How Church Leaders Can Proactively Approach Abuse Risk – Part 2

Last week, we discussed the prevalence of alleged sex abuse scandals in churches of all denominations across the nation. We explored the basics of how church leaders can proactively approach the risks they face when it comes to abuse, stating how important it is for churches to take measures to protect children from potential abuse. Many church leaders don’t even realize how big their risks are when it comes to these types of allegations, nor do they realize the cost of defending these claims even if their party is not guilty of any wrongdoing.

Fortunately, more and more churches are realizing their risks and take them seriously. Many incidents may have even been prevented through preemptive actions, such as:

• Churches have implemented a process of screening and interviewing all applicants for youth work, whether paid or volunteer.
• Churches make a point to contact references, including prior churches or other organizations in which the applicant has worked with minors, to obtain an evaluation of the individual’s suitability for working with minors.
• Churches have been refusing to employ youth workers who have not been members of the church for a minimum period of time, such as 6 months.

While many of the allegations held against church workers, particularly pastoral counselors, have been discovered to be false, it is still very difficult for these ministers to “prove their innocence.” The costs of defending such claims can be detrimental to your clients’ religious facility. What can your clients do now to reduce the risks their pastoral counselors face?

• Churches should adopt a rule disallowing any counseling by male pastors with unaccompanied females without a third party being present.
• Pastors should be required to engage in opposite-sex counseling by telephone only.

What’s important for your clients to remember is that churches may certainly be sued if they fail to exercise due care in the supervision of their activities. Pastoral counseling has had the most focus when it comes to abuse risks, however risks exist any time a church hosts a youth activity; such as a swimming or camping trip or even a youth dance on the church premises.

Charity First understands the unique risks faced by your clients. We are proud to offer comprehensive church liability insurance with a package policy tailored exclusively for denominational/non-denominational churches, synagogues, temples and more. Please contact us today to learn more about liability insurance for churches, at (800) 352-2761.