Care for the Lambs

Protecting Children and Youth

An article 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

He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young (Isaiah 40:11).

... Jesus saith to Simon Peter, “... Feed my lambs” (John 21:15).

Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats ... (Zechariah 10:3).

Introduction

Through Isaiah and other prophets, God described His people as his flock and their leaders as His shepherds. The children and youth, therefore, are lambs. David called the LORD God "my shepherd" (Psalm 23:1), and Jesus referred to Himself as "the good shepherd" (John 10:11). God Himself in Jesus Christ is the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4).

In our Bible verses above, Isaiah describes the care that God has for His flock, especially the lambs. This is reflected in Jesus telling Peter, "Feed my lambs." It follows that the shepherds and sheepdogs of our church (the flock) should have special care for its children and youth. For us sheepdogs, this is primarily protection from various threats.

God, as the owner and Chief Shepherd of the flock, holds accountable those who are charged with caring for His flock (Zechariah 10:3).

In the News

Derwood, Maryland, March 12, 2024 - A teacher at a small church in Derwood was arrested and charged with sexual abuse of a minor. The previous May, a victim reported the abuse. Between then and January three more victims reported abuse. The reported abuse occurred from 2016 to 2018, when the victims were six to twelve years in age. The alleged abuser was in his mid-twenties at the time.

According to the church's pastor, the offender confessed to one case of inappropriate touching. The affair was handled "internally."

The pastor and the church were shocked by the multiple incidents of abuse. Police have been asking for reports of other victims.[4]

Palmdale, California, October 2012 - A first grade teacher noticed bruises on an 8-year-old pupil. She suspected abuse. It turned out that the boy was being physically abused by his mother and her boyfriend. He was always properly dressed with no injuries showing when the teacher or the social worker visited the home. When questioned, he would always deny being beaten or otherwise tortured - he was afraid of retaliation if he said anything. In May 2013 he was beaten to death. His mother and her boyfriend were tried and convicted of murder.[5]

Ripplemead, Virginia, May 2, 2021 - A two-year-old boy was abducted from a church nursery. A woman came to the nursery door, pointed at the boy, and said she was sent to get him. The next day, she and her male companion were arrested in another county and the boy recovered. The pair had tried to kidnap other children from two other churches the week before, but the nursery attendants didn't believe their stories.[6]

Croydon, South London, United Kingdom, December 10, 2019 - In a parochial school's Christmas program in the church, a child carrying a candle fell against another student. That student's Nativity costume ignited. The boy was air-lifted to a hospital with serious burns.[7]

Sutherland Springs, Texas, November 5, 2017 - Several children were among the 26 victims in the massacre at the First Baptist Church. This shooting was the result of domestic violence.[8]

Finleyville, Pennsylvania, May 11, 2024 - An EF-2 tornado tore through the town without warning, damaging several buildings, including a church. A service was in progress. A hymn was being sung when the twister struck. The congregation of about 60, including children, dashed to the basement. There were only minor injuries.[9]

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, May 10, 2021 - A girl (aged 3) at a church-operated daycare center was accidentally strangled by a cord on playground equipment on a Monday. Two days later she died in the hospital.[10]

Guarding Children from Danger

As Sheepdogs, it is our duty to guard the flock. Special care is need for the lambs (children and youth) as well as others who cannot protect themselves (the disabled and vulnerable adults). There are several kinds of protection needed. Here are some of them:

• From sexual abuse
• From other kinds of abuse
• From kidnapping
• From fire
• From active killers
• From natural disasters
• From accidental injuries

We cannot do all the direct protection ourselves. In this case, we prompt, inform, and assist church leadership to take necessary measures. There are some ways in which we do act directly.

From sexual abuse

This is a threat to children and youth which gets news headlines, embarrassing churches. The church needs policies and procedures to prevent sexual abuse, to detect it, and to deal with it when it is discovered.

