Protecting the Vulnerable
Unfortunately, any glance at the news on any given day is a reminder that sexual abuse and predation, particularly of children, is and has been on the rise for years. And even more unfortunate is that the church is not immune from it. We at River Oaks take seriously the calling to make our entire ministry, not just the children’s ministry in particular, a safe place for all children.
What has ROC put in place?
We have already taken extensive steps in our children’s and youth ministries to foster safety. We have rewritten our entire safety protocols, instituted more thorough background checks, and put in place policies that clearly define appropriate interactions between adults and children and prevent opportunities for abuse. If you would like to learn more, download our children’s ministry handbook.
But we want to do more to ensure that the entire congregation, not just volunteer teachers and paid staff, are on the same page in being vigilant about child safety.
Congregation-wide training, Feb 2, 9, and 16
To this end, we are offering a child sexual abuse awareness training for all members/attenders during adult Sunday school in February. The training will consist of a series of short videos provided by MinistrySafe, a third-party provider of child safety programs that we use for all our training and vetting. The videos will be followed by a time of Q&A/discussion.
This training will take place on Sundays, February 2, 9, and 16, from 10:15 to 10:45am in the church worship center. Normal children’s Sunday school will be offered, as well as classes for middle and high school youth.
Please note that this topic is of a sensitive nature and may be difficult for some who have experienced trauma. We aim to make our church a safe place for everyone who has been impacted by this. If you have any concerns/questions, please contact the pastors or Joel.
More about MinistrySafe
To learn more about MinistrySafe, watch the following video explaining their approach to safety systems.
You can also view this more detailed overview of of the MinistrySafe program.
Why is this important?
To learn more about the seriousness of this issue within the American church, check out the following articles:
