Written by Joshua Reimer
Associate Pastor at Mountain View Alliance Church
I've been in ministry at my church for one year and seven months. I came from a background of bigger churches where Plan to Protect is just a way of life. No questions asked, it's just how you do ministry. However, coming to a small rural community and church, this was not a thought that had crossed the minds of pretty much anyone attending our church. As I was looking through and getting acquainted with policies and the way of ministry, I realized that there was no Plan to Protect. I really felt God putting it on my heart to stand up against this lack of security. We have a lot of community kids that come to our Sunday School and how much more of a ministry to their families would it be to show them that we care to make sure their kids are safe and secure. I rewrote all of our Policies for Ministry to Children and Youth ages 0-18 (including 18). I'm not someone who has administrative skills but with God's help and him giving me a passion for this, I was able to fully rework our system, which is no small task. I was able to research and discover easy and efficient ways of implementing the majority of Plan to Protect suggestions into our church. This, however, did not come without resistance. The first and second time running training sessions, I was pretty much nailed to the wall by my church. However, when the board stepped in and said that they were supporting this and it was going to go through no matter what, slowly but surely, people accepted a new way of doing ministry. Yes we lost some leaders, but we've gained a lot as well. We've also gained the respect of our community as they see us love their kids by making sure they are safe. It hasn't been easy and sometimes is still a really big challenge as it requires more people to do ministry, but it's worth it knowing we are all safe, not just the children. Mark 10:15-16 "'I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.' And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them."
