Preamble

• When the crowd tried to keep the children away from Jesus, he was quick to respond, “Let the children come to me.” Jesus taught that children were to be included and provided for within the community of faith. Today, the church may be the only place where some children find the unconditional love and care they so desperately need to grow and thrive. As Christians, we must take our responsibilities to our children very seriously. We fail in our responsibilities if we neglect to take adequate precautions against abuse in our churches. It is unlikely that we can completely prevent child abuse in every situation, but it is possible for us to greatly reduce the risk by following a thorough practical policy of prevention. This policy attempts to do just that for the Conference agencies that deal with children, youth and vulnerable adults. It is based on our understanding of the widespread problem of abuse throughout our country.  
• Every 15 seconds a child is abused or neglected. Often abuse occurs in settings where children, youth or vulnerable adults should have been able to feel safe—homes, schools, camps, and most sadly the church. In more than three quarters of the reported incidents of child abuse, the victim was related to or acquainted with the abuser.
• It is the purpose of this policy to first of all protect the children that come to us, the second is to protect our staff both paid and volunteer from potential allegations of abuse and third to limit the extent of legal liability of our church.
• Here is a comprehensive plan that will include all the areas of the issue: Screening, Supervision, Reporting Procedures and a Response plan.
• These policies we have delineated are the MINIMUM necessary precautions for protecting children. Your agency or organization may need to provide even more strict precautions in some areas.

Footnotes: Joy Thornburg Melton, Safe Sanctuaries: Reducing the Risk of Child Abuse in the Church (Nashville, TN: Discipleship Resources, 1998) Rev.Melton is an ordained deacon the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church who is both a Christian educator and a lawyer. Discipleship Resources. P.O. Box 840 Nashville, TN 37202-0840, www.discipleship resources.org. Also available from Cokesbury Bookstores, www.cokesbury.com.
Ibid.