According to the CDC, approximately 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys in the United States willexperience sexual abuse before the age of 18. And over 90% of these cases of child sexual abuse are perpetrated by someone who is known and trusted by the child or the child’s family. Our children are vulnerable. . . even in the church; numerous reports of child sexual abuse have been reported in churches throughout the country.

This child abuse prevention training has been developed to protect the vulnerable and prevent future abuse in the church by increasing knowledge and awareness about child sexual abuse. Through interactive dialogue, participants will learn healthy ways to talk about abuse in the communities they serve. In addition, this training is designed to equip leaders to assess their current environmental risk factors for “blind spots” and create action steps to reduce the potential for abuse and to respond in faithful and ethical ways in the event that abuse is discovered in their context.

This 5-hour training is designed for both teaching and ruling elders, and satisfies the requirement for Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Training found in the Book of Order G-3.0106. Participation in the entire 5-hour training is required in order to earn a Certificate of Completion.