What: Provide a safe place for children to learn of God. Show victims of abuse that we get it and that they can heal and worship with us. WHY: We exist to worship God.

John 4:

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in

spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.

Abuse destroys the opportunity to attract and train worshippers. Mark 10:

And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the

children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it?” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

Who: G.R.A.C.E. (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment)

Non-profit.

Like minded theologically

VERY serious about countering abuse and,

Very Qualified in this field.

When: Begin in January. Takes 3-6 months

How: See Child Safeguarding Certification Process

WORSHIP: The Act of Loving and Caring for Children Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me. Mark 9:37

By PresenterMedia.com

A. Worship is the purpose for the life God has breathed into each one of us? • Westminster Shorter Catechism -> Chief end of man is to Glorify

God and Enjoy Him Forever = WORSHIP B. Worship is a Command

• You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve. Luke 4:8

C. Worship must be acceptable to God. • Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that

cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer God acceptable worship with reverence and awe. Heb 12:28

Is Our Purpose Worship

A. We worship God in all that we do.

• So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. I Cor 10:31

B. We worship God through the loving of children and bringing them to Jesus.

• Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me… Mark 9:37 • God places tremendous value on children.

• Our love for God (Father & Son) is demonstrated by how we love and welcome children

• “Welcome” means to accept with pleasure the presence of”

• Jesus is telling us that we worship Him through accepting with pleasure the presence of

children.

Is our Practice Worship

A. Satan’s chief objective is to rob God of worship. 1. Since man’s chief end is worship, Satan’s robs God of

worship through the destruction of man. 2. Who is the most venerable target of the evil one?

• The Harmless Ones – Children • 2/3 of all people who embrace Christ do so before

their 18th birthday. • The satanic agenda - rob God of worship by preventing

children from experiencing the love of Christ.

The Satanic Agenda The Robbery of Worship

And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown in the sea with a large

millstone tied around his neck. Mark 9:42 God places a heavy responsibility upon us to protect little ones and not to be a stumbling block in their relationship with Himself.

• Christ places a greater responsibility in protecting the children within our churches and Christian communities.

• Causes is defined as something that brings about an effect or a result.

• Abuse and neglect of children often results in sin and abandonment of God by the child.

• Christa Brown Letter

Robbery Through Commission – Abuse The Robbery of Worship

And they were bringing children to Him that He might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and

said to them, Let the children come to me, do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Mark 10: 13-14.

A. Who attempted to prevent children from approaching Jesus?

• Those closest to Jesus…those who walked with Him daily? Us??

B. How did they prevent the children from approaching Jesus?

1. “Rebuked Them” Rebuke means to criticize sharply or to turn back or keep down.

• God is robbed of worship when the Christian community “rebukes” children and their family for disclosing abuse or simply “keeps down”

children by failing to address allegations in a manner which draws those harmed into the arms of Christ.

2. Through Silence

• Tamar and Amnon: 2nd Samuel 13

• Christa Brown

• Penn State

Robbery Through Omission – Failure to Act The Robbery of Worship

A. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:4-5

B. Worship is restored when God enables us to approach, confront and handle this issue with Excellence -> God’s glory.

1. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things. Phil 4:8

2. Who is True? Noble? Right? Pure? Lovely? Admirable? Excellent? Praiseworthy? -> GOD

3. Child abuse can never truly be addressed apart from God. God is the only true source of healing…without God…there can be no worship.

Darkness will not rob God of Worship The Restoration of Worship

5. We must be the ones that educate the Christian community about the fact that child abuse robs children of life and faith and temporarily robs God of worship!

6. We must be the vessel in which to draw those who have been harmed by this abuse into the arms of Christ by demonstrating love through:

• Prosecuting with Excellence - an “excellent” prosecution brings hope.

• Always listening & learning. Be approachable.

• Developing a personal rapport with the victim and his/her family.

• Developing a permanent relationship.

• Praying without ceasing – during & after prosecution!

• Being strengthened and propelled by the Gospel.

Darkness will not rob God of Worship

The Restoration of Worship

A. It was when we were most helpless that God demonstrated his love for us by listening, getting to know us individually, by always “keeping in touch” with us, by praying to the Father on our behalf, and by carrying out His mission with excellence…He sacrificed for us…He died for us…He did it all….so that we can be reconciled to Him.

B. Are we not propelled to worship such a God through the giving of ourselves to those who are helpless and in great need for physical, emotional, and spiritual healing?

