Peer-to-Peer Sexual Abuse Peer Sexual Abuse — children or youth sexually molesting other children — remains largely unknown to Student Ministry leadership and presents another significant risk in ministry environments .
STUDENT MINISTERS REMAIN UNPREPARED Church leaders — and parents — typically place responsibility on the Student Minister to protect students from sexual abuse . Unfortunately , Student Ministers commonly lack the appropriate background , education and experience to understand child sexual abuse , sexual abusers and sexual abuse risk .
The Preferential Offender looks for opportunities to serve in a position of trust , where he or she might create trusted time alone , with a targeted child . For the Preferential Offender , Student Ministry provides a soft target , easily exploited .
Children ’ s Ministry vs . Student Ministry Children ’ s ministry — even in a mid-sized church — is usually structured , with dedicated rooms , a child check-in system , cameras , limited access , and predictable schedule and location . Additionally , there is no need for electronic communication with younger children ( texting , Facebook , etc .), and programming is typically provided on Sunday morning on the church campus . Student ministry , by contrast , is intentionally relaxed in order to create an inviting environment ; often meets in less structured or off-campus locations ; includes ‘ cool ’ activities mid-week or on weekends ; and involves small group Bible study and discipleship , which might meet in private homes . Given the developmental stage of students , issues related to purity , intimacy and sexuality are regular topics of discussion . In some churches , student ministry participants attend conferences , mission trips , beach and ski trips , retreats and other activities requiring overnight accommodations , changing of clothes and unstructured free time . Because students in middle school and high school are immersed in online culture , the use of electronic communication and social media present countless ways to interact privately with a student . Any of these elements make Student Ministry an attractive target for the offender ; in combination , the risk is compounded . In this environment , the offender grooms the gatekeepers , winning the trust of parents and church leaders alike , providing opportunities for trusted time alone , thereby enabling sexual abuse .
Student Ministers — Who Are They ? When a church is ‘ mid-sized ,’ it often hires a dedicated Student Minister . Depending on the church ’ s size and budget , the Student Minister might have begun as a volunteer or part-time employee until a need was felt for a full-time paid position . The Student Minister might be female , but tends to be male . The demographics of the typical Student Minister reinforce a series of inherent weaknesses . The Student Minister is commonly in his / her mid-20s and single or newly married . At this stage in life , the Student Minister has typically received no training related to sexual abuse risk . In some cases , the Student Minister experienced sexual abuse as a child , in which case his or her understanding is often limited to the context of that personal experience . The Student Minister is a college graduate and considering ( or beginning ) a seminary degree . Very few undergraduate programs offer information or training related to sexual abuse risk . Currently , proactive seminaries require Sexual Abuse Awareness Training in new-student orientation or before graduation , but few seminaries offer comprehensive instruction concerning sexual abuse risk in the context of Student Ministry . The Student Minister is typically overwhelmed . Because the Church is rarely pro-active in staffing , the Student Minister is usually overwhelmed with administration , teaching , meeting parents , recruiting volunteers , leading Bible study and small groups , planning activities , and managing a budget . Expecting the Student Minister — a young adult with no training in sexual abuse risk — to proactively investigate and evaluate preventative resources is unreasonable at best . In addition , as the low man on the staff roster , the Student Minister seldom has real authority to implement policy change within the church . The Student Minister has a short tenure in the role . In the Church , the role of Student Minister is often viewed as a stair-step position . The Student Minister might accept the position in his or her early- or mid-20s ; by 30 , the Student Minister is married , has one or more children , and is ready for a position working with populations other than teens . As a result , the role of Student Minister has regular turnover of four to six years — even shorter in Middle School contexts .
ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGE Clearly , sexual abuse prevention is a church-wide issue , not limited to Student Ministry . Church leaders bear the responsibility of setting child safety priorities and developing a framework for sexual abuse prevention in all ministry endeavors , including Student Ministry . Given the inherent challenges described above , it is not the Student Minister ’ s responsibility do so alone . Regardless , many churches expect the Children ’ s Minister and Student Minister to simply ‘ figure it out ’ for their respective programs .
What tools are available to resource Student Ministries to reduce this risk ? We can ’ t address a risk that we don ’ t understand . All ministry leaders — including Student Ministers — must receive excellent training related to sexual abuse risk . churchexecutive . com STOP CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE • CHURCH EXECUTIVE 49