CHURCH BOARD GUIDE TO A CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE PREVENTION POLICY


youth and children’s programs. Leaders are left to face the blame for allowing the incident to happen, often while preparing for a storm of negative media to hit the church. But far more tragic than any of this is the emotional trauma to the


victim and their family, and the ministry-crushing legal liability facing the church. If abuse occurred at your church, and the pastor was asked to testify during the trial, what would your pastor say if the victim’s lawyer asked,


“What did you or your staff do to prevent this tragedy from occurring? What procedures did you utilize to check the abuser’s background and supervise his work with children?” If the answer is “nothing,” you can well imagine the jury’s reaction.


The only question in the jurors’ minds at this point is the size of the verdict. The good news is church leaders and boards can take relatively


simple, yet effective steps to reduce the likelihood of child sexual abuse. Implementing a preventative program can provide a safe and secure environment for the children to whom your church has been entrusted, and help reduce the legal risk and liability.


The facts about child sexual abuse lawsuits in the church:


Churches engaged in litigation can suffer devastating financial conse- quences. Substantial attorney fees and court costs occur. Jury awards have been in the millions of dollars. Insurance may cover only a por- tion of the final total and some churches will have no coverage at all. The number of lawsuits brought against churches as a result of child


sexual abuse has risen substantially over the past several decades. Var- ious factors have been cited for this increase including the following:


• Media attention. The media has focused attention on child moles- tation cases, and especially those cases involving churches.


• Statute of limitations. Many states have greatly liberalized the period of time during which molestation victims must file a lawsuit. This has enabled victims to sue churches many years after an incident of child molestation.


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