C. What is your role when learning about the prevalence of child sexual abuse in our culture? Are we called to be the Priest, the Levi, or the Samaritan?

D. Christ calls us to help the helpless and to draw these young ones to Himself. In one way or another, all of us in the Christian community can take concrete steps to worship God by protecting children and confronting this deadly sin.

Propelled by The Gospel The Restoration of Worship

Child Sexual Abuse – Startling Statistics Predators, Pedophiles, Rapists, and other Sex Offenders, Anna C. Salter, PhD

Abel Study: • 235 molesters -> 38,000 incidents -> 17,000 total victims • Men who molested out of home female victims -> averaged 20 victims • Men who molested out of home male victims -> averaged 150 victims • 561 sexual offenders (adult rape, child molestation, exhibitionism, voyeurism) ->

291,000 incidents -> 195,000 total victims = 2 ½ Superdomes

3% = Chance of getting caught Russell Study: • 28% of women -> molested as children under the age of 14 • 38% of women -> molested as children under the age of 18 • 9%-16% of boys in the U.S. -> molested before the age of 18 • 5% = child sexual abuse that had been reported to law enforcement

Van Wyk Study (unpublished): • 23 sexual offenders entered program admitted an average of 3 victims each

Faced with a polygraph and the necessity of passing it -> 174 victims each

Anna Salter Interviews: • Sexual offenders -> admitted to roughly 10 – 1,250 victims • 100% of interviewed offenders -> previously reported by children and the reports were

ignored.

www.netgrace.org

GRACE Child Safeguarding Certification Process

PHASE ONE - Pre-site Visit

A. Background Information and Initial Steps

• Church selects a Certification Liaison and the GRACE Certification Specialist sets up a call with the Liaison and/or other key leader to go over first steps and develop a reasonable timeline for completion.

Objective: To clarify initial tasks and set reasonable goals for completion.

• Certification Liaison submits GRACE Certification Intake Form. Objective: To provide GRACE with an overview of the existing climate of the church so as to best help with implementation of safeguarding best practices.

• Selection of Child Safeguarding Committee (CSC)1

Objective: Selecting a multi-disciplinary group of individuals who are responsible for development and implementation and of the Child Protection Policy. The CSC shall also be responsible for ongoing certification compliance.

B. Foundational Awareness: Begin Required/Recommended Reading

GRACE will provide your church with five copies of each of the four GRACE mini books and one copy of GRACE’s The Child Safeguarding Policy Guide, which will be used as the primary reference by the Child Safeguarding Committee.

Objective: To gain a substantive understanding of abuse dynamics to further the ability of key leaders and staff to lead a culture where children are safe.

Church Pastors, Staff, and Officers

Required: Four GRACE mini books (about 100 pages total)

1 There is an appendix in GRACE’s The Child Safeguarding Policy Guide, which will help church’s understand how to assess good candidates for the CSC. One copy of the book is included in the cost of GRACE Certification.

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1. Protecting Children from Abuse in the Church by Basyle “Boz” Tchividjian2

2. Caring for Survivors of Sexual Abuse by Basyle “Boz” Tchividjian and Justin S. Holcomb

3. What the Bible Says to Abuse Survivors and Those Who Hurt Them by Victor Vieth

4. The Spiritual Impact of Sexual Abuse by Diane Langberg

Child Safeguarding Committee

Required: 1. The Child Safeguarding Policy Guide by Basyle “Boz” Tchividjian and

Shira M. Berkovits 2. Four GRACE mini books (see above)

Youth and Children’s Ministry Volunteers

Required:

1. Protecting Children from Abuse in the Church by Basyle “Boz” Tchividjian

2. Caring for Survivors of Sexual Abuse by Basyle “Boz” Tchividjian and Justin S. Holcomb

[Note: All of these resources should be commended to the members of the Congregation.] C. Policy Development Begins

Objective: To facilitate the improvement and/or development of effective child safeguarding policies and protocols that are specific to the church and in line with informed child protection principles.

