Act

Sexual predators and child protection

CCMS-SEC-SOP-001 §11

Predators prefer ministries that pride themselves on being trusting. Forgiveness in Christ and access to children are different questions. Wise as serpents, innocent as doves.

1. 1

   Two-adult rule. No adult alone with a child who is not his or her own. No man alone with children in a classroom, a restroom trip, a vehicle, or a camp bunk line.

2. 2

   Check-in / check-out. Matching tag or documented authorized adult only.

3. 3

   Background checks for every children's worker, every safety-team member, every adult who might be alone with a minor in the course of ministry. Registry work on member rolls and guest cards, including the walkable and short-drive radius around the campus.

4. 4

   One-strike on crimes against children. A person may be welcome under supervision in the adult service and still be barred from the classrooms for life.

5. 5

   If abuse is suspected or disclosed: report to law enforcement and the child-protection agency required in your jurisdiction. The church does not run a private investigation first. Concealing a crime in the name of protecting the institution is sin and, in many places, a crime of its own.

6. 6

   Classrooms: concentrate child ministry in spaces the church actually controls — one way in, one way out, two-adult rule.

This field guide does not replace 911, a medical director, or licensed clinical judgment. It does not authorize anyone to practice beyond license and current training.