I went to church every single week and attended a Christian school.  I tried to tell.  I remember attempts in fifth grade, but either I wasn’t believed or the darkness was too great – no one responded.  It wasn’t until I was almost a senior in high school that anyone listened or believed me.

Jesus said to let the little children come to him and forbid them not for such is the kingdom of God.  What if I told you that 1 in 10 children are being snatched away by a ravenous, roaring lion hiding in sheep’s clothing?  Would you be like the shepherd who left the 99 and went and sought after the one?  To what extremes would you be willing to go to protect the children of our churches?

I honestly have no recall when the abuse began in my life.  But by the time I was aware that something was wrong I had been tricked over and over and lied to repeatedly.  I was told I would be killed if I ever told.  I was told that no one would believe me if I told.  I was told that I was a participant and it was my sin also.  I felt trapped.

I was drawn into a darkness that only the power of God’s light could dismantle, but I was so totally ensnared that I could find no way out.  Those who were older than I should have protected and helped me, but they were the very ones who were my abusers.

I went to church every single week and attended a Christian school.  I tried to tell.  I remember attempts in fifth grade, but either I wasn’t believed or the darkness was too great – no one responded.  It wasn’t until I was almost a senior in high school that anyone listened or believed me.

Michael Reagan in his book Twice Adopted talks about those who prey on children as being soul-slayers. Lacking the normal human protection a child deserved I was left to conclude that God had forsaken me in that darkness in my corner of the world.

The statistics are that one in every seven girls is abused by the time she is eighteen and one in every twenty-five boys is abused by the time he is eighteen.  Given equal numbers of boys and girls that averages out to one in ten.  Let’s think about those numbers a different way.  How many children have you known that have suffered from pediatric cancer?  I can think of a few.  Thirty times that number have been abused sexually.  These numbers are not different in the church.  We are blind and foolish if we think so.

Survivors are afraid to speak up.  It is hard to speak out of the darkness.  We are afraid that we will be hurt again in the name of Christ.  Putting a survivor back together is difficult.  But we can begin to stop abuse by shedding light on the darkness.  We can talk about it.  We can preach that abusing is a sin.  We can implement policies that will protect the children.  Policies that show we will follow the Good Shepherd and seek to stop losing sheep.

The time has come.  Years ago schools and children’s organizations like Boy Scouts have instituted their own child protection policies.  Sexual predators have moved on to greener pastures for children – into the church itself.  93% of predators who are caught say that they are religious people.

The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) has come to a wonderful position.  This issue was brought up last year in General Assembly.  This year Georgia Foothills Presbytery has sent an overture to this year’s assembly.  The PCA will be able to act as a whole body!

I would encourage you to do two things: 1) write and implement a child protection policy at your own church and 2) contact your pastors and elders about this year’s overture.  Be vocal!

Resources are available for developing sound policies, both operated by PCA members:  www.SafeKidsatChurch.com and http://netgrace.org/prevention/ [Editor’s note: the original URL (link) referenced is no longer valid, so the link has been removed.]

Tanya Thomas is a member of Chestnut Mountain Presbyterian Church in Chestnut Mountain, Ga.

Read Overture 6 from Georgia Foothills Presbytery. Besides Georgia Foothills, eight other Presbyteries have endorsed the overture, asking the PCA General Assembly to answer it in the affirmative.