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Bonnie
Safe Church
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We were absolutely thrilled to have Linda Crockett from Samaritan SafeChurch at our Safe Church Ministry Conference. She inspired us with her unsettling story and soon it will be posted on our website.
Why is it that the majority of our classes have no safe church team? Perhaps one reason is the office of Safe Church Ministry itself. If Safe Church owns the ministry, then everyone else is off the hook, right?
Safe Church Ministry is called to equip congregations in abuse awareness, prevention, and response. “It’s a ridiculous mandate,” I’ve heard myself say. It can be overwhelming, with progress slower than I'd like.
Be sure to check out the new resources on Safe Church's website, and see how you can be involved in the upcoming Safe Church conference — even if you can't come to Grand Rapids!
Are you aware of all the resources Safe Church offers? Safe Church only works when we are well-connected, working with YOU, CRC church members and leaders.
Sometimes the work of Safe Church Ministry is heartbreaking. But I'm so thankful for my elders, for those who have come before me, giving me courage to continue the journey. Who are your elders?
Before we can prevent and respond to abuse we need a basic awareness of what abuse is. What are the dynamics? Are there signs that can help us recognize it?
As Christians, waiting is our posture before God. God uses our waiting to transform us into his likeness. How do we persevere in hope as we wait?
This webinar examines how sexual abuse happens, what some of the impacts are, and then explores how churches can play a key role in ending this epidemic in our culture.
Safe Church says a fond farewell, with prayers and best wishes, to Robin. And we say a warm welcome to Monica, our new Safe Church Network Guide.
Even in the walking alongside, there is a decision to enter into places of pain, knowing that you will hurt along with them, knowing that there may not be answers to the deep questions that arise.
In April, Safe Church leaders from the U.S. and Canada came together for strategic planning. One priority rose to the top. “We need to be able to talk about abuse!”
This webinar explores how healthy boundaries enhance ministry, how power dynamics influence ministry relationships, and how to avoid some of the common pitfalls.
One in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before the age of 18. We cannot bury our heads in the sand and ignore this issue.
Which story would you rather read: A story about a woman alleging gang rape at a prestigious university? Or a story about how the reporter covering that story failed to maintain good journalistic standards?
One in four females and one in six males will be sexually abused by the time they reach 18. Are they missing from our congregations?
Wherever we find ourselves right now, we must keep the long view in mind.
The opposite of living out of a blessed consciousness is living out of a cursed consciousness.
Our denomination and each of our congregations also have a culture. Is it a culture that promotes openness, or one that encourages hiding difficult struggles? What messages are implicit in our culture about disclosing experiences of abuse?
One Sunday each year (the fourth Sunday in September) has been designated Abuse Awareness Sunday. The annual email goes out, “Tell us what you did for Abuse Awareness Sunday”. Here are some responses from 2014.
This webinar is designed to help us understand the problem of domestic violence, so that we can recognize it and respond in practical and effective ways.
We welcomed people as they arrived, while being hopeful that people would take time on a summer evening to come to an inspiring program. The featured speaker was nationally known Christian author, speaker, and licensed family and marriage counselor...
Through any transition, Safe Church Ministry, in one form or another, will survive and grow. Why? Because churches need to know how to protect the children and vulnerable people entrusted to their care.
What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “boys will be boys”? What does it mean in our culture to be masculine?
Each ministry leader had 2 minutes to say something about the ministry he or she was involved in; who knows where this relationship could go? Here’s my Safe Church “speed dating” pitch...