Access Denied

Keeping Children Safe

This article is based on the Safety Member Certification training module "Protecting Children from Abuse" and the Church Security Guide article "Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults in the Church."[1][2][3]

From the Bible

How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings (Psalm 36:7).

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture (John 10:9).

Introduction

It is only natural for us to protect what is valuable to us, and one of our better instincts is to protect those who are vulnerable. In our families, in the community, and in the church, children are both valuable and vulnerable. They need and deserve our protection. Just as a shepherd and his dogs protect the lambs from predators, we - the church's sheepdogs - seek to protect our lambs (the children and youth) from those who would harm them. Not only that, but we are accountable to God for their safety. Therefore, human predators should be denied access to the fold.

In the News and on the Web

Narrows and Ripplemead, Virginia, May 2, 2021 - A couple unsuccessfully attempted to abduct children from two churches in Narrows. At both churches, the woman said "Larry" was ill and she was there to take his son home. Nursery attendants refused to let her have anyone.

The couple then went to a church in nearby Ripplemead, and the woman walked out with a two-year-old. There she just walked to the nursery door, pointed at the boy, and said she was there to take him home. In only a few days the boy was spotted and the couple arrested. They had planned two illegal adoptions and intended to abduct a girl.[4][5]

Hamilton, Ohio, August 23, 2022 - A six-year-old girl had just taken some trash to the garbage can at the curb. A man tried to grab her. She screamed at the top of her lungs as she fought him off. The man let go, went to his car, and took off. Meanwhile the girl ran into the house and alerted her parents. While the mother called 911, the dad got into his car and followed the would-be kidnapper, keeping police up-to-date on his location. The man was arrested and charged with kidnapping and assault. The parents had trained their children in how to avoid or resist kidnapping.[6]

Church Tax & Law, July 1, 1991 - Writing for Church Tax & Law, attorney Richard Hammar cites the case of an Ohio childcare center where a worker was fired for physically abusing a 2-year-old boy. The abuse was discovered from observing signs of injury on the boy and the ensuing investigation by management.

The fired worker sued the facility for breach of contract and defamation. The dismissal of the suit by the county court was upheld by the Ohio Supreme Court, which said the firing was for cause and the reporting of the abuse to authorities did not constitute defamation since it was true and was mandated by state law.[7]

Protect My Ministry - An undated blog article by Protect My Ministry (PMM) is "A Guide to Background Checks When Working with Children." After stating that "background checks are required for childcare providers," the PMM writer covers what a background check should include and the importance of using an agency that conducts thorough checks. This also includes an explanation of how to use sex offender registries.[8]

Planning Center - Planning Center was started 16 years ago by full-time church ministers to help church ministries plan and organize their schedules and activities. This includes check-ins for children's ministries to keep track of who's in and who's out. This in itself is a tool for guarding against unauthorized taking of children (i.e. kidnapping). The Check-ins page has a video explaining this product.[9]

Children's Ministry Deals, June 19, 2017 - This provider of resources for children's ministries has a blog article with what they consider the ten best check-in systems. This list was made following responses from over 15,000 children's ministers:

1. KidCheck
2. Planning Center Online
3. KidMin App
4. Church Community Builder
5. Fellowship One
6. Lambslist
7. Breeze
8. KidEvent Pro
9. Brightwheel
10. Kidddo

Since this list was prepared in 2017, it may be subject to updating.[10]

Gatekeepers

This part of a Church Safety Team's ministry is gatekeeping. The gatekeepers should include the Safety Committee and Safety Director, teachers and childcare workers, greeters and ushers, and safety team members. Gatekeepers also include parents or guardians, the ones who naturally have a vested interest in the safety of their children.

Biblical Perspective

When Jesus claimed to be the Good Shepherd, he said, "I am the door of the sheep (John 10:7)." This analogy refers to the practice of shepherds at the time to lie down nightly at the entrances to their folds. There they and their sheepdogs could keep out predators and thieves. Today this is analogous to a guard stationed at the gate or door of a secure site.

Peter addressed church elders as shepherds and called Jesus Christ "the Chief Shepherd" (1 Peter 5:1-5). We have inherited the roles of shepherds and sheepdogs in the church from those who've gone on before.

Predators, Abusive Shepherds, and Thieves

As gatekeepers, it is our duty to keep out predators, abusive shepherds, and thieves.

