Belonging to a faith community that supports children and youth is one of the greatest joys in the Christian journey. And whether your church has a few children and young people or many, it is a biblical and moral imperative that our church community is committed to keeping children, young people, and vulnerable adults safe.1
As a church pastor, elder, deacon, or deaconess, you play a vital role in creating and nurturing the right culture at your local church where everyone is valued as a child of God. It does not happen by chance, but through intentional Christlike thought, love, and action. Church board members and ministry leaders share in the responsibility of creating a safe church, not because we expect the worst, but because we want the best for our church community. When we have a thriving group of people who can act confidently in a safe and secure environment, we are better equipped to fulfill God’s mission.
Here’s how you can start to nurture a church community where abuse has no place.
PRIORITIZE SAFETY PRINCIPLES
Often the values within a church community might center on justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Mic 6:8). When considering child safety, start by recognizing specific values and principles shared within your church community. For just as faith without action is pointless, principles which are not embedded and ingrained in church culture will most likely fail to have any real meaning or impact.
Identifying specific principles and behaviors will help to foster a deeper understanding and commitment to child protection. You might find research helpful to develop wellinformed values and principles. Valuable insights can be gained from studying the teachings of Christ, as well as consulting child safety experts and service providers. Once you and your leadership team have identified your shared values and principles, use these to help guide church board and ministry decisions and actions.2
The best interests of children are always at the forefront of any local church decisions that may impact them.
Your local church’s fundamental principles might include:3
- The best interests of children are always at the forefront of any local church decisions that may impact them.
- Child abuse is not tolerated by the local church.
- Everyone has a role to play in creating a safe environment for children.
- Concerns about child safety are taken seriously by the local church.
- People can report allegations of abuse to church leadership and public authorities without obstruction.
While these principles may serve as a framework for your local church to consider and reflect on child safe practices, it is important that they result in real action.
COMMIT TO ACTION
Being a local church where child safety is important requires more than just talk, policies, or committees, but also requires meaningful action. It is commendable to observe that local churches globally are deliberately implementing measures to ensure a secure environment for children. Those steps may be large or small, but for some churches it is the beginning or continuation of child safety being embedded in the local church’s culture.
A CODE OF CONDUCT BUILDS CONFIDENCE
A helpful tool for a local church, conference, or union to use is a code of conduct for church workers and ministry leaders who interact directly with children, young people, and/or vulnerable adults. It would also include those who hold spiritual authority over children, such as elders, pastors, Sabbath School teachers, Pathfinder leaders, etc.
The purpose of a code of conduct is to define how church employees, volunteers, and members should interact with children by clarifying what behaviors or actions towards children are considered appropriate and inappropriate. It provides guidance for decisions and planning around things such as the number of adult leaders who need to be in attendance for a children’s Sabbath School class. The aim of the code of conduct is to empower the church community with confidence in creating a safe place.
PRINCIPLE-BASED REPORTING
Acting on a reported concern or allegation of child abuse can be daunting for even the most experienced church leader. A code of conduct should include a procedure for addressing concerns and complaints. This can cover a range of actions from reporting criminal allegations to police and other authorities to handling minor breaches of the code of conduct in a fair and transparent way. Establishing a valuesand principles-based framework for addressing concerns and complaints within church leadership enhances transparency. It shows church workers that there will be consistency, accountability, and fairness applied to any child-related concerns that may arise.
Ultimately, a code of conduct is a tool that aims to reduce the likelihood of children being harmed and/ or abused at church activities.4 It usually requires the church worker’s signature to commit to the church’s values, acknowledge understanding of accepted behaviors towards children, and obtain the appropriate or legally required certification to work with children or undergo a criminal check. These commitments reflects the key principle that everyone has a role to play in creating a safe environment for children and makes your local church less likely to attract offenders for fear of being caught and identified.5
LET LOVE BE THE MOTIVATION
It is a privilege we have as Christians to minister to our children in Sabbath School, Pathfinders, church camps, discipleship activities, and through various other ministry activities within our church family. The aim of nurturing a safe church culture is to encourage everyone to practice intentionality and thoughtfulness in making their place of worship a safe place for children and youth. We serve the living God—a God who is intentional, thoughtful, and loving. As church pastors, elders, deacons, and deaconesses, let us embody these godly characteristics through the child safety practices within our church community and in church governance.
SAFEGUARDING LIKE A FENCE
A code of conduct sets boundaries to protect children and church workers, like a fence safeguards people near a cliff. Far better to have a fence than to bring in the ambulances after a fall and people are harmed.6
Let us prioritize the safety of our children, youth, and vulnerable adults and act now. May your church be a safe place of worship for every young and vulnerable person (Matt 18:3) to experience the love of Christ!
1 The Office of the Children’s Guardian, Implementing the Child Safe Scheme: An Introduction for Faith-Based Organisations (New South Wales Government, 2025), https://ocg.nsw. gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-03/g_css_introtocssfaithhandbook.pdf, 5.
2 Briggham Winkler, “What Can the Church Do about Child Protection?,” The Gospel Coalition, June 2, 2022, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/church-child-protection/.
3 The Office of the Children’s Guardian, Implementing the Child Safe Scheme: An Introduction for Faith-Based Organisations (New South Wales Government, 2025), https://ocg.nsw. gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-03/g_css_introtocssfaithhandbook.pdf, 9.
4 The Office of the Children’s Guardian, Risk Management and the Child Safe Standards: Part 1—Responding to Risk (New South Wales Government, 2023), https://ocg.nsw. gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-03/G_CSS_ Risk%20Management_Resourceprt1.pdf, 5.
5 Ibid.
6 “New Code of Conduct,” Adsafe, accessed May 19, 2025, https://www.adsafe.org.au/ safeguarding/code-of-conduct.
Luke Waylor is the team leader for risk management and investigations at Adsafe, the child protection agency for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific Division. He is also an elder in his local church.
