It will be a long process, but a local pastor knows firsthand that healing can come to Winnipeg Vineyard after the arrest of one of their pastors for sex crimes. 

It was a familiar feeling for the current pastor of Glenlea Mennonite Church, Cheryl Braun.

"My heart just dropped when I heard the news," she said.

Nathan Rieger, a pastor at Winnipeg Centre Vineyard for nearly 20 years, was arrested on vacation in California for allegedly trying to set up a meeting to have sexual relations with a minor. He has pled not guilty and was released on $25,000 bail.

Eight years ago, Braun went through a similar experience when the pastor of her church was charged with voyeurism.

"It's a really challenging thing," she admitted. "From my own experience, it's a really, really long journey."

Braun says framing the process in the light of grieving was very helpful for her and the congregation. Grief is something everyone can relate to, she explains.

It also allows you to go through the different stages of grief, such as disbelief and anger. But Braun says you can't keep it all inside.

"It seems really important to share, to talk, to process," Braun said. "Find that safe place to talk about where you're at."

That safe place, Braun hopes, remains your congregation. But trust can often be broken not just for the leader, but the church as a whole.

"Where we've lost trust for the leader, we can perhaps start to wonder about our faith, our feelings towards the congregation, our faith."

Remaining leaders at Winnipeg Vineyard have already reached out to their congregation, offering care and prayer nights, along with resources on grief. Braun believes that being authentic is important, so congregants should be sharing whether they are angry or sad.

The Glenlea pastor also knows that people have a tendency to blame themselves, thinking they should have caught this behaviour earlier or stopped it before it happened.

That's not the right approach.

"It's never helpful," Braun stated. "The person who acted is responsible for his or her actions every time."

For some people, the healing process is already complete. But for others, it will take years.

"Not everyone is going to be ready to move forward at the same time, and that's ok," she said.

As for rebuilding trust in your church and in another spiritual leader, Braun says to take it one step at a time. And while you're building trust, informal church leaders need to step up and fill int he gaps.

"They are your go-to people when you have questions," Braun said. "That's where the trust gets rebuilt."

But if Braun's previous church is any indication, that trust can be rebuilt and a community can find it's way again, which is her sincere prayer for the congregants at Vineyard.