Guidance on Abuse Prevention And Protection Policies for Churches
By: Erik W. Stanley, Esq.
Like any organization, churches need policies and procedures for handling misconduct by their leaders, employees, and volunteers. Failing to do so can leave a church unaware of serious problems, or forced into making decisions without adequate forethought into how problems should be addressed. An abuse prevention and protection policy should contain the following key elements: purpose, scope, goals and context.