Commitment to Protecting Our Children
“The prudent sees danger and hides himself…” (Prov. 27:12a).
Children are a blessing from God, and he calls the church to support parents in their responsibility to train children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Therefore, the church should be a safe and blessed place for children, where they can grow, play, form friendships, and learn to experience and share the love of Christ.
Since sin affects every person and organization in the world, however, it is possible that children could be harmed even during church activities. We cannot guarantee that such things will never happen within our fellowship, but we are committed to taking every reasonable precaution to protect our children from foreseeable harm. This commitment includes, but is not limited to, the following steps:
- We do not allow anyone to work regularly with our youth (children or teenagers), unless he or she is a formal member.
- We require all of our children’s ministry workers to complete a detailed application and screening process that includes training through Ministry Safe and background checks through Checkr.
- We require that SG Kids workers serve in teams of two or more and be visible to other workers.
- Due to the quantity and frequency of meetings related to the community group ministry in the church, we do not provide or facilitate childcare for community group meetings.
If a child is harmed in our church, we will take immediate steps to inform the parents, to accept responsibility for our role in the situation, and to hold offending ministry workers fully responsible for their actions.
Sovereign Grace Church submits to the State of Ohio regarding the reporting of sexual abuse. The elder(s) of Sovereign Grace Church will report sexual abuse as required by law.