Former lieutenant governor suspended from ministry

Key points:

• The Rev. Dale Caldwell resigned from elected office in New Jersey after an independent investigation found he violated state workplace policy barring sexual harassment, among other policies.
• The licensed local pastor is now facing a complaint under United Methodist law stemming from those allegations. He is suspended from pastoral duties while that complaint is under review.
• He denies the allegations and said he resigned for his daughter’s sake and to avoid being a distraction for Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s administration.

The Rev. Dale Caldwell is no longer New Jersey’s lieutenant governor, and now he is suspended from United Methodist ministry amid accusations of inappropriate behavior with women and state ethics violations.

Caldwell, who is also a licensed local pastor, disputes what he calls “specious” allegations and told UM News he is exploring legal options to clear his name.

Nevertheless, United Methodist leaders decided to act after a state-initiated investigation report concluded Caldwell had violated the state workplace policy barring sexual harassment, among other policies.

“Because we hold clergy to a high standard, we take the allegations made in the report seriously,” said Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi in a statement to UM News. Moore-Koikoi leads the Greater New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania conferences.

“Following the publication of the report about the former Lt. Governor, I received a complaint based on the concerns raised in the report. In order to protect the well-being of Rev. Caldwell, the congregation, and all those involved, Rev. Caldwell has been placed on suspension while the complaint is processed.”

For now, that means he is not permitted to preach or carry out other pastoral duties at Covenant United Methodist Church in Plainfield, New Jersey, which he also has been serving while in elected office.

The resignation and complaint mark a stark contrast from the celebration that greeted Caldwell’s election and subsequent inauguration in January as the second highest-ranking official in the Garden State.

Caldwell is the son of the late Rev. Gil Caldwell, a widely admired United Methodist pastor and civil rights leader who marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. His father also was a founder of Black Methodists for Church Renewal that led the way in the denomination’s desegregation.

The younger Caldwell also has been a trailblazer for much of his career, including serving as the first Black president of United Methodist-affiliated Centenary University in Hackettstown, New Jersey, when now-Gov. Mikie Sherrill chose him as her running mate.

As lieutenant governor, Caldwell often represented the state at public gatherings and served as acting governor whenever Sherrill was out of state. In April, he launched the Faith Action Center to connect faith-based volunteers with community needs. He also served as secretary of state, making him the top official supervising elections in New Jersey.

In May, after receiving an anonymous complaint, the state’s chief ethics officer engaged the law firm Lowenstein Sandler to conduct an independent investigation. The law firm released its 61-page report Sept. 23. That document said the investigation had “substantiated” a claim of sexual harassment and ethics violations of bringing unpaid guests to events and trying to secure a promotion for a romantic partner.

Sherrill called for Caldwell’s resignation the next day, and Caldwell stepped down from elected office Sept. 25.

Caldwell, 66, has aimed to present his side of the story throughout the week. He disputes that the report substantiated any wrongdoing.

“This was just a poorly done attempt to frame me,” he told UM News. “I can’t as a human being, as a Methodist and as a Christian allow that to happen.”

He especially denies that he ever said the derogatory comment that was the basis of the sexual harassment claim.

According to the report, Caldwell made a romantic advance toward the personal friend of a staffer while at an event. On a later car ride, the staffer told Caldwell that her friend was not interested.

Upon being rebuffed, the staffer told the law firm that Caldwell remarked that women like the staffer and her friend “were ambitious and successful and needed a man who was in a position to help them, ‘but you young women are looking for young sperm.’”

Caldwell insisted he would never use the word “sperm.” The report also noted that a trooper driving the car at the time told the law firm he could not hear the conversation. Caldwell also observed that the investigation did not reach out to the staffer’s friend to get her take on what transpired.

“This entire report is based on one person’s testimony with no corroboration,” he told UM News. “It is inappropriate for the church to take action without reading the entire report and determining on its own if the findings are reflective of the evidence.”

The Sunday after he resigned, Caldwell returned to Covenant United Methodist Church, where he preached a sermon titled “When Lies Become Weapons.” In the sermon, he referenced Genesis’ account of Joseph, who was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife after refusing her advances and imprisoned despite his innocence.

Caldwell told UM News that he fervently prayed before choosing to step down.

“There were two reasons I resigned instead of just staying and fighting. One, I have a daughter who is 22, and the stress of seeing people beat up on her dad all the time for things she knows he didn’t do was just too much,” he said.

“Second, I joined this administration because I wanted to make a difference. Proverbs 31:8-9 is my personal mission statement. I wanted to be a voice for the voiceless and speak up for the destitute. And by focusing attention on me, it takes away from the government’s focus on helping those people who can’t pay their bills.”

He also said he still supports the governor and wants her to be successful.

With his resignation, Sherrill has named an acting secretary of state. She has plans to name a new lieutenant governor within 45 days after Caldwell’s  resignation.

Caldwell, for his part, said he still has much to contribute to the cause of improving people’s lives and carrying on the civil rights tradition of his family. When he spoke to UM News, he was visiting a nonprofit promoting literacy in New York City. He also is considering writing a book about his ideas for reforming the legal system.

In the meantime, the United Methodist review of his conduct is just beginning.

The Book of Discipline, the denomination’s law book, lists “racial and/or sexual harassment” among the chargeable offenses that could lead to a church trial and cost a clergy member’s credentials if found guilty.

The United Methodist Church’s Commission on the Status and Role of Women also has the mandate to assist the church in addressing the problem of sexual misconduct and promoting healthy boundaries in ministerial relationships.

However, the denomination’s complaint process does not start with the presumption of guilt. The goal of the process is to reach a just resolution that focuses on repairing any harm. While a complaint is under review, a bishop — on the recommendation of a conference committee — can suspend a clergy member for no more than 120 days. Clergy under suspension still receive the salary and other benefits provided by their pastoral charge.

“The bishop has an opportunity to review the evidence in the report and ignore the findings and develop her own findings,” Caldwell said. “I would welcome her coming to conclusions based on the evidence in the report and my lawyer’s comments.”

Moore-Koikoi, in informing Greater New Jersey Conference clergy of the complaint, called for prayer for Caldwell, the Covenant United Methodist congregation and all affected by the complaint process.

“As we move through this time, I urge you to keep your eyes fixed on the calling before you,” she told the clergy, “and continue to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in all the places God sends you.”

Hahn is assistant news editor for UM News. Contact her at (615) 742-5470 or [email protected]. John W. Coleman, a longtime communicator and part-time local pastor, contributed to the story. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digest.