Why we do what we do....

As much as possible, I have tried to cut down on the paperwork that is involved in organizing churches. I remember how much paperwork is involved in being a pastor and I do my best to minimize that for the clergy I serve. But, after learning that many of my churches were not up-to date on their Safe Sanctuary practices, I added a form. I required an annual Safe Sanctuary form from every church every year.
The horrifying and heartbreaking headlines from Penn State this week is the answer to the question that I heard from plenty of lay persons: “Why do we have to do this?” We all know that sexual abuse of children is not confined to one university hundreds of miles from North Carolina. We have grieved over the stories of sexual abuse of children in Roman Catholic churches. And we recognize that a common thread in too many of the stories of the sexual abuse of children has to do with adults who cover up the abuse—which then leads to more children being abused.
I will do everything in my power to be clear: every United Methodist Church is expected to have and abide by Safe Sanctuary practices. Yes, there are going to be ways that it is inconvenient to have two adults at all times with children. Yes, some churches have had to modify their doors to provide for windows. Yes, some churches resist doing background checks with people who work with their children. Yes, it involves extra thought and preparation and supervision. Yes, it is a nuisance to have annual training for people who work with children and youth. Yes, people complain. But the protection of children in United Methodist facilities is a baseline that we are not going to alter. Complain if you want to. But everyone must comply.
Safe Sanctuary is our organized (METHODist) way of taking a proactive stand in a world awash with sexual deviance. Safe Sanctuary is our way of saying that we are going to put a priority on our children and young people. And if that means an inconvenience to adults, so be it. That's a small sacrifice compared to the horror of a child being harmed in our care. The safety of our children is worth it. If there is a sexual predator among us, we will have done everything we can to find that out before a child in our care is molested. Safe Sanctuary practices mean that we will not allow the setting where someone could take advantage of a child. We recognize the special place that children have in God’s heart and we are going to go all out to be sure that the children in our care are safe. We should take the clear teaching of Jesus to heart— re-visit Matthew 18: 1-9. . When United Methodist pastors are ordained, they are asked a series of historic questions from John Wesley (found in the Discipline, paragraph 336). Of all the things that are involved in church ministry, the one age group that is singled out is children: “Will you diligently instruct the children in every place?”. That doesn’t mean we don’t care about young adults, older adults, middle adults. The focus on children is a reflection of the clear priority and responsibility Jesus taught.
Every United Methodist pastor under appointment has been required to attend a day-long sexual ethics training. No exceptions. That’s how important it is to us to be sure that we are not caught unawares about the issues of sexual impropriety, the consequences of failure to supervise and the importance that we not be naïve about this. Sexual predators are often people who have won the trust of others. You can’t discern a sexual predator by looks or title or job. That’s why Safe Sanctuary is so important. Safe Sanctuary practices make sure that no one would ever have the opportunity to take advantage of a young person in our care. That’s the ultimate--and only true-- protection for our children.
My churches have turned their Safe Sanctuaries forms in. I want more: I pray that all churches will carry out Safe Sanctuary practices with a sense of purpose and joy. And when we read news stories about the terrible things that happen elsewhere, we can take watchful joy in knowing that, in the United Methodist Church, Safe Sanctuary practices keep our children safe. That’s a witness we dare not neglect.