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About Safe Sanctuaries

› What is Safe Sanctuaries?
Safe Sanctuaries is more than guidelines, policies and procedures implemented to create an environment in which children, youth and the adults who work with them have boundaries of safe space. Safe Sanctuaries is an overt expression of a congregation in making a congregation a safe place where children and youth may experience the abiding love of God and fellowship within the community of faith.

In 1996 The General Conference of The United Methodist Church adopted a resolution aimed at reducing the risk of child sexual abuse in the church.

GBOD staff were concerned about the risk of abuse occurring in churches. In talking with staff from other agencies, a similar concern was expressed. With joint agency effort a resolution was presented and passed at the 1996 General Conference to “Reduce the Risk of Child Abuse in the Church”. With that resolution the agencies began working to develop programs to support annual conferences and local congregations. Soon after that the first series of national training occurred and the first Safe Sanctuaries book was written by Joy Melton.

Our online bookstore sells four Safe Sanctuary resources:

Safe Sanctuaries

Paperback
$25.00 

Ten or More: $21.25 each

Safe Sanctuaries: Reducing the Risk of Abuse in the Church for Children and Youth (10th Anniversary Edition)
By Joy Thornburg Melton

Tragically, churches have not always been safe places for children or youth or vulnerable adults.

With this in mind, attorney, pastor and author Melton outlines a process for developing policies and procedures to recognize and reduce the risk of abuse in the church. Safe Sanctuaries combines and expands information from two of her earlier groundbreaking books focusing, separately, on children and teens.

This revised edition now features updated and timely information about protecting young people from online predators.

Safe Sanctuaries

Libro
$13.00  

Diez o más: $11.05 para cada

Santuarios Seguros: Prevención del abuso infantil y junvenil en la iglesia
Traducido por Janette Marie Chévere y María Colone
Por Joy Thornburg Melton

Este libro es una guía para las congregaciones que están comprometidas a ofrecer ministerios enriquecedores para los niños/as y jóvenes. Esta traducción es una combinación de los libros Safe Sanctuaries y Safe Sanctuaries for Youth. El recurso está diseñado para líderes en congregaciones y comunidades de fe de habla hispana: pastores/as, misioneros/as laicos/as, personas laicas, maestros/as de educación cristiana, maestros/as de la escuela dominical, y directores de ministerios ofrecidos durante la semana.

La autora, Joy Thornburg Melton describe, paso a paso, el proceso de desarrollo de políticas y procedimientos para reconocer y reducir el riesgo de abuso infantil y juvenil en la iglesia.

Safe Sanctuaries

DVD

Play Length: 1:10 Minutes
$25.00

Safe Sanctuaries for Children and Youth DVD
Following up on her two bestselling Safe Sanctuaries: Reducing the Risk of Child Abuse in the Church, Melton now brings you a DVD or VHS video to use in training and in raising awareness about this sad but timely subject in your local congregation. The three segments address the ‘Why’ and ‘How’ of developing and implementing a policy to reduce the risk of abuse in your church, and provide necessary forms to use in the process.

VHS Video

Play Length: 1:10 Minutes
$25.00

Safe Sanctuaries for Children and Youth VHS Video


Click here to download the Safe Sanctuaries Study Guide.

Click here to download: A Church for All God's Children.

Download Safe Sanctuary graphics:

328 x 500 GIF
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