CHURCH BOARD GUIDE TO A CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE PREVENTION POLICY
• How often do they occur? • How long do they last and under what circumstances? •Who else is informed? • Has permission been obtained in advance and from whom? • Has the youth pastor been screened, and if so, what type of screening?
•What are the age differences and levels of maturity of each person?
The answers to these questions enable us to assess levels of risk.
By analyzing the risk factors, a risk profile will emerge. Then, church leaders and workers must weigh the benefits of the program against the level of risk. If the risk is too high, the program can be modified to lower risk. Consider the following two scenarios for the example above in light of the three risk factors of isolation, accountability, and power and control.
Scenario. The youth pastor picks up one or more of the youth members in his car. Sometimes the meetings are directly after school, other times they are at night or on a weekend. Many of the meetings are at the youth pastor’s apartment. Sometimes he takes the student to a movie or athletic event. He gives the girls candy and the boys t-shirts. Church leaders think the discipleship program is a good idea, but no one knows any details about the program. Some of the parents have never met the youth pastor since they do not attend church. Some of the single parents think he is great because he serves as such a won- derful role model for their children. He even offers to let them stay all night at his apartment if the single parent has to go out of town.
Scenario. The meetings occur at the church during regular office hours. Other staff members are present in the build- ing. No meeting is one-on-one. They occur in the church library with the youth pastor and youth members seated at a table. The library door is open and the church recep- tionist is directly across the hall. The senior pastor has approved the discipleship effort. The schedule of meet- ings is made through the church receptionist on a monthly
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