When directing a cm that had a director before you – how to “tighten Up” the cm security

Your Question:

“I am directing a CM that had a CM director before me. How do I ‘tighten up’ the CM security?”

The Issues:

There will always be bad people who want to hurt children or damage a ministry! Being naïve about this threat may be the greatest danger you could face! “Tightening up” the CM security can cause negative reactions from those who may not understand the dangers. You may be forced to take a strong stand for the sake of protecting the children, the CM team, and the church!

Scripture Foundation:

“To the pure, all things are pure; but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. Indeed, both their minds and their consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.”  Titus 1: 15, 16

Short Answer:

We have all heard news stories about a church, business, or community that is rocked by an attack or an abusive person.  Many times, the people interviewed say things like, “We never thought something like this would ever happen here,” or “We thought this person was a kind, safe person! We’re shocked that he could do something like this!” After something bad happens, people work hard at building protection around the organization or the people.  It is sad that this protection usually happens after something bad happens.  We need to be proactive in protecting the ministry much like cowboys or farmers who “ride the fences” regularly to fix breaks in the fences before something bad happens.  “Tightening up” the CM safety policies should be something that we do on a regular basis.  Download a sample CM policy manual and customize it to suit your particular church or ministry. You can also download the sample CM forms that are mentioned in the sample policy manual.

 

This task is never “done” because new dangers are always emerging. The safety policies that were established a year or more ago may not be strong enough to protect the children and team members today!  “Tightening up” the CM security is all about protecting the children and team members from dangers outside the ministry and from dangers inside the ministry. Protecting the children and team members from outside dangers involves physical barriers, restricted access, and “never alone” supervision.  Protecting children and team members from inside dangers involves the team screening process, the “never alone” policy, CM identification (ID badges, teamwear), CM training, windows in rooms, radio communication among the CM and the security team, and consistent supervision in the hallways. Before you can “tighten up” the security, you must “ride the fences” for a couple of weeks and ask God to open your eyes to weak areas in your protection. Review your CM policies and see what needs to be improved. For more help, click on the links below.

 

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