There are countless tragic stories of children who have been abused and misused by church leaders and church workers. The molestation of children can happen in any church. For the past 10 years, The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda has been actively seeking to reduce the risk to children and youth entrusted to us. We have developed an extensive Territorial Policy and Procedure on Abuse, produced a video and outlined clear expectations for screening all youth workers. Training and education around the issue of child abuse has occurred from one end of the territory to the other. Every effort has been made to get the message out that we have a responsibility to protect all children and youth in our care.

Surprisingly, resistance and apathy still exist when addressing the issue of child abuse within the church. There are those who are resistant to the screening measures that have been implemented. Some believe that the requirement for a police record check suggests that they are not trusted as leaders. They have been part of the church for many years and therefore should not be expected to comply with a policy they feel is invasive. People are resistant to change. Sadly, a number have left the church when the policy and background checks were implemented.

There are those who naively believe that their church is immune to the possibility of child abuse. There is the belief that since no child has been abused so far, why do we need to bother now? It is sad to think that churches need safeguards to protect children. But realistically, congregations are filled with flawed people, some of whom have imperfect motives.

Unfortunately, having a child protection policy in place does not mean that child abuse has been prevented. “Prevention” and “protection” are two different concepts. Prevention suggests that we are able to avoid the abuse altogether, while protection implies that children are sheltered from potential injury. Our efforts within The Salvation Army Canada and Bermuda Territory recognize that both elements must be part of our strategy as we seek to preserve the innocence of the children and youth in our care.

Prevention versus Protection
Prevention demands that we have a deeper understanding of why and how child abuse occurs. Once these are identified, we are able to establish safeguards to minimize the risk to the vulnerable. Prevention requires that we have a “two-adult rule” when we are with children, along with windows on classrooms and proper supervision for all youth leaders. Protection, on the other hand, acknowledges that potentially there are those within our fellowship who could pose a danger. Protection demands police record checks (CPIC) of all youth leaders, so that those who have had previous convictions involving violence or crimes of a sexual nature will not be working with youth within The Salvation Army. Protection requires that we maintain an internal abuse registry of those who have demonstrated problematic behaviour toward kids. There are no exceptions.

Across our territory, we still have many ministry units who fail to consistently implement the policy for screening youth workers. For some it is a nuisance. Others consider the cost factor for CPIC checks prohibitive. Others naively believe that it could never happen in their own congregation. Whatever the reasons for not implementing the policy, children and youth remain at risk when good people do nothing.

Our young people are worth any disruption of programs and hurt egos that accompany strict rules and expectations. It is hard to imagine that anyone with a heart committed to building a safe, caring, loving church would be opposed to adopting and implementing our territory’s policy. The procedures that have been developed cannot be discretionary. They are only effective if applied consistently for everyone.
Policies and procedures around child safety are vitally important. Every reasonable effort must be made to make all church facilities and programs places of safety for all children and youth. We must move beyond the apathy, resignation or lack of concern as we exercise caution and diligence in the selection and supervision of people involved in our youth ministries. This is necessary to not only ensure that the young people in our care are protected but also to protect the witness and ministry of our congregations.
By being proactive and implementing stringent expectations for those who desire to work with children and youth, we minimize the opportunities for people to create darkness in the lives of children.

by Nancy Turley, Territorial Abuse Advisor, Canada and Bermuda Territory