By Gregory Love & Kimberlee Norris “Pastor Arrested for Molesting Teens in Youth Group,” screamed a recent media headline in a heavily populated metropolitan area. Unfortunately, it’s not an anomaly; headlines detailing child sexual abuse in ministry contexts occur almost daily. The reality is daunting: one in four girls and one in six boys will be […]
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New federal law — a new pathway for restoration By Gregory Love & Kimberlee Norris, Guest Editors Countless churches, ministries and nonprofits are committed to the mission of rescuing men, women and children from the sex trade — particularly those being trafficked. After surmounting the extraordinary challenge of rescuing a victim from enslavement in […]
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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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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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What to expect from child protection agencies By Gregory Love & Kimberlee Norris Child sexual abuse continues to present a compelling concern to the Church. An understanding of mandatory reporting requirements is critical for ministry leaders. If every allegation of child sexual abuse is simply reported by church leaders to appropriate authorities, the […]
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Sexual abuse prevention and healing occur at the church level By Gregory Love & Kimberlee Norris Why does child sexual abuse continue to impact the Church? Why do so many abuse survivors remain hurting and silent? What must change in the Church? In the last 10 years, our culture has experienced repeated clarion calls for […]
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The dangers of choosing an organization-centered response By Gregory Love & Kimberlee Norris At a Christian school in West Texas, five employees were recently arrested and charged with ‘Failure to Report with Intent to Conceal’ after a teen reported he had been sexually assaulted on campus, by another student. Nine days later, four administrators from […]
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For the creators of Summit TV, their stories are beacons — for pastors and church members alike — that signal, I’ve been there, too. By RaeAnn Slaybaugh A visit to the Summit Integrated Systems website uncovers a wealth of church audio, video and lighting products and expertise. As a leader in this space, that’s expected. […]
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There is a different kind of global epidemic that we are facing as the Church about which no one wants to talk. Sex trafficking and exploitation is happening everywhere, even in our own backyards, and its root cause — childhood sexual abuse — is rampant. One out of three girls and one out of five […]
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Contractual risk transfer is a very important tool in any church executive’s risk management toolbox. However, because of its complexity, it can open the church to more risk if not used properly. Religious organizations routinely use third parties when the risk of an operation might be beyond their willingness to take on — for […]
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