Child Protection Policy
Across the globe and everywhere in the news there are stories of church members engaged in sexual misconduct with minors. It is good and right that parents want to know what churches are doing to fight this evil scourge. Please continue reading to see what New Day Church is doing about this.
Sexual Misconduct with Minors
A statement from the Church of the Nazarene:
The mission of the Church of the Nazarene that drives everything we do is to make Christlike disciples in the nations. We recognize that in order to fulfill this mission, the discipling ministries of our local churches must take place in safe and nurturing environments that strive to protect all of God’s family from harm, especially those who are most vulnerable.
We understand that no dynamic community of faith seriously engaged in this mission can ever be fully insulated against the scourge of sexual misconduct with minors. Despite the inescapable reality of evil, we recognize that He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world.
Creating this safe environment requires awareness, diligence, and monitoring on a consistent and systematic basis. With an even greater commitment to the mission, we must develop sound policies and preventative practices which, when earnestly and vigilantly enforced, offer the best protection possible to the most vulnerable among us.
To that end, we strongly urge all local churches to adopt and implement the policies and procedures presented here and in the additional resources available through Nazarene Safe.
The mission of the Church of the Nazarene drives everything we do.
ZERO TOLERANCE OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT WITH MINORS
The Church of the Nazarene has adopted a zero tolerance policy for sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior with minors. All workers, leaders, and pastoral staff are to be above reproach in their conduct and to act in the best interest of others. This requires not only that they themselves refrain from engaging in any abusive or suspicious behavior involving minors; they will also be required to report without delay to the proper authorities anyone seen engaging in such behavior.
—The Board of General Superintendents, Church of the Nazarene
COMPONENTS OF THE NAZARENE SAFE™ SYSTEM
Awareness Training
All staff and volunteers are required to undergo training to enhance their awareness of abuse and suspicious behavior.
Staff and Volunteer Screening
All staff and volunteers undergo fingerprinting and background checks before they are allowed to work with minors.
Policies, Procedures, and Practices For Working With Minors
All staff and volunteers are trained in policies, procedures, and best practices to avoid being in circumstances that could lead to, or be misunderstood to be, abusive or suspicious.
It is against policy to have a situation in which only 1 adult with only 1 minor is in a room. Ideally, there will always be 2 adults with any minors in a room.
All classrooms and other rooms where minors could conceivably be found are fitted with windows in the doors, so that it is impossible to have activities within the room be private and unseen.
Accountability: Monitoring and Evaluation
All staff and volunteers must take responsibility to watch for suspicious behavior from any of the other staff and volunteers.
Reporting and Responding
Once suspicious activity — or that which could be a precursor to suspicious activity — has been observed, it is the responsibility of the observer to confront the one who has violated the policy or procedure. If this fails to cause a change in behavior, it is the responsibility of the observer to report the behavior to those in higher positions, in order to safeguard the minors involved. If necessary, police and other authorities will be involved — especially if sexual misconduct has occurred.
