Several states expand child protection laws By Gregory Love & Kimberlee Norris Preventing child sexual abuse in churches and child-serving programs continues to present a significant challenge. Sexual abusers have no visual profile, so the risk cannot be recognized visually — it can only be recognized behaviorally. These behaviors are known as the abuser’s […]
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By RaeAnn Slaybaugh With a combined 25 years of experience working with Philadelphia Insurance Companies (PHLY) and its church clients, Risk Management Vice President Andrew Shockey and Underwriting Human Services Product Manager Michael Nester know background checks. First and foremost, they know that not enough houses of worship are conducting them — and why. […]
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By Georgia McKnight The risk of child sexual abuse in the Church is real … and not new. Media in its various forms has bristled with horrifying headlines for three decades; few have provided any positive coverage. Since 2000, steady messaging from insurance professionals, lawmakers and subject matter experts has revealed a lack in the […]
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A look back at the articles that mattered most to our readers in 2024 By RaeAnn Slaybaugh In the past year, Church Executive has covered a lot of topics. Among them, a handful resonated best with our readers. With the help of our thought leader partners, we’ve written about rapid expansion, building projects, and […]
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By Eric Spacek April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, making this a perfect time to review your organization’s policies and practices to protect children from sexual assault. With this in mind, we spoke with Eric Spacek, assistant vice president – Risk Control at Church Mutual Insurance Company, S.I.1, who outlines how organizations can help […]
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For more than 30 years, the husband-and-wife legal team of Gregory Love and Kimberlee Norris have labored to protect children from sexual abuse. Partners in the law firm of Love & Norris, Gregory and Kimberlee co-founded MinistrySafe to provide a broad spectrum of resources to equip ministries in the prevention of child sexual abuse. […]
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Protecting the MOST Vulnerable By Gregory Love & Kimberlee Norris In ministry programs, we make it a priority to ‘protect the least of these’ — the weak and vulnerable. If a child is viewed as vulnerable, then a special needs child is more vulnerable still. In fact, a child with a disability may be […]
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How to help protect children in your church’s care It’s a sad reality that child sexual abuse is still a major issue in our country — and church environments are no exception. According to MinistrySafe, an organization that helps churches reduce the risk of child sexual abuse, there are more than 60 million sexual abuse […]
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Documenting and preserving prevention and response efforts By Gregory Love & Kimberlee Norris In a recent sexual abuse case, church leaders were notified of an abuse allegation stemming from events in 2014 involving a 10-year-old girl and a church employee. The allegation, communicated by the child’s mother, was addressed by the executive pastor. The mother […]
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How federal and state law is failing to protect children By Georgia McKnight Notwithstanding significant cultural and media focus, child sexual abuse crises continue to plague the Church and Christian ministries, with the attendant damage to children. Conservative studies indicate that one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually victimized […]
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