Risk Management

We want to make it perfectly clear that our primary goal has a dual purpose -- to protect and preserve the integrity of the numerous adults who give of their time selflessly, without regard for their own schedules, in order to minister to some of the finest young men and women in the church of the Nazarene -- our teenagers. While we have enjoyed the blessings of a group of teens involved in worship and praise, clean competition, studying the Word of God, getting actively entrenched in Work and Witness, in their own communities and across the world, we have also become keenly aware of the high price of such a ministry. We owe nothing less to our precious youth, and their parents, than to take every possible precaution in caring for them. Their safety is the other factor that compels us to offer these guidelines.

On this page, you will find a number of forms that we recommend you download and use with your youth group for local and district sponsored activities.

First of all, we will offer some general recommendations designed to assist the local church in taking the vital first steps to formulating a plan to reduce the risk of an occurrence, or allegation, of sexual misconduct. If you have a policy/guideline in place, we are not asking you to replace it. The district NYI Council understands that many of our churches have existing guidelines for this purpose; we commend you for that progressive approach. However, for those churches without any policy in place, it is our prayer that you will use these resources as a springboard to adopting a comprehensive, yet loving, plan. We have consulted with an attorney to assure the validity of each form and questionnaire. Please feel free to use any combination or all of the forms on the web site as you deem necessary.

Secondly, you will find a brief, yet detailed, list of requirements on the web site for the local youth groups to follow in order to participate in district-sponsored activities/events. Again, the purpose of the district NYI Council is to make every effort to spread the Word of God to our teens in an environment in which they can feel safe. Our intentions is not to burden adult youth workers with another list of rules; however, we are committed to being proactive in this matter. Many have said, “Surely nothing will happen to our teens.” We earnestly pray that that would be the case. However, it is our firm belief that preparedness is the best act of stewardship we can perform.

If you have any questions, or would like more information, please feel free to contact either one of our Policies Task Force members listed below, or, Rev. Tim Haynes, or Rev. John Marker. Thank you for investing your lives in the teaching, equipping and building the church of today.

POLICIES TASK FORCE
Rev. Lynn Keener
Rev. Greg Kasler
Mr. Ken Fulton
Mrs. Donna Haynes
Dr. Wes Frederick