By Melinda Ryles-Smith, VP for Advancement

Child predators plan their crimes carefully. They court the trust of parents, co-workers and their community to obtain private access to victims, and conceal their intent. They typically know how to perpetrate assaults on children in ways that leave no visible evidence. A key component of their crimes is making sure that their victims don’t report them to anyone. We care for those young people who have experienced the ravages of abuse, at the Kentucky United Methodist Homes for Children and Youth. Often, their abuse occurs in places where they should feel safe – homes, schools, camps, and even churches.

In the Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church – 2000 it states... “Tragically, churches have not always been safe places for children. Child sexual abuse, exploitation, and ritual abuse occur in churches, both large and small, urban and rural. The problem cuts across all economic, cultural, and racial lines. It is real, and it appears to be increasing. Most annual conferences can cite specific incidents of child sexual abuse and exploitation within churches…”

Our churches are composed of kind and trusting Christians among whom a predator who has been successful in gaining trust could easily blend in and be undetected. Institutions that serve children— schools, scouts, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and children’s homes such as ours—have implemented policies including background checks for adults who work or volunteer with children. These policies will help to decrease the number of places where predators can go undetected.

Children within our churches need to also be protected. The United Methodist Church is taking the lead in an initiative entitled “Safe Sanctuaries” to assure that children establish safety guidelines within churches. We can greatly reduce the risk of child abuse by creating and following policies of prevention. The Kentucky Conference passed its “Safe Sanctuaries” Policy at the 2007 Conference to give churches a starting point for implementing effective child abuse policies.

All churches in the Kentucky Conference are required to implement the minimum requirements which include Screening, Supervision, Reporting, and a Response Plan. To obtain resources to help you implement your Safe Sanctuaries plan, you can visit our website, kyumh.org, or the Kentucky Conference website, kyumc.org and click on “Safe Sanctuaries”.

If we are to provide an environment where children can fully experience God, we must first assure that our churches and ministries are havens from abuse and exploitation. Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Luke 18:16. We ask that you rally those in your church to support this new conference-wide policy and by doing so, take a stand for protecting the most vulnerable members of our churches.