This Sunday, the Session has mandated the implementation of a comprehensive child protection policy. It’s designed to provide protection to both the children of our church and all those who come under our care and supervision. But we admit that policy is something few people get excited about and understandably so. Policies mean rules. And new rules are rarely beloved by freedom loving Americans. But while we understand that, we are committed to clarifying how we work with children in the church for the very reason that it is a Gospel issue. We not only ought to care about, but we must care about it and make sure we’re doing what we can and should do. We’re serious when we say this is a Gospel issue. To clarify:
- It’s biblical – The Scriptures are replete with commands and illustrations that require Christians to give special care to children:
- Children are a blessing (Gen 33:5, Ps 127:3-5).
- Children are greatly favored by Jesus and are used to teach us about the kingdom of God (Mt 18:10, Lk 18:16).
- Children are a stewardship: their care, nurture, and education is appointed to bring them up to salvation (Pr 22:6, 2 Tim 3:14-15).
- It’s ecclesiological – The church for whom Christ died, his Bride, includes children (Mt 19:14, 1 Cor 7:14). You can see the seriousness of this in that the Presbyterian Church in America, our denomination, went on record in its resolve to protect children. You can read the full statement here.
- It’s prudential – Believers cannot afford to be naive or overly optimistic about all men. Our doctrine of man and sin demands that we be realistic about both those who suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Rom 1:18-21) as well as the problem of indwelling sin (Rom 1:21-23). The wicked are crafty and the foolish are reckless but the prudent recognize and respond to dangers (Pr 27:12). Our demeanor as Christians is to seek and live according to the wisdom of God (Pr 2:6-15).
- It’s a matter of witness – Protecting children is a three-fold evangelistic concern. First and foremost, few things could be a greater hindrance to a child or adult receiving the Gospel than having been abused in a church context by a ministry leader or caregiver (Mt 18:6). Second, families do not want to be in a church in which there is a sense that children are not cared for and protected. Third, a church in which an incident of child sexual abuse has taken place has a seriously marred reputation which most communities are generally slow to either forget or forgive.
- It’s loving – Finally, and this should be perhaps the most obvious, the most loving thing we can do for our smallest and most vulnerable neighbors is to protect them from evil. Evil comes in lots of different packages, both natural and moral. A useful policy is helpful in limiting and preventing both and is evidence of our love for one another.
We understand that policies bring some measure of discomfort and require sacrifices in one way or another. But we think the particulars of our policy are sufficiently reasonable and helpful to be worth carrying out. So please remember, a policy won’t protect children. Committed people will. We, and especially our children, need your support.
Scotty is a native of Santa Anna, Texas. He graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1994 and completed his Masters of Divinity at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 2005. Scotty’s Air Force service of eleven years included time as a Security Forces Officer protecting nuclear weapons and also instructing at Officer Training School before being called into pastoral ministry. He and his wife Kerry are parents of three children, Clayton, Avery, and Grace.
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