• Predators are those persons who would take advantage of the children, more specifically by sexual abuse.
• Abusive shepherds are teachers or caregivers who mistreat children in other ways, such as physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, etc.
• Thieves, in the context of children, are kidnappers. This includes non-custodial parents and persons abducting children for sexual predation, cultic (ritual) abuse, human trafficking, and (as in Virginia) illegal adoption.[5]

How to Guard the Gate

The means of guarding the gate to protect children fall into four categories: Physical, Procedural, Personnel, and Perception.

Physical

Physical gatekeeping is basically structural barriers. Just as a wall or fence with a gate has been the traditional means of keeping intruders out, there are physical barriers we could install in a church so that bad actors are denied access to our children. Among those used in some churches are:

• Receptionist's desks at the entrance to a children's department with a gate or door only opened by the receptionist.
• Dutch doors (closed at the bottom, open at the top) to the nursery, toddler room, preschool class, etc.
• Keyed-access or coded-access doors to the children's classrooms or hallway.
• Separate restrooms for the children's department.
• Restricted access to the outdoor playground or activity area. This should only be from the building or through a lockable gate.
• Full-time monitored camera coverage of children's areas.

While the Safety Ministry does not have the authority to make structural changes to the church's facilities, the Safety Committee and the Safety Director can work with the church's governing board in an advisory-and-advocacy role, helping and urging congregational leaders to plan and implement physical enhancements for child safety.

Procedural

Most policies and procedures for child safety govern the organization and activities of teachers, childcare workers, and those who supervise them. The Church Safety Ministry should work with church leadership on formulating and implementing children's safety policies and procedures. These should include measures to protect the children, including:

• The Rule of Two - no one alone with children or youths or with a child or youth.
• Log-in / log-out procedures for children's ministries, especially for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
• Reporting, at least to the department head and/or safety director, of any irregularities or incidents in the care of children. This includes:
• attempts by unauthorized persons to gain access to the children
• observed abuse
• observed signs of abuse
• Locking procedures for closing the department after activities to deter bad actors from getting in and hiding in wait for children to come in - also to prevent them from planting hidden cameras for voyeurism.
• Checking all childcare areas during patrols.

Personnel

Both preventive and prescriptive personnel measures are needed for child safety.

Preventive Measures

The purpose of preventive measures is to keep abusers of all kinds away from children. These abusers can be in any station of life or in any position in the church. For instance, just because an adult is a healthcare professional does not automatically mean he or she is not an abuser. A flagrant example was Dr. Larry Nassar, a sports medicine professional who examined and treated female gymnasts. He was finally exposed, prosecuted, and convicted of sexually abusing dozens of girls.[11]

Abusers in churches and other religious institutions have included (among others) teachers, daycare and nursery attendants, youth leaders, activity leaders, coaches, camp counselors, volunteer helpers, and associate, sectional, and lead pastors.

The basic preventive measures are in the recruiting and application process - screening applicants.

• First, have everyone volunteering for or applying for a position in the church (especially one with child or youth contact) fill out an application. This includes previous positions in churches, schools, children or youth organizations (e.g. scouting, 4H, etc.), government child/youth programs, etc., present and past addresses, and arrests and/or convictions related to child abuse (sexual and otherwise).
• Check references and past contacts (such as pastors and supervisors).
• Conduct or contract a criminal background check.
• Conduct a sexual offender search.
• Interview the applicant both before and after the checks/searches.

Most authorities, insurance providers, and attorneys advise using a professional agency (such as Protect My Ministry) to conduct the background searches.

Prevention is a continuing process. Pay attention to what you see and hear about staff and volunteers in the church. Do not automatically believe every suspicion or accusation you hear (1 Tim. 3:19), but check them out and step up your watchfulness in that area. Along that line, some background search providers (such as PMM) have the option of monitoring the records of applicants for new cases.

Prescriptive Measures

The basic prescriptive measures are training and managing personnel, both volunteers and staff.

Train all staff and volunteers for childcare and youth ministries/departments in knowing what abuse is and how to prevent it. This includes the church's policies and procedures and laws on child abuse, especially reporting mandates. Update this knowledge base and inform staff and volunteers every time new laws and regulations are enacted or existing ones are amended. This includes when a law is passed and signed and again when it goes into effect.

For Church Safety Directors and team leaders, managing staff and personnel in child and youth safety is direct for Safety Team members and indirect for workers in the church's children's and youth departments.

Team members are under the Safety Ministry leadership, and are therefore directly accountable.

For those in the other departments, the Safety Ministry can be aware of the actions of individuals and advise or counsel them. They may, depending on the situation, report them to department leaders. Since this crosses lines of authority, it may be tacky, therefore use discernment, caution, and wisdom. However, a very serious case, such as someone totally ignoring set child safety procedures, may justify going to church leadership.

