By Gregory Love & Kimberlee Norris Our church just completed a Registered Sex Offender (RSO) Policy. Will you review it and tell us if it’s adequate? We frequently encounter this (seemingly simple) question in our law practice. In reality, the issue is multi-faceted and complex, and tends to kick off a broader discussion. In the […]
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Can ministries be held financially responsible? By Gregory S. Love, Esq. & Kimberlee D. Norris, Esq. On May 18, 2020, the Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy protection, largely in response to mounting sexual abuse allegations and civil lawsuits. This bankruptcy filing further complicates liability concerns for organizations (churches, schools, camps, conference centers) that […]
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Avoiding Common Pitfalls By Gregory Love & Kimberlee Norris Every church — whether it’s multi-campus or a recent plant — deals with insurance coverage. Ministry leaders tend to gravitate to the least expensive policy options and often lack knowledge about what they should be looking for when securing coverage related to child sexual abuse risk. […]
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Sexual misconduct can have psychological, emotional and physical effects on victims and their families. However, the damage doesn’t stop there. Just one incident of sexual misconduct can destroy the trust, credibility and reputation of an organization and the organization’s leaders for years. Adding further pain to an incident of sexual misconduct are the legal costs […]
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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 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 […]
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By Dr. Jay L. Sedwick I’m driving home from the church, listening to the radio for traffic information, and the top-of-the-hour newscast leads with the headline: “Local Minister Arrested for Sexually Abusing Numerous Children.” Oh no — not again, I think to myself. My heart sinks in my chest. I wonder, How can this continue […]
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Churches and other faith-based organizations that supervise or work with youth are under a legal and moral obligation to protect against sexual abuse and misconduct.
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