Liberty School of Divinity requires completion of MinistrySafe Institute coursework by students pursuing specific degree plans .
In March 2020 , Denver Seminary hosted and promoted Sexual Abuse Awareness Training for its students , faculty and local churches , focused on child sexual abuse prevention . Unfortunately , a worldwide pandemic intervened , postponing the event .
Each of the academic institutions referenced above use MinistrySafe training resources .
PREVENTION , HEALING AND CARING Awareness of the prevalence and impact of child sexual abuse is a starting point , because awareness facilitates prevention — the first step in reducing the toll of those experiencing the devastating impact of sexual abuse . For millions , however , the horse is out of the barn ; it ’ s too late to prevent the experience . Conservative studies indicate that 1 in 5 Americans has endured sexual victimization as a child . This reality demands attention in the form of understanding , compassion , empathy and healing . Most Bible-believing theologians believe the Bible is an amazing tool of healing — sharper than any two-edged sword — akin to a scalpel . This is accurate , but the scalpel can do great damage when wielded by a physician unfamiliar with the underlying medical issue . Many churches and ministry leaders are rightly criticized for using scripture in an unskilled manner , often compounding existing wounds . The church and Christian ministries need skilled instruction to better navigate its response to child sexual abuse allegations and provision of care . As sexual abuse attorneys , we have spoken to thousands of sexual abuse survivors — providing representation to many . Experience and compassion go a long way to facilitate healing . But an attorney ’ s background , education and experience provide no substitute for effective counseling and pastoral care . The Church is called to provide the Balm of Gilead , and trained Christian counselors and pastors serve as chief instruments for providing this care and counsel . Skillful counsel and pastoral care in this realm are not intuitive , and few churches do this well without good instruction . Our seminaries must equip students to serve as such a balm , and many seminaries have embraced the need to provide instruction , curriculum , conferences and learning opportunities for students , pastors and lay leaders .
Kimberlee Norris & Gregory Love are partners in the Fort Worth , Texas law firm of Love & Norris and founders of MinistrySafe , providing child sexual abuse expertise to ministries worldwide . After representing victims of child sexual abuse for more than two decades , Love and Norris saw recurring , predictable patterns in predatory behavior . MinistrySafe grew out of their desire to place proactive tools into the hands of ministry professionals . Love and Norris teach the only graduate-level course on Preventing Sexual Abuse in Ministry as Visiting Faculty at Dallas Theological Seminary .
Thought leaders speak out
The challenges in Christian ministry are many ; few are more important than properly addressing child sexual abuse risk . At Reformed Theological Seminary , we ’ ve made it a priority to equip future ministry leaders with the Bible and theology , as well as practical pastoral preparation , in order to reach and disciple a broken world . To that end , we are committed to creating and maintaining safe environments for children in the church , as well as healthy environments for abuse survivors . We appreciate the expertise and experience of Kimberlee Norris and her tireless efforts to protect children in the church through her work at MinistrySafe .
Dr . Ligon Duncan Chancellor and CEO Reformed Theological Seminary John E . Richards Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology
At Dallas Theological Seminary , we are committed to equipping our students with excellent resources to address reallife needs in vocational ministry . To that end , we require ALL students to complete MinistrySafe training before enrolling for seminary coursework . In addition , we ’ ve partnered with Gregory Love and Kimberlee Norris , DTS Visiting Faculty and founders of MinistrySafe , to offer a three-hour credit course addressing child sexual abuse in ministry contexts : the first of its kind . We ’ ve made this commitment because we believe it is our responsibility to equip future ministry leaders to better understand and address child sexual abuse . Ministry leaders cannot address a risk that they don ’ t understand — we are working to create and foster that understanding .
Dr . Mark Yarbrough President Dallas Theological Seminary
38 CHURCH EXECUTIVE • STOP CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE churchexecutive . com