Our church has recently experienced something that shook us to the core. A 40 year old man who grew up in our church and for all the world appeared to be an upstanding Christian person was put in prison for 39 counts of rape and child molestation. NO ONE would have guessed this of him. The molestation has been going on for at least the last 4 years and more than likely, much longer than that. There are two girls involved. One his own daughter, the other is the daughter of his best friend. It's a very, very sad situation.
I am not telling you this to belittle our church in any way. In fact, I think that we, as a church, have handled this impressively well! I am very proud of all of us, but won't go into anymore detail.
The reason I am telling you this is simply for background information. Now here is my real question: I am on the Administrative Board at our church. We had a big discussion the other night about what steps we could take to further safeguard our children from things like this. Please understand that none of what this man did happened at the church. So my feeling is that the safeguards are already working, but we want to make sure we are doing everything we can do.
At this point, anyone who works with children in any capacity fills out an application form to start with. And then, the rule is that anytime a child is in a room, there must be two adults or more in the room with them (for S.S., VBS, Children's Church, Nursery, etc.) Never is one adult ever allowed to be alone with a child or children. We also have ushers who patrol the halls during the times that the church is open to make sure that nothing ever goes on, as well as to make sure that no one is ever able to slip in the back door and take a child aside in a room.
I'm not sure that there is much more that we can do. We are discussing the idea of doing background checks on anyone who works with our kids before they are allowed to do that. My personal feeling on that is that 1) I think it's a knee-jerk reaction to what has happened recently and 2) Even if we did background checks, it will not necessarily insure that we will keep our kids any safer. The man who is in prison right now had no prior record of any kind. And in addition to that, what about the people whose records get expunged??
So what kinds of safeguards do your churches have in place? If you do do background checks, can you share which company it is that you get them done thru?
__________________
Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of a battle ! ! ! !
Our church has recently experienced something that shook us to the core. A 40 year old man who grew up in our church and for all the world appeared to be an upstanding Christian person was put in prison for 39 counts of rape and child molestation. NO ONE would have guessed this of him. The molestation has been going on for at least the last 4 years and more than likely, much longer than that. There are two girls involved. One his own daughter, the other is the daughter of his best friend. It's a very, very sad situation.
I am not telling you this to belittle our church in any way. In fact, I think that we, as a church, have handled this impressively well! I am very proud of all of us, but won't go into anymore detail.
The reason I am telling you this is simply for background information. Now here is my real question: I am on the Administrative Board at our church. We had a big discussion the other night about what steps we could take to further safeguard our children from things like this. Please understand that none of what this man did happened at the church. So my feeling is that the safeguards are already working, but we want to make sure we are doing everything we can do.
At this point, anyone who works with children in any capacity fills out an application form to start with. And then, the rule is that anytime a child is in a room, there must be two adults or more in the room with them (for S.S., VBS, Children's Church, Nursery, etc.) Never is one adult ever allowed to be alone with a child or children. We also have ushers who patrol the halls during the times that the church is open to make sure that nothing ever goes on, as well as to make sure that no one is ever able to slip in the back door and take a child aside in a room.
I'm not sure that there is much more that we can do. We are discussing the idea of doing background checks on anyone who works with our kids before they are allowed to do that. My personal feeling on that is that 1) I think it's a knee-jerk reaction to what has happened recently and 2) Even if we did background checks, it will not necessarily insure that we will keep our kids any safer. The man who is in prison right now had no prior record of any kind. And in addition to that, what about the people whose records get expunged??
So what kinds of safeguards do your churches have in place? If you do do background checks, can you share which company it is that you get them done thru?
We don't do full background checks, but I do check to be sure that anyone who works with our children and youth are not registered sex offenders. In reference to your statement about not keeping the kids safer if the person is unregistered, keeping the children safe is only part of the issue. To be sure it is the biggest and by far most important issue, but there is also the issue of liability in our society. Sometimes doing your due diligence serves to keep you from facing certain liability or neglect issues IMO.
__________________
There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Chuck Norris lives in Houston.
Either the United States will destroy ignorance, or ignorance will destroy the United States. – W.E.B. DuBois
We don't do full background checks, but I do check to be sure that anyone who works with our children and youth are not registered sex offenders. In reference to your statement about not keeping the kids safer if the person is unregistered, keeping the children safe is only part of the issue. To be sure it is the biggest and by far most important issue, but there is also the issue of liability in our society. Sometimes doing your due diligence serves to keep you from facing certain liability or neglect issues IMO.
