Share and share alike! Here you'll find resources posted by individuals, churches, classes, and CRC ministries. Add comments, give a 'thumbs up', or post your own.
Protect Young Eyes, a West Michigan based organization, helps families, schools, and churches create safer digital environments. Check out their sample social media policy and more!
Safe Church in Chinese? How did this come about? You may have noticed something new (Chinese characters!) if you follow Safe Church on The Network. The following interview will help us understand.
April is designated Sexual Assault Awareness Month in the U.S. and in many Canadian provinces. In addition, April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month in the U.S. What can we learn and do in April to end sexual abuse in our churches and communities?
Alive Ministries in Jenison, Michigan, is organizing two events; one with an emphasis on defending kids from online dangers and another on teaching children about healthy relationships and healthy physical boundaries.
Power, Deception, and the Church, is a plenary presentation by Diane Langberg to the 2018 National Conference of the American Association of Christian Counselors in 2018. It's a powerful video!
Whenever a church member or leader is accused and arrested for a criminal sexual offense, there are serious repercussions in the entire community, both in and outside the church.
Prevent Connect is a national online project dedicated to the primary prevention of sexual assault and domestic violence by using various forms of online media to connect people and ideas.
Safe Church is not the only organization working to end the devastation caused by abuse. There are a host of others with similar passion working to end this kind of violence. What can we learn from them?
What are we to make of all the sexual assault allegations we’re hearing? And how are we to respond, as the church, when we hear these stories, and address allegations in our own congregations? Here's a resource that can help.
Safe Church is offering mini-grants of up to $1,000 to host an event or to create a resource that fits with our mission to equip congregations in abuse awareness, prevention, and response.
Classis Chatham used Safe Church Mini-Grant Funds to help create a video to promote a counseling fund for those who would like to receive counseling after an experience of abuse. Several other classes have a similar fund. What could your classis do with a Safe Church Mini-Grant?
This story should help us realize that sexual assault must never be minimized and there must always be proper discipline administered to those who abuse their power. This too should remind us of the devastation that sexually inappropriate and assaultive behavior causes for women and men in all walks of life.
This story is part of our SOS series - "My sister's story" can help us understand the devastation that happens in families as a result of domestic abuse. How might the church respond to make a positive difference?
Does your classis have a Safe Church Coordinator or Team Leader? We are excited to see more begin coordinating to further equip, collaborate, and resource our congregations throughout the Christian Reformed Church in North America.
Amy’s story can help us understand what it is like to experience abuse from a trusted church member, and then not to be believed when she tried to tell about it.
Stories can be a powerful way to learn from one another when we have open ears to listen.
This resource is a consolidation of guidelines that CRC Synods have adopted over time, as a supplement to the Church Order, to equip churches to deal with an abuse allegation in a manner that is consistent with CRC beliefs and values.
Responding to Abuse: A Toolkit for Churches, a new resource from Safe Church Ministry, is now available at Synod in hardcopy and online.
As the #MeToo movement hits the church, many churches are requesting information about how to respond. We hope this toolkit will help people, especially church councils, understand what their options are.
Safe Church has seen an uptick in the number of requests for assistance with situations of abuse that are affecting congregations. What is the answer for this situation of rising need and reduced resources?
Safe Church Ministry is working on a toolkit for churches to respond to the #MeToo movement. Understanding how abuse happens, often through a process of grooming, will be a part of that toolkit.
Did you know that Safe Church Ministry started out as the Office of Abuse Prevention? Think of the heartache avoided by preventing abuse before it happens. Surely churches belong at the front lines.
Safe Church Ministry is working on a toolkit for churches. Responding to immediate needs will be a part of that toolkit. We hope that this article is a helpful preview.
Safe Church Ministry began as the Office of Abuse Prevention; prevention must be a primary focus of our work. Therefore, we have step one — be prepared. Our response efforts will always be weak and lacking without this foundation.
An effective response to abuse is not possible without understanding the dynamics and impacts of abuse, especially the power dynamic.