November, National Child Safety Month: Considerations in Ministry Planning

CONSIDERATIONS IN MINISTRY PLANNING

All adults who work with children and or young people must be capable of exercising good judgment and wisdom in their ministry. We recommend that you consider the following questions when planning any activity involving children or young people within the faith community:

• Who are the volunteers, and what is their training? Can or should additional training be offered?

• What is expected of the volunteers? How are those expectations communicated? What are the consequences of unmet expectations?

• What is expected of the young people who participate? How will those expectations be communicated? What are the consequences if those expectations are not met?

• How visible are the programs and activities? Do they involve a wide range of participants? Does the larger community know what programs and activities are available, who is involved in them, and how they affect the young people of the community?

• What opportunities are available for parents and other adults to be directly involved?

• What kind of programming is planned to teach critical thinking and to give young people the tools to mature into healthy adults?

You can purchase this resource here: Creating Safe and Sacred Places