That did come up at the Board meeting, Stew. And it is a very valid point. I would like to see us do the background checks (for that reason, among others). I am not opposed to them. But I want to make sure that we are not going to do the checks and then just sit back on our hands and feel like our kids are as safe as they can possibly be. I agree with Falla when she says that it takes a parent to raise a child. But I also think that, especially in cases like this, it takes a community to safeguard our children. We ALL have to be diligent.
__________________
Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of a battle ! ! ! !
I wish our church had a policy of two adults with children at all times, but we are a small church and likely don't have enough volunteers.
I do think background checks are a good idea; not just for sexual crimes, but any kind of violence, child abuse, financial issues, etc. Even if the crime isn't in any way related to children, it can give you more insight into a person's character.
Margie - sounds like you do have some good guidelines in place.
Our insurance carrier requires that we do background checks on all volunteers and employees. IF anything were to ever happen, you would be so thankful you had that in the file.
__________________ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
We are just completing the building of a brand new church. one of the things we have done is put large 1 way windows in the classrooms for the smallest children. you can see into the class from the hallway.
the 2 person per child thing is great.
We are also reviewing a background check for SS workers. I have to have a background check to coach my son's soccer team or to do any kind of helping out at his school.
They are not hard to do and not expensive. all of it can be completed on line.
__________________ If I do something stupid blame the Lortab!
When I was a new Youth Committee member, I had one pastor (who happened to also be MY pastor at the time) who "protected our children" through the "power of the Holy Ghost."
One particular kludge had applied to be a counselor at youth camp so that he could attend without paying the fee. My pastor signed this guy's application form and recommended him. Trouble was, as I tried to remind my pastor, this guy was a convicted child rapist (true story).
The pastor had apparently "forgotten" about this fact when he signed the form. The pastor became defensive and quite belligerent when reminded (he hated being "wrong" about anything). He hollered at me for a bit. He reminded my that HE was the pastor AND "a member of the District Board."
I gently tried to remind him that he now faced criminal charges (our state law) and huge civil liabilities.
"Don't you believe in the power of the Holy Ghost!?!" he shouted at me.
This convicted rapist had been in and out of church for years, never stable. At that particular point in time he was living with a woman (not his legal wife) who also attended our church. I pointed this out.
"Well at least it's a woman!" (The previous times the guy had "backslid" it always appeared to involve homosexuality). My pastor honestly said that in defense of this guy. Long story short, I slept in the dorms that year instead of in one of the youth committee members' cabins and missed all of the ministerial fellowships so that I could "babysit" the rapist.
"Don't you believe in the power of the Holy Ghost?"
Sad thing is, this same "pastor" was praised right across the pulpit at a recent General Conference by a certain "Brother Lumphead."
We really never manage to learn anything from our mistakes. That's why our children are in constant peril.
- We do background checks on all workers in youth or children's departments, paid or nonpaid.
- We have a hired security guard at the kid's entrance every week.
- We have a locked-down nursery area that is only accessible with a number code and no adults are allowed past a certain door, where they hand over their children. They are given a pager and that is the only way they can get their child back.
- We have a scanner that registers our kids with a bar code system.
We have learned that in this day and age, you cannot afford to be lax in security.
- We do background checks on all workers in youth or children's departments, paid or nonpaid.
- We have a hired security guard at the kid's entrance every week.
- We have a locked-down nursery area that is only accessible with a number code and no adults are allowed past a certain door, where they hand over their children. They are given a pager and that is the only way they can get their child back.
- We have a scanner that registers our kids with a bar code system.
We have learned that in this day and age, you cannot afford to be lax in security.
__________________
There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Chuck Norris lives in Houston.
Either the United States will destroy ignorance, or ignorance will destroy the United States. – W.E.B. DuBois
- We do background checks on all workers in youth or children's departments, paid or nonpaid.
- We have a hired security guard at the kid's entrance every week.
- We have a locked-down nursery area that is only accessible with a number code and no adults are allowed past a certain door, where they hand over their children. They are given a pager and that is the only way they can get their child back.
- We have a scanner that registers our kids with a bar code system.
We have learned that in this day and age, you cannot afford to be lax in security.
WOW, Sherri, you all have the ultimate system set up I'm impressed!! Very good. I imagine in a church the size of yours, you would have to be ultra-careful because of the sheer number of people who are in the building at any given time. I wish we had the money to do things this way.
Let me ask you - do you do background checks on your people who work with children? If so, who do you use?
EDIT: Ooops, I see that you do. So, who do you use??
__________________
Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of a battle ! ! ! !
How does your church safeguard your children?
I am very proud of all of us, but won't go into anymore detail.
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