Forum

I agree that we want to welcome all who come to worship and to receive the redemption of our Lord. We also have a responsibility to be sure that our church is a safe place for all to worship. I believe that a person on the sexual offenders list should be given any rules that he/she need to follow that differ from the norm due to the circumstances. The rules will vary according to the conviction that placed him/her on the list.

The Pastor along with the Safety/Security team coordinator should have an honest and straight forward discussion with the person about his/her situation and how it relates to attendence at the church. This can and needs to be done in Christian love.

Depending on the circumstances of the conviction there may be certain areas and rules that will vary for this person as opposed to others at the church. In the case of sexual crimes against young children he/she cannot by themself be allowed in areas within the church designed mainly for the children, including bathrooms. In order to accomplish this, a mentor (team member), needs to have the assignment of making sure he/she follows the necessary rules. In order for this to be as effective as possible the person needs to adhere to not being at the church without the mentor being also at the church. This can be accomplished by the person knowing the areas he/she are not allowed in and making sure a restroom is not occupied by a child if the person needs to use it. This mentoring, although somewhat confining to the person, can also be a help for this person should another church attendee make a claim against this person regarding a sexual incident at the church, because the mentor knows where this person is while at the church.

If we know a person has been convicted of theft we would not want that person in charge of the offering. Even if that is not the case we do no favors for anyone if we place temptation in front of them, such as letting them count the offering without any safeguards. The safeguarding of the congregation as well as the person on the sexual offenders list is similar in it's intent.