UNITED STATES
The Mennonite
2.17. 2016 Written By: Dr. Trudy Good
Dr. Trudy Good is a clinical psychologist who has worked extensively in community mental health in Illinois and Massachusetts. She has a long-standing concern for how churches can be safe havens for children and persons who are marginalized. Her clinical expertise includes working with people with a history of trauma, problematic sexual behaviors, and clinical risk management, and she has consulted and volunteered concerning organizational issues in several congregations. Dr. Good is the director of Good Havens: Safer Places. She participates in the Mennonite Congregation of Boston as well as St. Ignatius Catholic Church. She can be contacted at trudygood@gmail.com. This piece was originally published by Dove’s Nest.
Safe Church policies and procedures should include two important efforts:
First, Safe Church is about preventing abuse of children and vulnerable members.
Second, Safe Church is about protecting children and vulnerable members when there is a known potential threat.
A potential threat occurs when someone who has a known history of inappropriate or illegal sexual behavior is participating in the congregation or wants to participate in the congregation.
Here are a few examples:
* The new boyfriend of a single mother in the congregation has a history of interaction with the Department of Children and Family Services because of inappropriate touching of a niece whose family he was living with at the time. The boyfriend has begun attending church with the single mother and her children.
* A cousin of a congregational member is going to be released from jail after serving time for repeated indecent exposures to children. He is a registered sex offender and on probation for the next two years. He and his cousin have talked about how it would be helpful to have him be part of a faith community again, especially to help in his transition process of living in the community.
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