Safe Church Policy Roundup

Safe Church Ministry has a vision: to help build communities where the value of each person is honored; where people are free to worship and grow free from abuse; and where abuse has occurred, the response is compassion and justice that foster healing.

A practical step for our ministry in working towards this vision is to provide support to churches and faith based organizations in the development of Safe Church Policies. These policies provide practical steps to follow to create spaces that are free from abuse. Policies are designed as a prevention tool, but are also key in developing awareness about abuse and as well as a roadmap for responding to abuse. 

In order to assist congregations and ministries in implementing up to date policies of their own, Safe Church Ministry has developed a Model Safe Church Policy to provide you with language and categories to consider including in your own policy. Please note that this policy is only a template and each church/ministry will need to integrate their own uniqueness into developing their policy.

Churches come in all shapes and sizes. A policy that fits one church will not be a perfect fit for the next church. Churches change and grow. A policy that might have functioned well five years ago might not address the needs of your current church community. Safe Church ministry encourages churches to do an annual review of their safe church policy, considering it a living document that reflects the ever changing nature of a church community.

In addition to the Model Safe Church Policy, Safe Church ministry is happy to provide two additional policies that we have developed in partnership with Resonate Campus Ministry and Generation Spark. 

• Safe Church Ministry worked with Resonate Campus Ministry to develop a policy that is focused on working with young adults in university and college settings. If your ministry connects to youth and young adults, this policy would be an excellent resource in building on ways to encourage safety and accountability within your organization.
  • See Does your Campus Have a Safe Campus Policy?
• Safe Church also worked alongside Generation Spark to develop a youth safeguard policy that provides key guidelines for those providing mentorship for youth and young adults. 

Those working within the area of abuse prevention are encouraged to use all three policies as templates for creating spaces that are free from abuse within your own community.

As an additional support to our community, we have designed our Safe Church Webinar Series 2022: The Safe Church Basics to supplement the work you are doing in developing your safe church community.

Register today for our July webinar which focuses on screening and training leaders and volunteers.