Initial video conferences between CSC and GRACE Certification Specialist to 1) identify the key areas in any good policy 2) assess any existing child policies, 3) review policy development process and determine timeline. GRACE’s The Child Safeguarding Policy Guide has sample language at the end of each section that the committee can easily adopt or adapt to an existing policy. (Note: This initial meeting could also take place during the on-site visit of Phase Two)

2 Available in Spanish.

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PHASE TWO – On-site Visits by GRACE Certification Specialist

FIRST SITE VISIT

A. Meeting between Senior Pastor and GRACE Certification Specialist

Objective: To foster a more personal relationship with GRACE and to review and discuss the key role of the senior pastor in a safe church. B. On-site Leadership Training with GRACE Certification Specialist

Objective: To facilitate an interactive training that will prepare leaders to understand common dynamics of abuse in the church so they are more prepared to lead a culture where survivors are well-loved, abusers are held accountable, and the training and policy of the church can be lived to effectively prevent abuse.

This leadership training will be divided into four forty-five minute sessions:

1) Leaders Make the Difference: Creating a Safe Church Culture 2) Protecting Children: Theological Foundations 3) Prevention and Response: Best Leadership Practices 4) Case Study and Foundational Awareness Reading Q&A. Leaders are encouraged to bring questions from the Foundational Awareness readings. These trainings are essential for Church Leadership (church pastors, staff, and officers) and the Child Safeguarding Committee. Spouses are encouraged to attend these sessions. C. Meeting with Child Safeguarding Committee

Objective: To facilitate the continued development of the child protection policy by the CSC.

The Certification Specialist will meet with the CSC to continue or begin the development of the child protection policy and work through any key issues. D. Physical Property Inspection

Objective: To identify higher risk areas in the church’s property (including but not limited to areas where the church is ministering to children and youth) and recommend workable solutions to help offset risk.

The GRACE Certification Specialist will inspect the physical environment of the church through the lens of an offender in an effort to identify vulnerable areas and help the church create a safer environment.

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E. Debriefing with Certification Liaison, Key Leaders

Objective: To assess any areas of challenge related to understanding or implementation of best practices in response to the training. SECOND SITE VISIT

A. Church-Wide Safeguarding Training with GRACE Certification Specialist

Objective: To provide the church community a basic understanding of key topics related to abuse and the role everyone plays in a safe church.

The training will be divided into four forty-five minute sessions: 1) Introduction to Child Sexual Abuse in the Church 2) The Impact of Abuse 3) Understanding Offenders 4) Minimizing Opportunities for Abuse

These trainings are mandatory for pastors, church staff, and child/youth adult volunteers, but all adults in the church should be strongly encouraged to attend. The safest church is a church where all are informed and vigilant. Given the difficulty of the topic, the leaders of the church should develop a plan to encourage all adults in the church to attend. B. Meeting with Child Safeguarding Committee

Objective: To continue the development of the child protection policy by the CSC.

The Certification Specialist will meet with the CSC to continue the development of the child protection policy and work through any outstanding issues. Further meetings can also be done via video conference. C. Child and Youth Safety Awareness

Objective: To equip children and youth to understand abuse on a developmentally appropriate level and prepare them to recognize suspicious or abusive behavior and speak up to get help.

GRACE will work with youth and children’s leaders to implement an abuse prevention training for youth and children. Each roughly 20-30 minute session will provide practical information related to safety, the church’s policy, and suspicious behaviors. GRACE will work with church leadership in determining the best time, format, and presenter for these sessions (these are not required to happen during the site visit). D. Debriefing with Certification Liaison, Key Leaders

Objective: To assess any areas of challenge related to understanding or implementation of best practices in the church as well as touch base on remaining

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items for certification.

PHASE THREE - Post-site Visit

A. Finalize Policy Development

Objective: To finalize the completion of the child protection policy for the church.

GRACE Certification Specialist will work with the CSC to finalize the development of the child protection policy within a specified period of time so that it may be formally adopted and implemented by the church. B. Presentation of Adopted Policy to Church

Objective: To confirm that the church community has a working knowledge and understanding of the recently adopted policy.

Church Leaders must work to distribute the policy widely and encourage the membership to live it. Without vocal and supportive leadership the adults in the church will struggle to effectively implement the policy. C. Finalize Certification Qualifications

Objective: To verify that the church has satisfactorily completed all certification requirements.

● GRACE Certification Specialist will work with the Church Liaison to confirm completion of all reading and other requirements or to work out a plan for completion within a specified time.

● Certification by GRACE is for one year from the completion of initial certification.

● Certification must be renewed annually by the church. After one year GRACE will partner with the church to provide ongoing certification requirements: Annual Training for Leadership and Volunteers, Policy Review and Consultation, and other Consultation as needed.