Church Protection Resources
As highlighted in last month’s article, “Recognizing Sexual Harassment and Related Abuse in Your Ministry” and discussed in the May 2024 webinar “Bad Things Can Happen to Good Churches,” ministry settings are not immune from harassment and other sex-related abuse in the workplace. Tragically, children have been victims of abuse in the church as well.
To protect the children it cares for — as well as the organization itself — every church should have a child protection policy that follows its insurance carrier’s recommendations and has been reviewed by an attorney in its jurisdiction who specializes in this area of law. There are two considerations when drafting a policy:
1. Prevention
Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company has provided free checklists and sample templates to help with drafting or reviewing child protection policies. They also have curated dozens of best practices in child safety and abuse prevention.
If your church does not have a child protection policy, start on one. Today!
If your church has one, check it against the resources linked above and your insurance carrier’s recommendations. Additionally, have it reviewed by an attorney in your jurisdiction who specializes in this area of law.
Once that has been done, put the policy into practice. Just having it on file is not enough. Train your staff and volunteers — and every new volunteer.
2. Redress
We hope and pray that this portion of the policy is never needed. But if you receive a report of child abuse, do you know what your jurisdiction requires?
The U.S. government has assembled the mandatory reporting statutes for every U.S. state and territory. A protocol for responding to allegations of abuse for your state should be included in a child protection policy, and it is critical that these protocols comply with the law in your specific jurisdiction.
If you are a church staff member or volunteer who serves among minors, find the relevant law in your jurisdiction and read it before you need it. Then if an incident occurs, you’ll be ready to respond with not only best practices in child protection but also in accordance with the law in your area.
Further, resources for ministering to victims and the unique challenges faced by caregivers are a critical part of child protection. GRACE: Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment is a victim-centered and trauma-informed ministry that offers a variety of resources in this area.
If you are an Auxilio client partner, talk with your Partner Strategist for more best practices in church and non-profit policies and procedures.
If you are not yet an Auxilio client partner, contact us to learn how we can serve your church or faith-based nonprofit and reduce your administrative burden to free you up for ministry.