One of the most frequent questions we receive from churches and ministry leaders is about integrating offenders into church. They wonder “Should we do it,” and “What are best practices as we carefully...
SPRINGFIELD, Tenn. – The Scripture verse printed on the front of a resource from the Fortify Initiative may not seem the most obvious choice for an effort focused on protecting the vulnerable. One...
Abuse prevention in ministry can feel overwhelming, but free online webinars offered by the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Virtual Training Institute and MinistrySafe break complex safeguarding concepts into clear, actionable steps church leaders...
While abuse of a child by an adult is terrible, it's usually straightforward to evaluate what is happening. But what about sexual misconduct between children? Is it always abuse? No. Is it always...
State and federal officials, survivors, and ministry leaders gathered at the 2026 SBC Annual Meeting to move Southern Baptist churches from awareness to action on child abuse, sexual exploitation, and human trafficking. She...
It starts, Shawn Thornton said, with what a father once described to him as the "cute factor." When a child with disabilities is 5, 7 or 8 years old, people in the church...
ORLANDO, Fla.— Jeff Dalrymple, Director of Abuse Prevention & Response at the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Executive Committee, announced today the official launch of The Fortify Initiative during the Southern Baptist Conference of...
I will never forget my first conversation with Tom Stolle. I know exactly where I was – driving through West Los Angeles in February 2023. I had to pull over as tears streamed...
Sexual abuse in the church does not have to end in broken lives, agonizing lawsuits and divided congregations. As illustrated by the real-life abuse case described later in this post, when people follow...
Every church I have ever worked with says the same thing when the subject of access control comes up. "We want people to feel welcome." And they mean it. The open door is...