Your immediate response may be to say, “Of course it is!” However, while our minds want to assent to the highest and noblest of aspirations, is it actually true? The proper handling of the Word of God promotes and leads toward spiritual health, but what about relational, physical, emotional and psychological health? For your church to be a safe place, there are certain things you must ask and consider. Do you have a team that oversees your people, ensuring they can worship as safely as possible? When someone hands off one of their most precious gifts, their child, can they have complete confidence in their safety? Please, if you are not doing background checks, start immediately!
While pastoring Cornerstone Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Texas, one of our older members had a heart episode. When I was asked to come to their classroom, I did not know how critical the situation was. There were trained CPR firemen in our church, and one was administering heart compressions. To be honest, I was unsure if this brother would survive. Then the Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) arrived and took over. Fortunately, when I visited this brother in the hospital later, he was sitting up, talking and laughing. The reality is we did not have any AEDs at the time, but now they are in both major buildings. If someone were to experience a health crisis while on your campus, do you have a well-defined plan in place to respond promptly?
The rest of this article is written by my good friend Angelyn McMurray, who oversees and leads the We Are Free ministry near Prescott. Her insight is needed, and I asked her to write about the need to make our churches safer, especially for children. She addresses the culture that emerges from grace, where we have high trust but unfortunately low oversight. I remember a sermon from years ago that said, “Forgiveness should occur immediately, but trust must be rebuilt and earned.” You can learn more about this awesome ministry at wearefree.us or call (870) 686-2233.
As a result of brokenness within our culture, the catch-phrase of ‘safe places’ has emerged. However, without safe people, there are no safe places. Sadly, our pews are filled with broken people who have experienced varying levels of trauma that affect their marital relationships, parenting abilities and friendships. Additionally, predators are often drawn to churches because they typically represent a place of high trust and low oversight. As such, the local church may not be as safe as we would want to believe.
As Christ followers, we know that in Christ we are all made new, but we also know that sanctification is a process that necessitates discipling and wise counsel. To effectuate discipling in this time and place, the local church must be willing to step into the trauma and brokenness found within its members. In order to move into this sphere, leaders must be open to addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), pornography addiction, teaching and discipling in all areas of sexuality, and preparing themselves to handle child sexual abuse allegations from within the church and community.
ACEs are traumas that result from experiencing violence, abuse or neglect, witnessing violence in the home or community, and/or having a family member attempt or die by suicide. Adults who carry the trauma of ACEs have poorer physical health, poorer mental health and are at higher risk of suicide. In contrast to the trauma of ACEs, there is also a means to assess Positive Childhood Experiences and Resiliency, which are rooted in healthy relationships. God has designed us to be relational people, and positive/edifying relationships can counter the negative effects of traumatic experiences. It is by God’s design that these relationships should thrive within His church.
In addition to a population that carries the weight of trauma, our culture has a growing addiction to pornography. This is critical to note because pornography is inextricably linked to abuse, which leads to exploitation and trafficking. In addition to fueling human trafficking, recent studies indicate that Gen Z (those born between 1999 and 2015) is the largest demographic of both producers and consumers of pornographic content. Still, pornography is not the problem; it is instead a symptom of underlying problems that drive our youth to pornography.
Because of these underlying problems, the local church must begin teaching and discipling students and young adults in all areas of sexuality. We must go beyond discussing God’s plan and instead address the reasons behind it. In general, the church addresses the topic of sex in terms of biology alone, but fails to talk about the larger emotional and psychological component of physical intimacy. We also fail to talk about God’s grace that redeems sexual brokenness resulting from either abuse or our own poor choices. Instead, kids are left in shame and isolation.
Lastly, the local church has a responsibility to its members to appropriately respond to sexual abuse allegations within the church and community. It is imperative to develop policies and protocols that are known, implemented and enforced. This removes any questions or uncertainties regarding what will happen during a crisis.
Each of these four steps works together to protect youth, grow the church and reduce the likelihood of abuse. When the church addresses adult trauma and pornography addiction, and also disciples in godly sexuality, it minimizes the likelihood of a victim becoming an abuser, it puts any unknown predator on notice and fosters openness to disclose abuse. With these steps in place, our churches can stand as safe places full of safe people.
There are multiple places for training your safety teams to be properly equipped and prepared to help ensure the safety of every person while on your campus. If we can assist you or direct you in any way, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