Prevention

The primary defense against sexual abuse is keeping offenders away from their potential victims. The first part of this is screening anyone and everyone working with children and youth. Since a staff member or volunteer in the church may be asked to step into teaching, youth leadership, or childcare - even temporarily - this means that all staff and volunteers should be screened. There are services to help with this, such as Protect My Ministry. There is also a place to look for sexual offenders in your area or check for a name on sex offender registries, the search pages of the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offenders Public Website. There is a guide on the Dru Sjodin site to identifying sex offenders.[11][12][13]

Of course, care is required for anytime someone offers to help. Identification is a time-validated security measure, as Terry Berringer wrote in a Guest Article, "Ministry Safety and ID's: Their Vital Role."[14]

Detection

Watchfulness, as always, is the key to detecting threats and wrongdoing. On the church leadership side are measures to enable monitoring of childcare areas and other places where children may be or predators may lurk.

• This includes windows and dutch doors so passersby can see into the nursery, the toddler room, and children's classrooms.
• Another tool is surveillance cameras. These work better with (1) monitoring during times of operation and (2) review after each day of use.

On the Safety Ministry side, first the Safety Committee and the Safety Director work with the church leadership to meet the physical requirements, then Safety Team members are the ones who patrol the hallways and monitor the cameras.

Another part of detection is watching for signs of abuse. This is really everyone's responsibility, not just those who work with children, youth, and other vulnerable persons. If greeters, ushers, or Safety Team members see signs of abuse, these should be brought to the attention of the Safety Director or the team leader for that location and/or shift, who can then take it up with the director of the appropriate ministry in the church (Children's Min., Youth Min., Challenged Person's Min., etc.). Workers and directors in these ministries have a legal responsibility to report observed or reasonably suspected abuse to the proper authorities, something not done in Derwood, MD.[4].

Response

We can summarize our response to any kind of abuse as reporting the abuse, writing up the incident report, confronting the offender, and comforting/supporting the victim. Add to this evaluating our policies and procedures after any incident.

From other kinds of abuse

Other kinds of abuse are physical (as in the Palmdale case[5]), mental or emotional abuse, and neglect. The same measures of detection and response apply to physical abuse. The other kinds are largely out of the hands of the Safety Ministry unless one of us learns about a case.

From kidnapping

Most child kidnappings from churches (but not all) are by non-custodial parents. Childcare departments need policies and procedures to ensure that only those who have the legitimate right can take children out of the nursery, toddler room, a children's class, or children's church (this was missing or neglected in Ripplemead, VA[6]). Safety Team members can observe what goes on there. "Casual" conversations with childcare workers can touch on how the check-in/check-out procedures are working. If they see us take a glance at the log, it will convey the message that people are watching.

There are some structural enhancements for this. One is a gateway desk for the Children's Department to control who goes in there. Obviously, installing this is under the authority of the church board, but if it is possible (depending on the layout of the church), we can encourage the church to do it.

What if there might be an abduction? Plan how to look for a missing child, then have a missing child drill. Involve as many of the congregation's members as possible, but be sure to include teachers, worship leaders, ushers, and greeters, as well as Safety Team members. Often the missing child is somewhere in the building or on the grounds (especially the playground).

From fire

Yes, we need to protect the whole church from fire. However, there are measures applying directly to children. One is supervision of children with fire, especially candles. An accidental move[7] or lack of knowledge or maturity on the part of a child can lead to burns, or may start a fire that threatens the church.

During outdoor activities with a fire pit, grills, torches, or a bonfire, children need to be monitored and supervised.

Then there are issues with the evacuation of children in case of a fire. For the nursery, it is wise to have an evacuation crib for every five infants. For toddlers and pre-schoolers, a walking rope can help keep them in line and moving.

From active killers

In the case of an active killer, the safest measure for children is a lockdown. Of course you need walls and doors that will resist forced entry. Additionally, have the children get out of sight of windows (such as one on the door) and behind furniture that offers a degree of cover against shots through the wall or door. Nursery and toddler restrooms are possible hiding places.

From natural disasters

In quake-prone areas, drill students on surviving an earthquake. This is easier with children than with adults since it's easier for them to hide under desks and tables.

In most of this country, especially the Eastern half, lead the kids on a tornado drill. This includes both sheltering in place (away from windows, sit against a wall, cover your head, etc.) and moving to the tornado shelter.

From accidental injuries

The most dangerous place in a church for children's accidents is the playground. A sad example of this happened in Sioux Falls.[10]

How do we promote playground safety?

