Protection of Children and Youth, Part One

Written by Paula L. Ratliff and Chester L. Quarles

(This is part one of a two-part series offering insights to help prevent child and youth abductions at church and molestations by church leaders.)

A Real-Life Scenario

In Tennessee, a church member approached the church's pastor, accusing the youth leader of making inappropriate remarks and fondling a teenage girl. The pastor confronted the youth leader, who also served as a deacon, privately. The youth leader denied the incident.

However, the alleged victim's mother began to discuss the incident with other mothers and quickly discovered her daughter was not the first who had been touched or talked to inappropriately. The youth leader had allegedly hugged, touched, and kissed several females.

The pastor chose to support the the youth leader in this case. However, several years later, after the pastor had left, another pastor arrived on the scene. A new allegation was made against the youth leader, and the new pastor addressed the issue promptly.

As the aberrant youth leader's life spun out of control, he made new inappropriate phone calls and wrote inappropriate letters to other women and girls of the church, which were recorded or documented. The pastor approached him and offered counseling and reconciliation. The youth leader's only reaction, however, was absolute denial.

The pastor had to make a decision, so he decided, with the blessing of the deacons of the church, to present the evidence to the church-at-large in a business meeting, the purpose having been previously announced, under the guidelines of 1 Corinthians 5 as well as other Scriptures relating to church discipline.

The accused youth leader again denied any wrongdoing and refused to consider counseling or stepping down from his leadership roles. Based on the testimony of witnesses, both adult and youth, the church decided to rescind the deacon’s ordination, and he was barred from the fellowship of this church. During this time frame, he was also discharged from his secular job for sexual harassment in non-church related incidents.

How could this situation have been avoided? How must it be resolved? How would your church handle an accusation such as this one? How would your pastor handle the situation? Would the investigation be conducted in a fair and consistent manner? Would the church trust the decision of the pastor and the deacons, or would it split the church?

When it comes to protecting our children and our youth, we must have procedures in place to ensure that they are not being victimized in any way and that they are safe and secure while in our midst.

Child Molestation and Exploitation

The crime described above, child molestation and exploitation, is a crime that has long-term consequences. The sin harms the victim both immediately and throughout his or her life. Many studies conclude that molestation increases the likelihood of youthful and adult alcohol consumption, drug abuse, and even the counterphobic indicators of promiscuity.

Christians tend to believe that they can always recognize evil people, but this is a myth. Child molesters aren’t easily spotted and identified. There are no visible indicators guaranteeing recognition of pedophiles. Pedophiles do not all wear sinister expressions. They often are distinguished, well-dressed men who may even be leaders in their communities. In fact, co-author Quarles’ first criminal investigations into child molestation involved a married pastor who was a father.

Most child molesters are bisexual. In a true pedophile versus homosexual relationship, the sex of the child is not important; however, the age and immaturity of the child is very important. The molester wants a child or a young person regardless of the sex. The traditional descriptions of homosexuality or heterosexuality don’t exist for the pedophile.

Pedophiles seek children because of the innocence of their youth, that they are untouched by others and that they feel they have power over them. In many cases, the pedophile does not believe that he is hurting them in any way. He often believes that he is helping them prepare for the future and that he is so kind and gentle that they actually want his advances.

Read Part Two of this two-part article series.

Paula Ratliff has completed her Master’s Thesis on Church Crimes in America through the National Crime Prevention Institute at the University of Louisville.

Chester Quarles is a Professor in the Criminal Justice Program at the University of Mississippi and a deacon at Tula Baptist Church.

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