POLICY FOR A SAFE SANCTUARY

Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them;

for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.’ (Mark 10:14)

We believe that children, women, and men are precious children of God and deserve to be safe in all places, especially our churches. Because we hold this value, we seek to provide a safe place for all people to gather in those buildings where we serve God – whether that is for worship, for Christian formation/education, fellowship, youth groups, etc. In order to fulfill this value, the Provincial Elders’ Conference has established the following policy to guide our congregations and protect all who enter the spaces of our congregations and ministries.

POLICY

The Moravian Church Northern Province (MCNP) has a moral and ethical obligation to provide a safe environment for all people who worship in, work for, volunteer in, visit, drop off deliveries, and gather in MCNP buildings, congregations, camps or gatherings held at non-MCNP locations that are MCNP sponsored events.

Effective July 11, 2013,allcongregations, agencies, entities, etc., of MCNP will ensure, to the best of their ability, the safety of all children, women and men who gather in their buildings, at sponsored events, and any gathering associated with the church.

WHAT IS INVOLVED IN DEVELOPING A SAFE SANCTUARY

  1. Language and behavior set the tone for an environment where everyone feels safe and welcome. When speaking, all are encouraged to include all people within the scope of conversation. Avoid use of exclusive terms that would discriminate against individuals or groups or types of people.
  2. Meeting Rooms - When working with children, there should be at least two adults present in a room. In those cases where counseling or other confidential conversations are held and only one adult is present, at least one door in each room must have glass.
  3. Background Checks –All congregations, entities and agencies shallconductcriminal background checks for paid and volunteer positions. Each MCNP congregation/agency/entity/group that hires, fills volunteer positions, etc., is responsible for seeing that the proper background check is completed for anyone who will be associated with the functioning of an office, a group, the Sunday school, youth groups, nursery schools and the like. If you are not currently in the practice of requesting a background check, contact your congregation’s liability insurance carrier to see if they have a recommended source(s) for completing the required checks. Most liability insurance carriers have arrangements with vendors and have established discounted or group rates if you go through that insurance carrier. These background checks must be completed before an offer of employment is made or before a volunteer is confirmed to work within a ministry setting of the entity.

Congregations/agencies/entities are encouraged to make use of websites that identify registered sexual offenders who may live within a geographic area. Such sites are available to check before hiring an individual or if you suspect someone may be a sexual offender. Extreme sensitivity should be exercised in checking such sites as This site is not available in Canada; check with your local police department for help. If you discover that a sex offender is worshipping in your congregation, resources are available from the provincial office that can provide approved safeguards that would allow an individual to worship and be involved in public activities with pre-determined monitoring and approved supervision.

  1. Threats of Violence –the Provincial Elders’ Conferenceprohibits and does not tolerate any type of workplace violence committed by or against employees or visitors in any church facilities or gatherings. Any threats or acts of violence against an employee, vendor, customer, visitor or property are prohibited. A violent act is defined as any action or behavior that could be interpreted, in light of known facts, circumstances and information, by a reasonable person, as indicating the potential to harm, endanger or inflict pain or injury on any person or property.

A violent act includes, but is not limited to:

  • Assault, battery, and/or challenges to fight
  • Threats of physical harm or contact
  • Aggressive or hostile behavior that creates a reasonable fear of injury to another person
  • Unwanted physical contact
  • Acts of intimidation and/or stalking
  • Behavior indicating a potential for violence or physical harm
  • Acts which endanger the safety of others
  • Destruction of, or threats to destroy property
  • Racial or cultural epithets or other derogatory remarks associated with hate crime threats
  1. Weapons -As a matter of faith, the Provincial Elders’ Conference is opposed to the presence of any firearms on church property; however, we acknowledge that local customs may vary. In the United States, laws vary regarding the legality of carrying concealed weapons. The Provincial Elders’ Conference encourages Joint Boards to discuss establishing a weapons policy that is appropriate for local laws and customs. The 2014 Synod of the Moravian Church Northern Province legislated “that all Moravian churches in all states of the Northern Province require that each building in the common area of the church campus be ‘gun free’, a requirement that all people, even those who have a legal concealed gun permit (other than law enforcement, military and security personnel) will not carry their weapon in any building in the church campus unless otherwise approved by the local church board.” It is important to note that, based on this legislation, the “norm” is to maintain gun-free campuses, with appropriate signage displayed at the entrances to all church buildings. For those congregations in Canada, these conversations may be helpful but will take a different tone due to the different laws in that country. The Provincial Elders’ Conferenceopposes the presence of high-magazine or assault style firearms onchurch properties throughout the province.

COMPLIANCE

  1. Establishing a policy is a good start. Ensuring compliance takes work and commitment. For those congregations/agencies that have never conducted criminal background checks, begin a process. Check with your insurance provider about costs and procedures. Depending on the number of checks you must conduct, do enough each year to cover all volunteers and employees within 2-4 years. Continue to keep up to date each year with any new individuals. There will be a question on the Annual Report assessing your compliance.
  2. If there is a break in employment or volunteering, a new check must be completed upon the return of the individual to paid or volunteer status.
  3. While there is no industry standard on how often background checks should be conducted, it is recommended that checks be rerun every two to five years.
  4. Review this policy with employees, volunteers, church leaders.
  5. Post this policy where it is visible to all who enter the Church facility.

Policy approved by Provincial Elders’ Conference July 11, 2013

Policy revised and approved by the Provincial Elders’ Conference September 4, 2014