the preferential offender , that the preferential offender typically targets children within a specific age and gender , and that the preferential offender will groom the gatekeepers . Sexual Abuse Awareness Training is the first step in gaining a better understanding of the preferential offender and his / her grooming behaviors . ( See our previous article on this subject at churchexecutive . com / archives / stop-sexual-abuse and churchexecutive . com / archives / stop-sexual-abuse-2 .)
Ministry involvement is a privilege , not a right . Some church leaders view sex offenders as the ‘ leper ’ of our current culture , inviting Christians to serve ‘ the least of these ’: taking the position that all broken people — including sex offenders — are in need of God ’ s grace and forgiveness and therefore entitled to participate in church ministry . Not true ! Access to God ( and His grace and forgiveness ) are not interchangeable with access to a specific ministry . A church is a fellowship and community led by a shepherd . It is the shepherd ’ s responsibility to protect the sheep within the flock — especially the vulnerable — from danger , including danger at the hands of other congregants . Wolves do not have an automatic right to fellowship within the sheep pen .
BEFORE OPENING THE GATE … With these principles and concepts in mind , every church considering ministry to known offenders should address these questions .
“ From a liability standpoint , you are responsible for what occurs on your watch , under your roof or in the context of your ministry program – when harm or damage results from a known risk .”
# 1 : Is your church called to minister to sex offenders ? The issue of whether to allow a known offender to attend or participate in church programming might arise when a long-time attender ( or relative of a prominent family ) has completed a criminal sentence and desires to reconnect with his or her ‘ church family ’. After his ( or her ) return home , the individual or family involved might ask church leaders to create a plan to accommodate attendance . The better starting point is to make concerted effort to discern whether your church is called to this type of ministry program , beginning with an examination of your mission and missional values . What is your mission ? This analysis might generate a long list ; make the list and assign priority . Some ministry programs might seem like a ‘ given ’ in American culture : preaching ministry , teaching ministries , music ministry , children ’ s ministry , student ministry and missions ( domestic and / or international ). These ministry programs seem to be the foundational elements of the majority of US churches , and tend to constitute what congregants ‘ shop for ’ in a prospective church . Other missional values might include programs related to recovery ( i . e . Celebrate Recovery ), counseling , mentoring , youth sports , neighborhood outreach and social services such as a food / clothing bank , legal or medical clinics . Each of these programs require ministry resources coming from a finite budget . Ministry resources necessary to appropriately manage a ministry program to known offenders will pull from a budget that would otherwise provide resources to another age , need or program . Is your church prepared to designate significant resources to manage a program ( and related services ) to known offenders ? Are your members informed of and included in this analysis ? ( See Question # 5 )
COMMON ASSUMPTIONS
Don ' t assume the criminal record provides the whole story . Offender studies indicate that the preferential offender commonly has dozens of victims prior to criminal prosecution , while a criminal record will likely relate to one victim . Remember : the criminal justice system creates records for the purpose of tracking a particular and distinct criminal prosecution . It is NOT the purpose of the criminal justice system to find evidence concerning all criminal behavior of the defendant . Criminal records related to a convicted offender may be a fraction of the offender ’ s abusive history . Do not assume the risk is limited to the criminal records available for review .
Don ’ t assume the offender is giving you the whole story . Never accept a self-reported explanation of a past criminal offense . Common exculpatory explanations offered by abusers include these : “ the child recanted ”, “ I didn ’ t want the child to have to testify ”, “ the child was coached into an accusation by her mother ”, “ I thought she was older ” and so on . Do not assume the offender is giving you the whole truth .
Don ’ t assume every offender is appropriate for ministry services . Some offenders will approach church leaders and initiate the conversation regarding past behavior and willingness to comply with church restrictions . Not all offenders will initiate this conversation . When church leaders learn an offender is already attending and these leaders initiate the conversation , be wary . A successful ministry offering to a known offender requires that the offender be willing to submit to boundaries set by the ministry . If the offender exhibits any signs of deception , attempts to dodge or evade processes or resentment toward boundaries , assume that he or she is not a good candidate .
Don ’ t assume that a parent , spouse or family member should serve as the chaperone or supervisor of the offender . Parents tend to believe the best about their children , and rarely believe their child has willingly participated in sexually aggressive behavior toward another child . Spouses are subject to the ongoing influence of the offending spouse : sometimes a spouse knew or should have known of the offending behavior but is in denial of the resulting implications in the marriage . Chaperones should be trained , screened unrelated individuals who are very familiar with offender behaviors , including the common behavior of grooming the gatekeepers .
Don ’ t assume your congregation is on board . Studies indicate that one out of four women and one of six men were sexually abused as children . This means your congregation is full of abuse survivors in various stages of recovery from past abuse . Some will simply leave when they learn known offenders are welcome in their church . Understandably , they want to feel SAFE in their church home , and want to feel their children are less at risk at church than they would be at the mall . Those who have not admitted ( to themselves or others ) that what they experienced as a child was , in fact , abusive , may be particularly at risk where the offender is concerned . This individual may struggle to properly protect their own child from unacknowledged experiences in their own past . churchexecutive . com STOP CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE • CHURCH EXECUTIVE 31