Managing Sex Offenders

As mentioned in our three part series "Where Does the Second Glance Go" we have seen unbelievable paradigm shifts with regards to the sexual treads and behaviors of people in every element of the Body of Christ. Second Glance Ministries has been caught off-guard by the reports of the presence of large numbers of sex offenders of all ages in the church. What has shocked us the most is that the churches 2nd Glance Ministries has visited had no policy or procedure in place that governed how the sex offenders in their midst could be safely involved in their congregations. I have written this paper with a few simple goals in mind. I have done everything in my power to inform the Body of Christ about the magnitude of the problems and issues we face when it comes to dealing with the presence of sex offenders in society and the rate at which they re-offend. It has been my desire to attempt to define the scope and nature of their presence in the church. No studies have ever been done with regards to the presence of sex offenders in the church or where they are coming from. I discuss some trends which seem to be emerging in the church that may help us understand what seems to be influencing these people. When I wrote this document I had never seen a church that has sex offenders in their congregations or groups that have a clear, concise program in place to effectively supervise them. With this in mind, I have discussed the need to supervise them bluntly and in great length. My goal is to help churches and Para church organizations create a simple frame work and structure which will enable them to create and implement a successful sex offender management program in their organization. I have identified the people on their staffs who will need to be involved as well as some key elements that will act as the foundation of their programs success. Simply stated, what you are going to hear me say is every sex offender of any type or age who is a part of your group or congregation, need to have a clear, concise safety plan in place before they become a part of your congregation. As I define some of the key elements of a basic safety plan, you will see me identify certain groups of offenders who should never by unattended while on church property. NOT EVER!!! Some of these would include multiple and violent offenders. You will see I put juvenile offenders in this class as well. The rest should have a safety plan which requires them to check in and out as they come and go from your facility. Every plan should contain clear, concise guidelines which clearly define how sex offenders safely interact with your congregation and how your congregation safely interacts with them.

As stated at the top of this page every member of the Body of Christ should read this document. Please download it and read it. Then take it to your Senior Pastor and ask if your church has policy and procedure in place that governed how the sex offenders that are active in your church have safety plans in place which define how they safely interact with your congregation and how your congregation safely interacts with them. Ask Your Pastor to read the guidelines and let you know how the leaders of your church intend to protect your congregation from harm.