March 21 webcast on protecting children free for churches

Posted

By Timothy E. Head

DALLAS, Texas (BP) — Protecting children, youth, and other vulnerable groups – as well as responding well to reports from victims of abuse in churches and ministry organizations – will be topics covered during a free upcoming webcast sponsored by GuideStone.

Dallas-area Prestonwood Baptist Church will host the event, which will feature Greg Love and Kimberlee Norris, founders of MinistrySafe.

The "Protecting the Vulnerable in Your Ministry" webcast is from 2-4:30 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday, March 21. Pastors and other church leaders can register for the free training at GuideStone.org/MinistrySafeWebcast.

"We want to ensure that every pastor in every church knows the steps they need to take to recognize and prevent abuse in their midst – as well as how to come alongside and help victims who report abuse," GuideStone President O.S. Hawkins said. "Our goal is to help pastors and churches fulfill the ministry they have received from the Lord, and part of that ministry is protecting their flock from those who seek to harm them."

"As we continue to develop and strengthen the resources we're offering to Georgia Baptists, I believe this will be an effective tool to help our churches become safer places for everyone," said W. Thomas Hammond, Jr., Georgia Baptist Mission Board executive director. "I want to strongly encourage every pastor to make this webinar event a priority for their leaders."

The webcast will provide actionable takeaways on protecting children, youth, and other vulnerable people in the church. Discussion will include how to create a culture of communication, respond well to reports from victims of abuse, properly prepare for and enforce an effective safety system, and implement extensive staff training program with background checks, monitoring systems, and more.

"We believe this webcast will be timely and useful for any pastor or church leader who wants to respond to this urgent need in our churches," Hawkins said.


Timothy E. Head is the executive officer for denominational and public relations services at GuideStone Financial Resources.

Guidestone, MinistrySafe, protecting vulnerable