Caring for the Lambs

Helping the Church to Protect the Children

This article is based on the Safety Member Certification core training module "Protecting the Vulnerable V5" and the Church Security Guide article "Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults in the Church" [1][2][3][4].

From the Bible –

The Bible has references to caring for the vulnerable:

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).
* The special care a shepherd has for lambs and pregnant ewes is an example for us.

Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings (Psalm 17:8).
* The care of a mother bird for her nestlings is an example of God’s care for us and for our care of the young.

"But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock" (Job 30:1).
* Job’s shepherds had sheepdogs to help guide and protect the sheep.

Introduction -

In John 10:12-13, Jesus made a point of the distinction between a real shepherd and a hireling. The shepherd has a real bond with the flock, and will risk his life for the sheep, while the hireling shrinks away from danger.

The shepherd also has sheepdogs to help manage and guard the flock (Job 30:1). The best sheepdogs (called "livestock guardian dogs" [5]) are raised with the flock, creating a firm bond between the sheep and the dogs. Some of the dogs are trained to guide the flock, while the others are primarily protectors. The flock is their pack, and they'll fight a wolf to the death.

That is the pattern for a Church Safety Team. The members are part of the flock (members or regular attenders of the church), and are sheepdogs helping the shepherds (pastors and church leaders) in protecting the flock. As a shepherd and the sheepdogs have special care for the vulnerable (Isaiah 40:11), so Safety Team members have special care for children and other vulnerable persons in the church.

On the Web -

News:

Cutlerville, Michigan, June 21, 2009 - A 19-year-old woman who was a volunteer in the nursery at her church "wanted to be a mother," so she took a girl (aged 11 months) home with her close to noon. This was her third attempt at taking a child. She had visited two other churches earlier that day. At one she pretended to be a nursery attendant but roused suspicion, and police were called - she left before they arrived. A second church reported her.

After the service, the parents of the child reported her missing. Police came to the young woman's home and found the child with her [6].

Oak Ridge North, Texas, February 6, 2025 - A 51-year-old man was charged with sexually molesting a girl 10 or younger. She told her parents, and they told their pastor, who reported him to the police. The man was a volunteer at the church and had babysat the girl at his home [7].

Baltimore County, Maryland, August 5, 2025 - A traveling evangelist based in Georgia was extradited to Maryland on an arrest warrant for sexual abuse of teen-aged boys. The alleged abuses were over a four-year period when he'd been a youth pastor at a church in Baltimore County. He allegedly told the boys that Jesus and His disciples were an example of men kissing other men on the lips [8].

Augusta, Georgia, September 15, 2021 - A parent (age 28) assaulted a school program teacher (age 61), accusing the teacher of abusing her son. County law-enforcement agencies investigated the claim and concluded that the teacher did not abuse the two-year-old boy [9].

Resources:

Ohio Department of Job and Family Services - The Adult Protective Services division of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (JFS) published "Report Child Abuse and Neglect," a guide for reporting abuse and neglect of children and vulnerable adults. The JFS guide begins with defining abuse and neglect. This includes federal guidelines. It goes on to recognizing and reporting abuse and neglect.

Details that follow include how to report, what information to use, and the JFS response. Following this is a list of mandated reporters.

Though this is for the State of Ohio, there are similar guides in other states, but not all are identical. Check with your own state for its guidelines [10].

LLF Law Firm, November 17, 2025 - A recent blog post by this legal firm gives advice on how to spot someone who may be a child predator. "Spotting a Potential Child Predator" is intended primarily for parents, but its advice can be used by childcare workers, church leaders, and safety teams. A key section of the article is "Warning Signs" in the appearance and behavior of a potential predator:

1. More friendship than usual with children and youth.
2. Preference for excessive or borderline-inappropriate touching.
3. Possible grooming: excessive attention and communication with child or youth, which may include texting.
4. Secrecy with children or youth, especially concerning their relationships.
5. Isolating the child or teen from family and/or other friends.

There is more. I recommend this post to parents, teachers, church leaders, and safety team members [11].

