign.
· MCC has implied (here and here) that abuse wasn’t so bad as long as it wasn’t sexual abuse. We have now heard six stories that involve sexual abuse, ranging from sexual harassment to rape.
With more reports, we can get a fuller picture of the patterns of MCC’s abusive behavior. For example, we can trace recurring names of particular individuals in abusive dynamics, we can see patterns and techniques of bullying, and sometimes we can even see how these patterns are being refined over time. More corroboration of these patterns can help to put pressure on MCC to conduct a full external investigation
3. What can I expect if I reach out to MAST?
People have reached out to us by phone, in person, through the stopmccabuse@proton.me email, or to a member of the steering committee via Facebook and LinkedIn. Some people share some details of their story right away; others just say they have a story to share.
If you reach out, someone from the MAST steering committee will respond with an invitation to share as much of your story as you feel comfortable with, and will offer to schedule a conversation via Zoom, phone, or in person. The meeting is not recorded (unless you want it to be). We take some notes and send them to you afterward for you to check over and correct. We also share the basics of your story with other members of the steering committee and survivor advocates with whom we work closely, all of whom respect confidentiality.
We are all busy people volunteering time from busy schedules, so arranging a meeting may take some time. We are not trained counselors, but our own experiences with MCC have given us an insider’s perspective into trauma and institutional abuse. During a conversation, we might point out how parts of your story are similar to others we have heard (while respecting others’ privacy). If you want, we can strategize together about how your story can be part of supporting accountability for MCC.
After a conversation, as we have time, we pull together what you have told us into a narrative and invite your feedback (or you can write up the narrative yourself). We ask you what you would like to do with the narrative (share with church leaders, share anonymously on the MAST website, share with a journalist, share publicly, not share at all…). We always respect your preferences and your privacy.
4. I had a hard time with MCC but I’m not sure it counts as “abuse.” What kind of experiences can I report to MAST?
MAST welcomes reports from:
anyone who feels that they had had a bad ending of their employment with MCC because of mistreatment or abuse (this could include workers who were dismissed, who resigned, who felt they were pushed out or forced to resign, whose positions were eliminated, or who ended their term with major unresolved problems. It could also include anyone who experienced violence, sexual or psychological harassment, bullying, or threats).
anyone who has reported experiences of violence, sexual or psychological harassment, bullying, or threats to MCC and believes that MCC responded in a harmful way to their reports (for example, by retaliating against them in any way)
5. What else can MAST do?
We can keep you informed about developments and updates (if you want, you can add your email to our mailing list; it won’t be visible to others).
We can help get you in touch with church leaders. For example, an MC USA regional conference board asked us if any cases of abuse were occurring among members of their congregations. We were able to connect them with a couple of individual survivors for support and care.
We can work with you to write up a more detailed narrative, which can be as anonymous as you want (ranging from an anonymized paragraph, similar to examples in the open letter, to a detailed narrative that names you, such as Katie Moyer’s story or George and Leora Epp’s story).
We can give visibility to your story on our website and Facebook page.
6. Why share my story if MCC keeps refusing to change?
Usually after our conversation is over, we mull over your story for days. Sometimes it calls up a strong emotional response. Every time, we feel honored to be entrusted with your painful story and this is mixed with frustration and anger that MCC continues to refuse to conduct a valid investigation of all these cases.
We can’t do much more than listen and help connect you with some resources for care or for sharing more broadly. We can’t promise that if you share your story publicly, anyone will listen or care. Our experience is that any MCC response to your story will probably be painful and unsatisfying, as it has been for us so far. But we have also seen people experience great relief from sharing and getting at least some validation of their story from others, sometimes even from their congregation, family members, or church leaders. And we do continue to believe that as we keep on documenting stories, and giving a platform to those who are ready to share publicly, the wall of secrecy, denial and blind MCC loyalty will eventually come crashing down.
One day, we hope, there will be justice, accountability, and restoration. And until then, it’s an honor to be able to walk alongside each other for a small part of our journeys.
7. After the allegations of abuse were made, MCC announced the creation of a “listening space.” Is this a safe place for me to go to share my story?
No, we don’t think this is a safe place. First, because it is ultimately controlled by people who have been accused of abuse and have not faced any accountability; and second because MCC itself states that this process will not involve gathering or sharing evidence. This means that if you share your story to an MCC “listening space,” MCC will not use your story to get to the bottom of what actually happened to you in order to make things right. A “listening space” that is controlled by MCC is a classic divide-and-conquer tactic, a way to contain the problem so that MCC is not held publicly accountable. Such a space does not prevent abuse from continuing and can cause more harm to those who come forward. The MAST steering committee has met with Jes Stolzfus Buller, contracted by MCC to design a listening space, and has shared these concerns with her in a March 2025 meeting.