Preventing Abuse, Creating Safety
Safety, Emotional Well-Being, and Spiritual Health for Vulnerable People
United Methodists are concerned about maintaining physical and sexual safety, emotional well-being, and spiritual health of children, youth, and adults. Many churches have adopted "Safe Sanctuaries" procedures as one way to help keep young people from harm. Education and dialogue about sexual ethics, forms of abuse, and how to report abuse or misconduct are very important.
The following resources provide information and guidelines about some of the ways individuals, congregations, and church organizations can help prevent abuse and create safety for children, youth, and vulnerable adults.
Resources
Child Protection and Community Assistance
Global Ministries has a child protection and community assistance office. The agency is strives to conduct all its ministries, in ways that seek to ensure the safety, well-being, and spiritual health of children, youth, and adults.
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Safe Sanctuaries: Reducing the Risk of Child/Youth Abuse in Church
Safe Sanctuaries is about being prepared and thinking ahead. It is not about limiting your ministry. It is about doing ministry safely with children, youth and the adults who work with them.
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Sexual Ethics, the Church and You
The United Methodist Church maintains high ethical standards for ordained ministers, diaconal ministers, local pastors and lay professionals, and has gone on record in declaring sexual misconduct to be a violation of sacred trust and counter to the mission and ministry of the Church of Jesus Christ.
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United Methodist Event Encourages Dialogue on Sexual Ethics
During a July 26-29, 2006 United Methodist sexual ethics conference, more than 250 clergy and lay people spoke openly and honestly about "sex in the church" in an effort to help the church prevent sexual misconduct and to intervene and offer healing and "justice love" when it occurs.
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