Make My Church Safe releases this week! I wrote it to be a concise guide to the best practices in making your church safe for members and attendees of all ages. Get your copy today!
Child security is one of the most important discipleship issues in the church. We must create robust security measures in our churches, making our campuses internally safe for children, so they can grow to spiritual maturity and become equipped to confront the dangers of evil in the world.
Millions of people volunteer in church children’s ministries every week. Most care deeply about children and wouldn’t hesitate to make great personal sacrifices to protect them. When your church has a proper system of protection, you mitigate the risks and help your leaders discern when personal failures occur that must be addressed.
1. Never be alone with a child who is not your own
You might never do anything to harm a child, but a lot of things can go wrong when you are alone with a child who is not your own. Always seek help when anything questionable arises. “I don’t want to bother anyone with this issue” is not an excuse. Yes, most of the time you can handle a problem with a child without involving others. But churches and volunteers must always be prepared for those instances that happen some of the time. It is better to have a fast and firm policy that ministry leaders, staff members, and volunteers are never to be alone with a child than to have a system in which people are making situational decisions about whether or when it’s okay. The best policy is to require that at least two people always be present with a child.
2. Background checks for everyone, every year
Though background screening will only catch those who have been caught before, it is still a critical part of any good safety plan. If you loosen this standard, you create an environment that may attract people who desire to harm a child. Your church becomes an easier target. Background checks are less about catching someone and more about deterring the wrong people from your ministry. The best practice is to renew the screening annually for anyone who serves in any capacity around children, even if only for a short time (such as a week-long Vacation Bible School). All background checks should also be cross-referenced with the national sex offender database.
3. Establish a six-month rule for all volunteers
Potential volunteers should demonstrate a faithful pattern of commitment to the church for at least six months before serving in the children’s ministry. And not just six months of church attendance, but six months or more of becoming known with others in the congregation. No matter how much your children’s ministry might need volunteers, do not give a new church member immediate access to minors. The purpose of this rule is to prevent potential predators—who typically prefer quick access to their victims—from targeting your church. Many predators will not wait for extended periods and will move on to other places where access is easier and more immediate.
4. One-on-one conversations with every potential volunteer
Before serving with children, each volunteer should have an informal interview with a trusted leader or staff member. The purpose of these conversations is to look for any red flags or potential concerns. People who are dedicated to child safety will not push back on this step. Good volunteers will be glad the church has a vigorous system of safety and will gladly adhere to this guideline.
5. Simple, and non-negotiable, check-in and check-out procedures
A common but effective process involves printing two matching tags at check-in. One tag sticks on a child’s back between the shoulders (so they can’t tear it off). The other tag goes with the parent who checks the child in. No one can pick up the child without the matching tag. This system not only protects children from random strangers but also from the more common problem of an unauthorized person whom the child knows.
6. One-foot-in, one-foot-out bathroom supervision
Every child will likely need a bathroom break at some point on Sunday. Your system should account for the movement of children through the halls and into the bathroom. No adult should ever be alone with a child in a bathroom. If possible, dedicate specific bathrooms on your campus for children only. Keep these bathroom doors open at all times. Require adults who accompany children to the bathroom to stand at the threshold of the door with one foot inside the bathroom and the other foot outside the bathroom. This way, volunteers can easily speak to the child in the bathroom while maintaining visibility to others.
7. Use floaters and management-by-walking-around
The more levels of accountability you have, the better. One way to add a layer of security is to empower a floater to walk between classrooms and down the halls. The floater’s presence provides accountability, and his or her responsibilities includes observing activities, checking on teachers, listening to problems, reporting issues, and providing appropriate solutions to volunteer questions.
8. Install safety mechanisms such as cameras and signs
What are the observable environmental safety issues on your church campus? Is a certain room or stairwell too dark? Do you need alarms or buzzers on doors to alert teachers when they are opened? Do you have clear signage for those who need to exit the building? With the availability of inexpensive cameras, almost every church can afford to install a monitoring system in key areas. People will feel safer when they see these visible safety improvements, and you will also deter potential harm.
9. Practice ongoing training
Every children’s ministry volunteer should receive additional training throughout the year. Information you might cover in these training sessions includes playground safety, first aid tips, trauma-informed care, fire and emergency evacuation routes, allergic reaction prevention measures, classroom management, bullying prevention, and hygiene helps. Church leaders should conduct an annual audit of the church’s safety systems. Invite someone outside your ministry to poke holes in your processes, and use the feedback to shore up any weak areas. Regular evaluation ensures a safer church environment.
10. Put all important policies in writing
Many churches fail in their safety efforts not because of a lack of concern, but because of a lack of consistency. Formalize and publish your policies, distribute them to volunteers, and review them regularly. Top church leaders should guide this process. A culture of safety will never develop if loose standards exist and expectations are not made explicit. When an incident occurs, your church should have a template for documenting what happened. Consider distributing a one-page checklist that contains instructions for “Who should I contact if. . .?” Keep the checklist updated and let your volunteers know you expect them to use it when needed.
The primary objective of children’s ministry is to equip children to be ready for a challenging world in which spiritual warfare is quite real. Should church be fun for kids? Yes, absolutely! But safety and discipleship are the greater goals. As a church leader, you are responsible for keeping children physically, emotionally, and spiritually safe in the church. A safe environment is one in which children can be prepared to face the inevitable battles in an unsafe world.
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