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SAFE SANCTUARIES

Holston Conference Office of Connectional Ministries

Safe Sanctuaries

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is Safe Sanctuaries?

Safe Sanctuaries is the name commonly given by local United Methodist Annual Conferences and local churches to their individual efforts to make conference, district, and local church programs welcoming and safe for children and youth. Safe Sanctuaries is the title of two guidebooks, Reducing the Risk of Child Abuse in the Church and Reducing the Risk of Abuse in Youth Ministries, written by United Methodist deacon and lawyer Joy Thornburg Melton and published by Discipleship Resources in 1998 and 2003, respectively. Both books are available at your local Cokesbury store or through www.discipleshipresources.org or www.cokesbury.com.

Is there a set standard of care that local churches must follow?

Although Safe Sanctuaries is a guide published to help local congregations in planning, Safe Sanctuaries, Discipleship Resources, The United Methodist Church, and the Holston Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church are not engaged in the practice of law and accounting. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a professional advisor should be sought. Safe Sanctuaries does not establish a standard of care for churches. Each local church makes its own decisions and determines what is best for it. Safe Sanctuaries and Holston Conference of The United Methodist Church provide information that may be helpful to churches.