#3 Great Kids Ministers are Proactive
Prevention is the preferred strategy of great Kids ministers. They don’t sit around and wait for something to react to; they work to make sure nothing unexpected or unwanted attacks their ministry.
Sadly, predators are looking for opportunities to take advantage of innocent children. Great Kids ministers recognize this sad truth and are pro-actively working to reduce and remove the risk of predators having success in their ministries. Great Kids ministers not only complete criminal background checks on those working with minor children, they set up interviews, follow up on references, and enforce policies and procedures set in place and approved by the church.
Great Kids ministers recognize that many child predators do not have criminal records yet statistics show that in most cases, abusers have multiple victims prior to the occasion that revealed them as an abuser. Great Kids ministers activate training for staff, teachers, and parents to heighten awareness of behaviors common to a sexual predator.
Great Kids ministers know that it doesn’t take one occasion to destroy the reputation of a ministry, it only take one accusation and they work hard to pro-actively prevent not only abuse, but any possibility of accusation.
Bottom Line: It’s sad, but necessary to be proactive and diligent in preventing sexual abuse in our ministries.
What kind of policies does your church have regarding those working with minor children who attend church sponsored functions?
