Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them (Mark 10:14). But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea (Matt. 18:6). It's clear that Jesus wants us to serve children and to make a place where they can come to Him.

Child abuse is serious and life-threatening, affecting not only children throughout their lifetime, but families and society as well. Each year 2 million children are abused by parents, guardians, or others. At least 1,000 children will die every year as a result of abuse and neglect. Major public and private institutions have begun to screen people working with children. So should churches.

Churches have been reluctant to implement background screening programs for their workers. If they did it was for positions involving finances and not for regular employees and volunteers. It was perceived as unnecessary and even distasteful to insist on screening ministers because of the pastoral call on their lives.

Reasons why you should screen:

• To prevent child abuse. There is no excuse for any church to neglect this important duty. Volunteer organizations are perfect for pedophiles, in the sense that these are the ideal situations where pedophiles can get to large numbers of children, to check out which ones might be the easiest victims, says Gene Abel, director of the Behavioral Medicine Institute of Atlanta.

• To prevent injury to your congregation. Baby-boomer parents are attracted to a church by its child-care facilities and personnel and many families stay in a church because of its youth activities. Once an incident has occurred - or even an allegation that later proves false - trust is lost, and it may take years to regain.

• To avoid legal liability. If a court finds that a church or employer didn't use reasonable care in selecting its paid and volunteer workers, most likely there will be legal repercussions for the church. The church is not required to be perfect, only reasonable in taking precautions to protect its youth.

Consider implementing a program to stop child abuse:

• A screening program is designed to answer three basic, important questions:

  • Is all the information provided by the applicant to the church true?

  • Did the applicant fail to provide any key information?

  • Is there any information that was provided - or not provided - that disqualifies the applicant from service at the church?

• Screen everyone who has contact with children and teens - from pastors, teachers, and children's worker to volunteers.

• If a screening program is to be successful, church leadership must establish an effective implementation plan containing the following elements:

  • Adequate staff time for creation and implementation of the screening program.

  • Annual budget item for fees associated with the operation of the program (criminal checks cost about \$20).

  • A secure place for storing the results of the program. The information in the screening should remain private at all costs.

  • Designate one person of the church's full-time staff who owns the job of implementing and managing the program.

  • Scheduled, ongoing training for existing employees, volunteers, and new staff. Train all the people responsible in children's or youth and teen ministry, from leaders to workers (paid or volunteer) in how to prevent child abuse and to follow reporting guidelines. Have a plan on how to immediately report and handle any suspected child abuse.

From "Preventing Child Abuse In Church Ministry" by David Middlebrook, MinistriesToday, January/February 2000, copyright (c) 2000. Used by permission of MinistriesToday magazine published bimonthly by Strang Communications Co., Lake Mary, Fla. Subscription prices: 6 issues \$24.95, 12 issues \$44.95. Canadian subscribers add \$4.50 per year, other countries add \$10 per year, payable in advance in U.S. currency only. For additional subscription information, U.S. and Canadian call 1-800-829-2547. Other countries call 904-447-2723.

David Middlebrook is a partner of the law firm, Brewer, Brewer, Anthony and Middlebrook, in Dallas.