As a minister, how can I best protect minors from abuse within my church?

Few responsibilities entrusted to ministers carry the weight and sacred trust as does caring for minors within a congregation. Parents hand us their sons and daughters expecting that a church — more than any other place in the world — will be a refuge of safety, nurture, and spiritual formation.

When Susan and I were raising our kids, it gave me great comfort to know that the church we attended had solid child safety procedures in place. I was working in our district office at the time, and I recall our superintendent receiving a phone call from someone at the church, checking my references. I had volunteered to help teach youth Sunday School.

Now that I have grandkids, I continue to be grateful they belong to a church with these important processes in place.

I encourage each Assemblies of God congregation to adopt strong safety procedures so that all parents and grandparents can feel comforted and confident that their children and grandchildren are in a safe environment.

We know, tragically, that abuse can occur anywhere. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports, “At least one in four girls and one in 20 boys in the United States experience child sexual abuse.” Youth-serving organizations are targets for predators. So, churches must respond with wisdom and vigilance.

Scripture repeatedly calls God’s people to protect the vulnerable, advocate for the oppressed, and shepherd the flock with diligence. Children stand at the center of God’s heart. Jesus welcomed them, blessed them, defended them, and warned against causing them harm.

Therefore, I urge all churches to have a clear, comprehensive, consistently applied child safety policy that protects minors, equips ministry workers, and builds trust with families and the broader community. A child safety policy is not bureaucracy — it is pastoral care.

Many churches have taken this call seriously. And our Fellowship is better for it. For decades, the General Council has produced resources and seminars to aid churches in adopting a thorough and robust child safety policy grounded in current best practices. The General Council remains committed to child safety as one of its top priorities.

To that end, here are some essential elements to aid the adoption or revision of your church’s child safety policy in consultation with your congregation’s legal counsel and insurer. Sample guidelines, titled “Safety & Supervision of Minors,” are available as a resource at AG.org under Resources | For Churches.

Screening and Selection

One of the strongest components of a child safety policy is the insistence on thorough screening of ministry workers, which may include, but is not limited to, employees, volunteers, and contractors. Pastors should never apologize for robust screening procedures — nor should they cut corners.

A strong policy should include:

• A formal application for anyone who wishes to work with minors
• Verification of identity using official government documents
• Comprehensive background checks, which may include state, county, and federal criminal searches, a nationwide super search, and a nationwide sex-offender registry search
• Written references, including at least one institutional reference from an organization where the applicant has worked with minors
• A structured interview, with questions designed to reveal motives, boundaries, and past concerns

Distrust and suspicion are not the driving forces here — wisdom and stewardship are. Every ministry worker at an event where minors are invited to participate should undergo thorough vetting. Background checks are a necessity, but they are not enough on their own. References and interviews provide greater context, character evaluation, and aid discernment.

The reality is clear: Churches that allow people to work with children without an intentional screening process are not only vulnerable — they are placing children at risk. Screening is an act of love for the children you serve and protects innocent ministry workers from unfounded accusations.

Training Is Necessary

A comprehensive child safety policy enables the church to prevent harm, respond effectively, and foster a culture where children thrive spiritually, emotionally, and physically.

A child safety policy is useless if ministry workers are not aware of it and do not understand how to live it out. Every ministry worker should be trained to recognize grooming behaviors, implement the policy safeguards, and respond to and report signs of concerning behavior or harm.

Ministry workers should come away from training with a proper understanding of:

• Policy scope
• Applicable definitions
• Predatory grooming behaviors
• Signs of abuse and neglect
• Safe and appropriate interactions with minors
• Policy standards and procedures
• How to report concerns internally and externally

This training should be repeated at regular intervals established by the church because ministry workers change, risks evolve, technologies advance, and policies need reinforcement and applicable updates. Equipped ministry workers are confident workers. They serve better, communicate better, and create a culture where safety is normalized rather than awkward or optional.

Safeguards and Supervision

Every church, regardless of size, can adopt practical safeguards to protect children. These safeguards dramatically reduce opportunities for misconduct and also prevent false allegations. Some of these safeguards may include:

1. Visibility. Ministry with children should take place in spaces where other adults can observe — open doors, windows in classrooms, visible hallways, and designated areas with clear sight lines.

2. The Two-Adult Rule. No worker should ever be alone with a non-related minor. Ever. This standard protects children from harm and protects workers from false accusations.

3. Oversight. Assigning someone to walk hallways, check rooms, monitor traffic, and ensure rules are followed is also a proven way to mitigate risk of misconduct.

4. Power Balance. Adults must be conscious of the influence and authority they naturally hold. That power should be used to protect — not intimidate or isolate — a child.

5. Overnight Events. Overnight trips warrant heightened safeguards by nature. Minors should never be housed alone with a single adult. Rooms should include at least three people, ideally with two unrelated adult workers. These guidelines remove opportunities for harm and help keep everyone accountable.

6. Reporting Procedures. Churches get into the most trouble not from the original misconduct but from failing to report concerns properly. Your policy should clearly define:

• External reporting obligations consistent with state mandatory reporting laws
• Internal reporting steps, including but not limited to who gets notified, how, and when
• Who leads the response, which may include a designated child safety lead and/or response team
• How reports are documented and preserved
• In the end, every ministry worker should know what to do if:
• They witness concerning behavior
• A child discloses abuse or neglect
• They suspect a child may pose a risk of harm to others

There should be no confusion or delay. When in doubt, report through clear and established channels.

The Assemblies of God national office encourages permissive reporting — meaning you choose to report reasonable suspicions of abuse or neglect even before the law requires it. This posture encourages erring on the side of reporting and protecting children. A church that handles concerns in a timely and effective manner is a church parents can trust.

Response Team

When a concern arises, the church should respond carefully and systematically — not emotionally, not informally, and not based solely on pastoral instinct. A trained child safety lead or response team promotes:

• Protection of the child as the highest priority
• Objectivity
• Fairness to all parties
• Compliance with legal and policy requirements
• Proper documentation
• Clear communication with leadership
• Disciplinary action when appropriate

This team should include individuals trained in dealing with child safety — people who understand interviews, documentation and retention, confidentiality, and trauma-informed practices.

Churches that attempt to “handle it internally” without an established policy run the risk of causing additional harm to children, violating laws, and creating mistrust. A response team shows the congregation, culture, and the courts that you take these matters seriously and have an established process to address them with integrity.

Leadership Sets the Tone

A policy will only be as strong as its champions. Pastors should:

• Publicly affirm the importance of child safety
• Ensure policy enforcement is non-negotiable
• Hold every ministry leader accountable
• Support regular training
• Empower the child safety lead and response team

When the pastors lead, the church follows.

Act Now!

Child safety is a scriptural command. It is not merely an administrative task. It is not something to postpone. It is a gospel imperative.

A comprehensive child safety policy enables the church to prevent harm, respond effectively, and foster a culture where children thrive spiritually, emotionally, and physically.

Ensure your church has such a policy and has a regular schedule to update, as necessary. May our Fellowship continue to be a leader on this crucial issue to protect minors, honor parents, shield workers, and preserve the integrity of the Church’s witness as we strive to take the gospel message to the ends of the earth.

This article appears in the Winter 2026 issue of Called to Serve.