Dr. Jeremiah Gibbs, July 23, 2014 - In "How to Pastor When You Have to Report Child Abuse," a guest article on the Jeremiah Gibbs website, Dr. Ryan Darrow begins by relating a situation when he had to report abuse. This drew an angry reaction from the person he was counseling. He then explains how state statutes mandating reporting are worded and interpreted. He wrote, "Bottom line, you must become well versed in your states statues [sic] regarding abuse reporting."

Later on, Dr. Darrow penned the 6-point section, "What To Do When A Child Reports Abuse."

It is worthwhile to read this article and share it with others [12].

The Shepherds and the Sheepdogs -

When it comes to the care of our church's lambs (children) and yearlings (youth), we the sheepdogs need to advise and guide the shepherds (pastors and leaders) and under-shepherds (teachers, group leaders, childcare workers, and volunteers) in child and youth safety.

We can see people coming into and moving around in the church, but those working with the young people see and interact with them more than we do. They can se how a young person acts and reacts, overhear what she or he says, and the young person may tell the worker something that reveals or indicates abuse or neglect.

In response, a teacher may counsel the young person on how to deal with bullies, abusive adults, or abusive older children or youth.

Therefore, these child-and-youth leaders need to know how to spot or discern abuse and potential abusers, how to respond to abuse, and how to keep likely predators away from their prey. This includes knowing when and how to report potential abuse, and to whom.

It is the church leaders who select those working with children and youth. They need to know how to vet candidates for sensitive positions (staff or volunteer) in the church. The Church Safety Committee chairperson and the Church Safety Director assist/advise church leaders in setting policies protecting children from abuse (including kidnapping). They also guide in establishing and using means to screen workers. The Safety Director vets Safety Team candidates, but - unless the job is given to the Safety Ministry - vetting of workers for children's and youth ministries depends on the leaders of those church departments or the church's personnel director. This is where the Safety Ministry can enable the other ministries to select wisely.

Building Fences -

Just as fences are built to protect livestock, the right policies and procedures can provide protective fences for vulnerable persons. The Safety Director works with the church leadership in formulating policies and setting procedures. Here are a few of the protective measures:

• Rule of Two: An adult is not left alone with a child or youth.
• This reduces the chance for improper behavior.
• It protects the worker from false accusations (such as in Augusta [9]).
• Vetting: Do not allow sex offenders to work with children.
• Use background and reference checks, preferably through a good vetting service.
• Check the candidate against sex offender registries.
• Watchfulness:
• Maintain visibility of children's rooms,
• Monitor surveillance cameras during childcare and class times,
• Have leadership and/or Safety Team members look into children's area rooms at random times.
• Don't let young children leave the toddler room or classroom alone.
• Log in, log out:
• Children are logged into the nursery and the toddler room or childcare center by the parent or guardian.
• Let only the person who signed the child in sign him or her out. This is to hinder kidnappings by non-custodial parents as well as by strangers.
• Keep the login record in case there is an investigation.

Maintain the fences. Check to see that procedures are followed.

The Ministry of Enablement -

One means of enabling church leaders in protecting the lambs is education. Sheepdog Church Security has the Safety Member Certification program with five core modules plus three others. One core module is Protecting the Vulnerable. This can also be used as a standalone course. As such, all church leaders and child/youth workers should take it.

Follow-up training consists of meetings focusing on specific areas of the topic, such as

• Interviewing candidates,
• Watching for predators,
• Mandated reporting of abuse,
• Preventing kidnapping,
• Responding to a child's report of abuse,
• Responding to medical emergencies.

These sessions can include scenarios, table-top exercises, etc.

The Safety Director or Safety Committee members may confer with child and youth department leaders and observe how login/logout procedures are followed. They will be open to any concerns these leaders may have. This contributes to both enablement and accountability.

