The Greatest in the Kingdom

by Nancy Daily, Director, Human Resources/Risk Management
Family Ministries Advisory and Board for Abuse Prevention

Our homes and churches should be safe havens of comfort,
but for countless numbers of children they are dungeons of despair.

Strong words!æ Jesus was not pulling any punches here.æ These words show how special children are to our Lord.æ Yet children in our homes and in our churches are repeatedly being abused, neglected and emotionally traumatized.æ Our homes and churches should be safe havens of comfort, but for countless numbers of children they are dungeons of despair.æ What can we do to curb the tidal wave of abuse that is sweeping through our churches?æ

Child sexual molestation is sin.æ It is not only morally wrong; it is a criminal offense against another person.æ It has no place in Christian homes or in our churches.æ Those who have this addiction desperately need help.æ They need to be held accountable, because they have no internal motivation to stop.

Child molesters operate in secrecy.æ Their greatest fear is of being found out and they will pass along to the child their own shame and guilt in order to remain in secrecy.æ We must as church leaders do all we can to protect our children and assure that our churches are safe places.æ That requires adequate supervision of our children and safeguards put into place to insure that the molester does not have easy access to our children.æ There are two types of child molesters.æ One is the predator who seeks out children to molest.æ He is a stalker and can easily pick out the child who is an easy target.æ

Wesley Dodd, the infamous molester who molested and murdered numerous children described a time when he molested an 8 year old boy.æ The entire incident, including talking to the boy, took about 3 minutes.

The other type of molester is the one who will molest if the occasion is convenient and he wonÍt be found out.æ These are the most prevalent of the molesters.æ What we need to do isæ to make sure thatæ in our churches it is not easy or convenient for a molester to have access to our children.ææææ

Unfortunately it is becoming more and more common for older children to molest younger children.æ The following are proposed procedures that would insure that children are properly supervised at all times.æ Children should not be allowed to run around the church unsupervised.æ It is the lack of proper supervision that puts the church into legal responsibility when children are molested.

Procedures:

A. All employees and volunteers who work with children must complete a ChildrenÍs Ministry Staff Service Information Form.æ No changes are allowed on the form without the consent of legal counsel.

B. All employees and volunteers agree to comply with the Oregon Conference Child Protection Policy and Procedures.æ

C. New members who desire to work with children and youth must have been an active member of the local church for a minimum of twelve (12) months before beginning to work with children.

D. All workers shall observe the ñtwo personî rule which means that there will be a minimum of 2 adults supervising any function.æ Workers will avoid being alone with a child.æ This protects the child as well as protecting the adult from possible allegations.

E. Individuals who have committed physical or sexual abuse, whether or not convicted, may not work in any church-sponsored activity or program for children.

F. Any behavior which seems abusive or inappropriate shall be reported to the pastor or administrator.

G. No child shall be allowed to roam around the church area without adult supervision.æ Children shall be supervised at all times.

H. No child shall be allowed to leaveæ the classroom unless in the accompanimentæ of an adult.æ

I. No child shall be released to any adult other than his/her parents or legally appointed guardians without express written permission from the parent or guardian.

J. No child shall be released to another older child or permitted to go to the restroom accompanied by an older child.

K. A child shall not be assisted in using the restroom unless there is a second adult near the area who understands the reason for the assistance.

L. No child shall be disciplined unless in visual contact with another adult who is aware of the situation that requires the discipline.æ Any form of corporal punishment is strictly forbidden.

M. Any meeting conducted off the church premises must have the approval of the pastor or elder in charge.

N. All overnight activities or miscellaneous trips must have the express approval of the church board.æ All minor attendees must have a signed parental permission slip for each trip as well as an emergency medical treatment release.æ Parents must be notified of adults supervising the activity.

O. If there is a known sex offender attending church, a deacon or other responsible adult will be assigned to monitor the person while on the premises.

P. Any church knowing that a sex offender is transferring to another church will notify the next church of the previous history.

Vigilance is important to maintain in order to protect our children.æ As parents and leaders in the church we are held responsible for the protection of our children entrusted to us by God.æ Let it not be said that it would be better to have a large millstone around our necks because by our negligence we allowed a child to fall into sin.