Proven strategies to keep your people safe — from recognizing red flags to re-screening practices, cost considerations, and navigating potentially sensitive conversations Many churches fall victim to an “it-can’t-happen-here” mentality. In actuality, what makes churches especially prone to ill-intentioned volunteers? Norton: The nature and admirable traits of most clergy is one of compassion and trust. […]
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The “Stop Sexual Abuse” series is designed to provide ministry leaders with information to better understand the risk of child sexual abuse and take necessary steps to protect children in ministry programs. The first article in the series provided analysis concerning sexual abuse risk using the metaphor of building the right fence. In this article […]
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By Matthew D. Hoffman You have recently been named the executor of an estate — but, like many people, you might not be familiar with the scope of the task that you’re undertaking and the important information you need to know. An executor is the person responsible for managing the administration of a deceased individual’s […]
Read More >By RaeAnn Slaybaugh Prior to enlisting One Call Now notification technology (text-messaging en masse) at Seventh-day Adventist Church in Adairsville, Georgia, email was the main channel for keeping members up-to-date on church happenings. As Elder Woody Davis explains, this approach presented a handful of challenges and limitations. “People just didn’t get the information quickly,” he […]
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By Gregory Love & Kimberlee Norris Child sexual abuse risk in ministry contexts cannot be ignored. This statement implies child protection has been ignored by some ministries in the past. For most ministries, however, the challenge is ignorance of the problem. Most ministries are doing something, but not doing the right thing. Church Executive and […]
Read More >By RaeAnn Slaybaugh Research shows pastors are twice as likely to experience financial stress as the average American. As Rev. Dr. Perry J. Hopper, MBA, Associate Executive Director of MMBB, explains, this is because clergy sustain significant levels of indebtedness with fewer resources to meet their financial obligations. Coupled with a theology that sometimes can […]
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At Chase Oaks Church, experts help “build remarkable teams.” By RaeAnn Slaybaugh When Senior Pastor Jeff Jones was taking over leadership at Chase Oaks, he and the existing senior pastor knew they needed help in navigating their way to the worship style for the future. Determined to help bridge the gap before the transition was […]
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Expert advice for protecting the church’s children against sexual abuse and bullying — plus, how to mitigate internet-use risks What are the biggest risks and liabilities facing churches in the area of protecting children? Alex Smith: Allegations of sexual abuse are the greatest risk and liability. Also, complacency — saying, ‘We’ve always done it this […]
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Sexual abuse: training ministry staff to care well AND prevent At the beginning of each new year, many of us make New Year’s Resolutions: evaluating our past year or present circumstances and resolving to improve on a particular matter (i.e., more time with the kids, less coffee, more exercise). For the Southern Baptist Convention, the […]
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Whether you’re an established megachurch with multiple campuses or you’re a small local church in a tight-knit community, it’s equally important to provide a benefits program for full-time staff. But with rates going up by 10 to 20 percent every year, it can be a challenge for smaller churches to keep up. The result? Understaffed […]
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