• First by promoting safe design with safe equipment. Work with the church board in selecting playground equipment that is safe.
• Periodically inspect the playground. Is any of the equipment damaged or too worn to be safe? How about the ground? The fence? The gate? Find out what is safe and what isn't.
• Monitor children while they are on the playground or in the playroom. No matter how safe the equipment is, there can be bumps, slips, and falls, so be supplied and trained for First Aid. Also, some children have a knack for taking things apart and may make a safe piece of equipment unsafe for themselves or others.

Conclusion

Just as shepherds and sheepdogs work together to protect the lambs, congregational leaders and security/safety ministries work together to protect children, youth, and other vulnerable persons in the church.

Training for Child Safety

Each Church Safety Team member should be trained and certified through the Safety Member Certification program. Besides this program and other Sheepdog Church Security resources (such as the Security Articles), there are other training resources, such as the "Safety and Education" section on the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offenders Public Website and the Worship Security Academy (a Sheepdog Church Security affiliate).[15][16]

References

1. Kris Moloney, "Protection of Children from Abuse," Safety Member Certification, Sheepdog Church Security, © 2020 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/bundles/safety-member-certification].
2. Kris Moloney, Church Security Guide, Sheepdog Church Security [https://sheepdogchurchsecurity.net/church-security-guide/]; and Church Security Guide, Sheepdog Articles, Sheepdog Church Security, [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/pages/security-articles?c=church-security-guide].
3. Kris Moloney, "Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults in the Church," Church Security Guide, Sheepdog Church Security, © 2018 [https://sheepdogchurchsecurity.net/child-and-vulnerable-adults]; and at Church Security Guide, Sheepdog Articles, Sheepdog Church Security, posted June 9, 2023 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/pages/security-articles?p=protection-of-children-and-vulnerable-adults-in-the-church].
4. Troy Pope and Rafael Sanchez-Cruz, "Maryland church teacher arrested on child sexual abuse charges," WUSA9, Published March 12, 2024, Updated March 13, 2024 [https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/maryland/derwood-church-teacher-arrested-child-sexual-abuse-charges/65-52e49344-3e24-4304-af7c-56cf4e47b57e].
5. Chris Harris, "Gabriel Fernandez's Teacher Says He Told Her: 'Sometimes, My Mom Makes Me Bleed'," People, October 27, 2017 [https://people.com/crime/gabriel-fernandez-murder-trial-teacher-testifies-alleged-abuse/].
6. Joshua Rhett Miller, "2-year-old boy abducted from Virginia church found safe," New York Post, May 3, 2021 [https://nypost.com/2021/05/03/2-year-old-boy-abducted-from-virginia-church-found-safe/].
7. Joseph Wilkes, "Child rushed to hospital with serious burns after incident at church nativity play," Mirror, December 11, 2019 [https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/child-rushed-hospital-serious-burns-21075610].
8. Justin Bey, "26 dead in shooting at church in Sutherland Springs, Texas," CBS News, November 5, 2017, Updated November 6, 2017 [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-church-shooting-devin-patrick-kelley-first-baptist-church-sutherland-springs-live-updates/].
9. Ricky Sayer, Mamie Bah, and Meghan Schiller, "EF2 tornado damages Washington County church; congregants suffer 'minor' injuries," CBS News, Updated May 12, 2024 [https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/tornado-damages-washington-county-church-congregants-suffer-minor-injuries/].
10. Marc Elliott, "Sioux Falls Girl Dies Following Injuries Sustained at Daycare," KKRC, May 14, 2021 [https://973kkrc.com/sioux-falls-girl-dies-following-injuries-sustained-at-daycare/].
11. Sheepdog Church Security affiliate link, Protect My Ministry [https://protectmyministry.com/sheepdog-signup/].
12. Staff Writers, "National Sex Offender Search," Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice [https://www.nsopw.gov/en/Search/Results].
13. Staff Writers, "Safety and Education: How to Identify," Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice [https://www.nsopw.gov/safety-and-education/how-to-identify].
14. Terry Berringer, "Ministry Safety and ID's: Their Vital Role," Guest Articles, Sheepdog Church Security, April 15, 2024 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/pages/security-articles?p=guardianship-of-children-the-vital-role-of-photo-id-badges-in-ministry-safety].
15. Staff Writers, "Safety and Education," Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice [https://www.nsopw.gov/safety-and-education/].
16. Sheepdog Church Security affiliate link to Worship Security Academy [https://worshipsecurity.vhx.tv/?code=sheepdog].