Cherry Picking Safety in the Church
Growing up in the church and being a youth leader off-and-on for nearly 40 years, I have witnessed first-hand how times have changed with regard to "church safety." And I'm glad times have changed. I'm a firm believer in "trust but verify."
But we also need some consistency on the issue of church safety. It is unacceptable to have background checks, training to spot or prevent abuse, but continue to have unsafe facilities, for example. Telling teachers they can't hug their students isn't the answer either.
I grew up in a church where adults hugged kids and kids hugged adults, and for the first 30 years of my ministry didn't think much about it. Then in my last church position, they approved an official policy that we were not allowed to hug any children, ...something which I have to admit, I ignored regularly when a kid came running my way. Though I did adjust my sensibility about it -- making sure it was in the presence of others and appropriate to the situation and child, a blanket "no hugging" policy is an example of church safety gone wild. There are many policies, however, that I now strictly adhere to. 30 years ago we didn't think twice about counseling someone behind closed doors, now we make sure another adult is nearby. This is wise for everyone concerned.
You can read a lot about church safety and policies, but my main point here in this post is about making sure we aren't just "cherry picking" issues of safety.
Examples of "Cherry Picking" the Issue of Church Safety
In my last church, I had to argue with several people about why we shouldn't put an unfenced playground near an unfenced pond, and yet the church had a policy that the blinds in our Sunday School doors had to always be open.
In that same church, the Facility Committee managed a building with a large number of unlocked and unused rooms, but didn't want to spend the money on changing the keying system. Yet this same committee was worried that a painted sheet of cardboard in a hallway display needed to be sprayed with "fire-proof" spray. (A $10 bottle of spray took care of their fire fear, which is to say, they were willing to do safety on the cheap.)
In a previous church, the church Session unanimously approved the installation of a camera and bell system on the front door because the secretary was often alone in the afternoon (and people would come in off the street looking for help), ...but the pastor was against it. Yet this same pastor placed several laminated signs around the church declaring the building a "gun free zone."
In another church, a committee chair announced that the "ordained" staff didn't need to be background checked, Fortunately, the ordained staff disagreed and took the lead on getting checked.
Committees will ask parents to sign permission slips, but then let any parent help drive the kids regardless of the parent's driving background.
Churches will fuss about kid's peanut allergies, but won't pay for an EPI pen to be on the premises or have a defibrillator for their older members.
I've also had encounters with mentally ill church members that left me feeling emotionally unsafe. One was verbally abusive, -- yet others in the church protected her bad behavior (in part, because the offender was a big giver, and because they didn't want to become her next target). Where's the policy on that?
Yes, everyone who will work directly with children and youth should be background checked, but let's agree that's only the beginning of "church safety."
