Does your Campus Have a Safe Campus Policy?

Over the past year Safe Church Ministry and Resonate Campus Ministry have been engaging in ongoing discussions on how our ministries can support one another. Safe Church has a large network of volunteers that are passionate about the work of abuse prevention within the church and the broader community. Christian Reformed campus ministries works within higher education arenas, offering spaces to gather and further the work of the kingdom, while ensuring that each person they work with is respected, valued and can feel safe. Therefore it is important for both of our ministries to have ongoing conversations about how we can come together and support one another! 

As an initial step towards building a strong working relationship as ministries, we invited our campus ministries and safe church coordinators to gather via zoom to meet and hear from one another, understanding their roles and their specific needs within this collaboration. It became clear that hosting this type of conversation was critical in moving forward. Safe church coordinators have a number of resources to share with campus ministers and campus ministers can offer great insight into working with young adults, including  how to develop structures and plans that would accommodate as well as uphold their uniqueness as a generation.

Conversations between Safe Church and Resonate Campus Ministry have led to greater clarity on how each ministry works and therefore how each ministry can come alongside the other in a way that moves both forward in a positive way. The first goal set for our 2 ministries was working on building a strong template for a Safe Campus Policy. Over the past few months, this policy has been developed and reviewed and we are excited to announce that it is now available for all our Canadian and USA campus ministries, their committees and safe church coordinators and teams to access!

A big thank you to all of you who were involved in the development of this policy. This policy has gone through many revisions by key members of both the Safe Church ministry and Resonate Campus Ministry. However, a note to those who plan to implement this policy: this is still considered a living document. This policy is a template, a guide for you as you develop your own. There will be elements of this policy that will need to be further revised by your classis committee or board based on your own uniqueness. 

As with all work being done within the communities we serve, it was important to start by acknowledging the differences and nuances that exist. Every church is unique, every campus is unique, every campus ministry committee or board is made up of different people who bring unique gifts. Some classis have safe church teams while others have coordinators. Understanding the many elements that will make your connection between a safe church team and Resonate Campus Ministry unique is important as a classis. 

Safe Campus Model Policy Template

(This is designed to be a living document)

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Safe Church ministry and Resonate Campus Ministry are available to support you! Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions or comments regarding this policy. We are here to support you!:

Safe Church ministry: [email protected]

Safe Campus/Resonate Campus Ministry: [email protected]