Perception

We must always be on guard, alert to any threats.

Observe people in the church.

• Take note if someone without a child comes in and heads for the children's department. Why are they headed there? How about greeting them with, "Hi! Can I help you?" At the least they'll know they've been seen and are being watched.
• Does a stranger seem overly interested in watching the children? This happened at a church in Chicago sometime before the pandemic. A visitor's fascination with children caught the attention of staff and a pastor. They found out he was a registered sex offender and referred him to a church that had adults-only worship services to safely minister to offenders.[12]
• Notice how church members relate to children. But be careful. If Joe Smith gives candy to kids, it does not automatically mean he's a pedophile. However, many of us don't want to attract that kind of attention, no matter how well-intentioned we might be.
• Notice signs of abuse in children, including behavioral signs. Many cases of abuse have been found this way.[7]

Training Resources

There are seven other Safety Member Certification training modules besides "Protecting Children from Abuse." Taking all eight classes and passing the test for each will qualify the student to be a Certified Safety Member for two years.[1]

The "Protecting Children" class can also be audited by workers and leaders in the children's and youth departments. Requiring this of all childcare and youth staff and volunteers is recommended.

With Church Security Guide articles such as "Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults in the Church," you can prep for the training modules beforehand and refresh your knowledge later on. You can also use "Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults in the Church" to interest a staff member, teacher, or volunteer in taking the class.[2][3]

Conclusion

To protect our lambs (children) from abuse keep out the wolves and weasels (abusers). For them, it is "Access denied!"

References

1. Kris Moloney, "Protecting Children from Abuse," Safety Member Certification, Sheepdog Church Security [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/bundles/safety-member-certification].
2. Kris Moloney, Church Security Guide, Sheepdog Church Security, June 9, 2023 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/pages/security-articles?c=church-security-guide]; also at [https://sheepdogchurchsecurity.net/church-security-guide/].
3. Kris Moloney, "Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults in the Church," Church Security Guide, Sheepdog Church Security, June 9, 2023 [security.thinkific.com/pages/security-articles?p=protection-of-children-and-vulnerable-adults-in-the-church]; also at [https://sheepdogchurchsecurity.net/child-and-vulnerable-adults].
4. Danielle Wallace, "Virginia woman, boyfriend charged with kidnapping boy, 2, from church nursery as motive remains unknown," Fox News, May 4, 2021 [https://www.foxnews.com/us/virginia-woman-boyfriend-charged-kidnapping-boy-2-church-nursery].
5. The Associated Press, "Authorities: Woman arrested for abducting 2-year-old from Virginia church misled investigators," WTVR, May 29, 2021 [https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/nancy-renee-fridley-arrested-for-abducting-noah-gabriel-trout-mislead-investigators#google_vignette].
6. GMA Team, "6-year-old speaks out after attempted kidnapping caught on camera: 'He let go because I screamed'," KABC (ABC7), August 26, 2022 [https://abc7.com/attempted-kidnapping-caught-on-camera-attempt-ohio-abduction-deric-mcpherson/12168384/].
7. Richard R. Hammar, "Child Care Worker, Dismissed for Striking Child, Sues Former Employer | An Ohio court recently faced a difficult issue," Church Tax & Law, July 1, 1991 [https://www.churchlawandtax.com/legal-developments/child-care-worker-dismissed-for-striking-child-sues-former-employer/].
8. Anon, "A Guide to Background Checks When Working with Children," Protect My Ministry, no date [https://www.protectmyministry.com/blog/a-guide-to-background-checks-when-working-with-children/].
9. Anon, "Check-Ins | Keep children safe, give parents peace," Planning Center, no date [https://www.planningcenter.com/check-ins].
10. Jeremy, "10 Best Children's Ministry Check In Systems," Children's Ministry Deals, June 19, 2017 [https://www.childrens-ministry-deals.com/blogs/childrens-pastors-only/childrens-ministry-check-in-system].
11. IndyStar Staff, "Victims share what Larry Nassar did to them under the guise of medical treatment," IndyStar, January 25, 2018 [https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2018/01/25/heres-what-larry-nassar-actually-did-his-patients/1065165001/].
12. Megan Fowler, "Sex Offenders Can Find Hope in Christ, But Not Necessarily a Place at Church," Christianity Today, July 23, 2020 [https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2020/july/sex-offender-welcome-church-abuse-safety-ministry.html].