of footage of an abuser grooming a
child for abuse—largely useless if the
person reviewing tapes is unable to
recognize “the grooming process”
of the sexual offender. Additionally,
as children move to middle and
high school ministries, programming
becomes less structured and
contained and more geared to
activities outside the church facility.
Misconception 3: We trust our
volunteers.
Trust is important, but working with
children is a privilege and volunteers
should be required to undergo an
effective screening process. Trust, but
verify.
Sexual abusers have no visual
profile. They can be male, female,
educated, career women and men,
have a spouse or children, and look
“normal.” Children can sexually
abuse other children. One out of
three cases of reported child sexual
abuse relate to children who have
been sexually aggressive with other,
usually younger, children. Offender
studies indicate that the average
male abuser begins victimizing at 13
or 14 years of age, indicating a need
for effective screening practices for
younger volunteers.
Ninety percent of child sexual
abuse victims know and trust their
abuser; ‘stranger danger’ isn’t an
effective deterrent. An applicant with
inappropriate sexual motives carries
12 Solutions
with him or her various indicators
and life patterns that help identify
him or her as one who may not be
appropriate to work with children.
Churches must be aware of high-
risk responses on applications and
reference forms, as well as during an
applicant’s interview.
Understanding the ‘grooming
process’ of the sexual offender
is key, as well as common
grooming behaviors. With a better
understanding of how abusers gain
access to a child, prepare the child
for sexual interaction, then keep the
child silent, church staff members
and volunteers are better equipped
to effectively address this risk.
Misconception 4: “We’ll take care of
this internally.”
In many situations where
church leaders are confronted
with allegations or suspicions of
sexual abuse, leaders elect to
take a discipleship approach or
simply dismiss the volunteer or staff
member rather than reporting to
criminal authorities. This approach
is detrimental to the child who
experienced abuse, other children
who may be victimized, and the
ministry itself, given current statutory
reporting requirements.
In many states, all adults are
mandatory reporters of child abuse
or neglect; required to report any
suspected abuse – whether sexual,