Safe Church Basics Step 2 Webinar: Making and Revising Policy

2022 Webinar Series: The Safe Church Basics

For our 2022 webinar series Safe Church went Back to the Basics of abuse prevention, awareness, and response by sharing five steps to becoming a safer church. All of the 2022 Safe Church Basics Webinars can be viewed at YouTube.com/SafeChurchMinistry. Please "Like" or "Subscribe" to the channel, if you haven't already.

This was the second step, focused on making and revising policy which happened on May 18th, 2022.

The webinar recording can be viewed at our YouTube Channel's Safe Church Basics Playlist here.

May 2022 Webinar: The Safe Church Basics - Step 2: Making and Revising Policy

1. This webinar highlighted some key myths that many of us hold about our abuse prevention policies—and how to go forward with revisions and making new policies for new ministry initiatives. 

   • Myth #1: Abuse doesn't really happen here

   • Myth #2: Stranger Danger

   • Myth #3: A Safe Church policy and a safety policy are the same thing

   • Myth #4: A Safe Church policy is mostly about kids so we should call it a child protective policy

   • Myth #5: A Safe Church policy is primarily about preventing sexual abuse

   • Myth #6: Talking about abuse will drive people away and create skepticism

   • Myth #7: We just need to get the policy done and we'll be good

2. We also heard from a panel of leaders who have helped to make and revise policies for churches and ministries about how they tackled this challenging task:

   • Rev. Mark Wallace: serves as the Campus Ministry Coordinator for Resonate Global Mission, working from his office in Guelph, Ontario. In this role he supports the 35 Christian Reformed campus ministries located in public universities and colleges in North America. 

   • Carmen Voogd: served on Safe Church Teams for Classis Alberta North and CRCNA Advisory Panel and presently Safe Church Trainer for West End CRC in Edmonton, Canada

   • Juliana Clink: Safe Church Coordinator of Classis Georgetown, a Children’s Ministry Director of Alive in Jenison Church, and more recently, a student at Calvin Theological Seminary

3. Safe Church Ministry unveiled a new model policy - it is available at crcna.org/safechurch/abuse-prevention

4. A few additional resources were cited in the panel discussion. We have noted them here:

• Circle of Grace Curriculum
• The Safe Campus Policy
• Safe Church Ministry Policy Toolkit