Should Registered Sex Offenders Be Allowed In Church

When someone who is a registered sex offender shows up at church and wants to participate — fifty-fifty in such a simple way as attending worship — what should church leaders exercise?

In that location is a five-step procedure pastors and lay leaders should follow, according to two panelists at a workshop titled "Grace vs. Law: Should Churches Welcome Known Sex Offenders?" The Aug. 26 workshop was office of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's 2021 virtual full general assembly.

While in that location are some possible ways to let participation past some registered sex offenders in some circumstances, the number of successes will be extremely low, according to Jay Kieve, CBF's global abuse prevention and response advocate, and Carrie Nettles, an Alliance of Baptists-endorsed chaplain at the Julie Valentine Center in Greenville, South.C.

"I would much rather repent for taking too much precaution than to apologize for children being harmed."

They acknowledged the want of most churches to welcome all people to worship every bit a adept impulse. However, they warned that protecting congregants — and especially children — from predatory beliefs must take priority.

"I would much rather repent for taking too much precaution than to apologize for children being harmed," Kieve said during a question-and-answer session.

One of the foremost barriers is the manipulative personality of truthful sexual activity offenders, according to Nettles, Kieve and others participating in the virtual conversation.

"With this population of people, start by bold they are lying," said Nettles, who works with rape victims.

Carrie Nettles

Even if they try to explain that a by situation wasn't really as bad every bit others reported it to be, church leaders should beware, she explained. "That is the MO of most perpetrators, to use a known truth to come across every bit genuine. There's usually a drastic divergence in what really happened."

This is an urgent issue for church building leaders to think about in advance, Nettles said, because sex offenders like to come up to church. She reported that 93% of sex offenders place as "very religious," and, "the ones who are more religious take more offenses and more victims."

Kieve and Nettles offered five steps for congregational leaders to accept when considering if and how to allow a known sex offender to participate in church activities.

First, never allow a known offender into the customs with their victims. "The church isn't the sanctuary for people anymore if they are forced to worship aslope their offender," Nettles said.

Fifty-fifty if a repentant offender wants to attend church, they should not be allowed to attend alongside the person or persons they offended, she said. One loving response is to help such offenders find other communities that could welcome them and provide safe boundaries.

Second, pay attention to discovery versus disclosure. "Nosotros want offenders to come and disembalm their status before they become a part of the community of faith," Kieve said, calculation if they don't disclose just are discovered, that should be an "immediate disqualification."

Jay Kieve

If a known or convicted sex offender does disclose their record in advance, "we want to see repentant behavior," Kieve added. Disclosure is non plenty without evidence of repentance.

Nettles said congregational leaders should enquire what charges were filed against the person, likewise as what they were convicted of (those may be different). "If they don't fully disclose, that is red-flag behavior. A fully repentant person will be fully willing to take the consequences of their behaviors."

Third, commencement with no and motility toward yep. "The church'south inclination is to begin with yes," Kieve noted, merely this is one case where it is all-time to brainstorm with a no and and then seek reasons to move toward a yes equally more data is gathered and verified.

Fourth, become help from professionals earlier including offenders. They advised seeking help from local law units that deal with sex activity offenders or local therapists or nonprofits with expertise. "Find people who tin can help you sympathize the offender's experience on your way to yes," Kieve said.

This is important considering most church leaders are besides trusting and don't know to exist wary of the kind of compulsive behavior that drives most sexual practice offenders, she added. "Reach out and connect with your local rape crisis center or child crisis center. These are some of the people who know the MO of sex offenders and how they operate. Likewise reach out to the law enforcement segmentation that deals with such crimes."

Fifth, anybody needs to know. Unlike the kind of privacy that would be appropriate for many other offenses, information about the presence of a sex offender in the congregation must be shared with the congregation in some fashion, they advised. To sympathise why this is essential, Kieve said, imagine a family with young children who sees a person at church, then sees that person at the grocery shop and doesn't know not to begin a friendly human relationship that could brand their children vulnerable.

Information nearly the presence of a sexual activity offender in the congregation must be shared with the congregation in some mode.

Yet, congregations that demand to disembalm the presence of a sexual practice offender in the congregation can observe gentle ways of doing so that are not about shaming, he said. "The purpose is not to heap more problem on the person."

Beyond these five steps, in that location are other practical considerations Kieve and Nettles discussed, such equally limiting where in the building a sex offender may go; prohibiting volunteering or interacting with children or youth, if that is the nature of their offense; and creating a squad of three to v people to be present with the sexual activity offender at all times on the church campus.

Kieve and Nettles offered a handout that included a model policy churches might adapt for their own apply. It reads:

Safe Baptist Church seeks to demonstrate the dearest of Christ for the world past beingness open up to, and accepting of, all people who seek to be a child of God. In gild to be a safe identify for all who attend, individuals who must register every bit sexual offenders ("offenders") must comply with the following policy in order to participate in the congregational life of Safe Baptist Church building.

Condom Baptist Church retains the right to deny attendance, participation, and/or membership to whatsoever individual who fails to comply with this policy. Furthermore, Safety Baptist retains sole discretion to deny attendance, participation, and/or membership to whatever person whose behavior, criminal conviction, and/or sexual offender status gives reason to believe that person would endanger others, regardless of policy compliance. Additionally, offenders are disqualified from participation if their victims are members/attenders of the church building. Failure to comply with Safe Baptist Church building's request to vacate the campus or activity will result in reporting to constabulary enforcement for criminal trespassing.

When a known sexual offender seeks participation with Safe Baptist Church, the senior pastor or designee will consult an independent child safeguarding specialist to evaluate the participation request and formulate a ministry plan. The proposed program must include notification to the congregation of the presence of the known offender and the protocols being put into place.

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Should Registered Sex Offenders Be Allowed In Church,

Source: https://baptistnews.com/article/what-should-you-do-if-a-sex-offender-wants-to-attend-your-church/

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