Another area of childcare education is pediatric first aid. Children can and do have accidents and medical emergencies. There are courses available to train children's teachers and caregivers in emergency medical response to children. Here are three (there are others):

Pediatric First Aid Training

1. American Academy of Pediatrics - Pediatric First Aid and Safety Training for Teachers and Caregivers [13].
2. American Heart Association - Heartsaver® Pediatric First Aid CPR AED Training [14].
3. American Red Cross - Adult Child and Baby First Aid/CPR/AED Online [15].

Conclusion -

A Church Safety Ministry can urge and enable congregational leaders and children's and youth ministries to protect children, youth, and other vulnerable persons from abuse.

References -

1. Kris Moloney, Safety Member Certification, Sheepdog Church Security, 2025 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/courses/safety-member-certification-v5-2025].
2. Kris Moloney, "Protecting the Vulnerable V5," Safety Member Certification, Sheepdog Church Security, 2025 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/courses/Protecting-the-Vulnerable-V5].
3. Kris Moloney, Church Security Guide, Sheepdog Church Security, 2023 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/pages/security-articles?c=church-security-guide], also 2018 at [https://sheepdogchurchsecurity.net/church-security-guide].
4. Kris Moloney, "Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults in the Church," Church Security Guide, Sheepdog Church Security, June 9, 2023 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/pages/security-articles?p=protection-of-children-and-vulnerable-adults-in-the-church], also 2018 at [https://sheepdogchurchsecurity.net/child-and-vulnerable-adults].
5. R. Reid Redden, John M. Tomeček, John W. Walker, "Livestock Guardian Dogs," Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, The Texas A&M University System, August 2010 [https://texnat.tamu.edu/files/2010/08/Livestock-Guardian-Dogs-2016.pdf].
6. John Agar. "Woman charged with kidnapping baby from church told police she 'always wanted to be a mother'," Michigan Live (from The Grand Rapids Press), June 22, 2009 [https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2009/06/woman_charged_with_kidnapping.html].
7. Luke Jones, "Charges filed after Breath of Life Church pastor reports volunteer for molesting young member," KTRK ABC 13 Eyewitness News, February 6, 2025 [https://abc13.com/post/charges-filed-breath-life-church-pastor-reports-volunteer-sexually-abusing-young-member/15870713/].
8. Elizabeth Chuck and Mike Hixenbaugh, "Former youth pastor arrested after allegedly sexually abusing at least 6 teens," NBC News, Aug. 11, 2025 [https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/thomas-pinkerton-youth-pastor-arrested-sex-abuse-baltimore-maryland-rcna224311].
9. Jozsef Papp, "Local church teacher, who was assaulted by mother claiming abuse, is cleared of wrongdoing," The Augusta Chronicle, September 15, 2021 [https://www.augustachronicle.com/story/news/2021/09/15/church-teacher-assaulted-parent-did-not-harm-child-sheriff-office/8322502002/].
10. Staff, "Report Child Abuse and Neglect," Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, no date [https://jfs.ohio.gov/adult-protective-services/report-adult-abuse-neglect/report-child-abuse-and-neglect].
11. Staff, "Spotting a Potential Child Predator," LLF Law Firm, November 17, 2025 [https://www.njfamilylawllc.com/spotting-a-potential-child-predator]
12. Ryan Darrow, "How to Pastor When You Have to Report Child Abuse," Dr. Jeremiah Gibbs, July 23, 2014 [https://jeremiahgibbs.com/2014/07/23/how-to-pastor-when-you-have-to-report-child-abuse/].
13. "Pediatric First Aid and Safety Training for Teachers and Caregivers," American Academy of Pediatrics [https://www.aap.org/Pediatric-First-Aid-and-Safety-Training-for-Teachers-and-Caregivers].
14. "Heartsaver® Pediatric First Aid CPR AED Training," American Heart Association [https://cpr.heart.org/en/cpr-courses-and-kits/heartsaver/heartsaver-pediatric-training].
15. "Adult Child and Baby First Aid/CPR/AED Online," American Red Cross [https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/classes/adult-child-and-baby-first-aid%2Fcpr%2Faed-online/a6R3o000001vv3D.html].