You are here: Home / Archives for Insights

PROTECTION FROM PEDOPHILES

by

 Pedophile

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


By Ken Blue

 “Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:” Proverbs 24:3

No guarantees that your child will not be molested. A pedophile, a serial killer, a drug addict, or a thief can live under your roof without you knowing of their wickedness, or devices.  

  • According to a Community Information Packet provided by the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office in Washington State, one in four girls are assaulted by age 18. One in five boys is assaulted by age 18. Over 1/3rd of child sexual abuse involves children age five or younger. 85-90% of child sex offenders are known to the victims and their family.

Most pedophiles are male, but not all. Pedophiles love to play with and be around children. Obviously they feel safer, and find it easier to control and “groom” them. We will speak more about the grooming process later. Not every person who loves to play with children is a pedophile, but when they prefer to be with small children rather than adults, it might be a red flag.

Not all pedophiles are stalkers. They fall into three major categories. We will also deal with these in another blog.

In this article there are some things I believe you should consider in order to protect your church and children.

  • Submit a background check on every person who works with children under 18. You can secure these from the police department, county sheriff, or State Patrol. Explain to the one you are doing the background check, that it is being done, and why. If they refuse, you already know they have a past.
  • Do not give them the ministry until you get the background report back. Wait until the report is processed, and you have it in hand before you meet with the person. If the report is negative, never place that person in a ministry where they will be alone with children.
  • Have two male teachers in every boy’s class. Explain to each teacher, if he/she sees any inappropriate behavior they should warn the other teacher. Knowledge of actual sexual abuse must be reported to the police at once.
  • Have women teach girls, and men teaching boys.
  • Have windows in every classroom.
  • Do not allow any obstruction on the windows, for any reason.
  • Have the class arranged so you can see the teachers through the glass.
  • Have hall monitors to look through the glass twice during class time. Do not have a set routine for these checks.
  • Never allow teachers to go in the bathroom with a child. Have them stand outside the door.
  • Never allow students to sit on the laps of male workers.
  • Install cameras in key locations. If you need advice, ask a police officer for help.
  • You are required by law to report any sexual complaint from an adult or child.  
  • You could also contact your insurance company for advice. In some cases, your cost will go down when you impalement deterrents to sexual abuse. 

(Special thanks to Officer Mike McBride for suggestions, and providing the literature we are gleaning from).

 

THREE BLIND MICE

by

 

 blind mice

 

 

 

 

Recently I wrote an article on the importance of selecting songs to match the sermon. Evidently I offended some weaker brethren because I didn’t display enough love when presenting my case. Well, this one is written with love, and hope that I can help some pastors who desire to do a better job in their ministry.

 

One pastor admitted that he, and his two sidekicks were demonstrating the same lack of love and humility they saw in my article. It was beyond surprising that they would sink to the same level I was accused of, and then admit it. Oh well.

If anyone questions the wisdom of selecting songs that support the theme of his sermon, he should look at the back index of the hymnal. Not only is there a general index to every song, there is also a “Topical index!”

One might ask why the compilers would create a topical index, but the answer is too obvious.  I will not take time to list the topics, however someone thought it important enough to choose songs to support the topic of the message, and they did the work for us. If you think this issue is not important, try singing “The First Noel” next Sunday, and watch the expressions on each face. Why? It doesn’t fit!

Finally, let me freely admit that it is none of my business how you conduct your church services. It will not matter to me one bit. If you want your service to look like a Chinese Fire Drill, put together by the Marx Brothers, it is your choice. One thing for sure, if you do not plan to have a well-organized service, you can’t fail.

Now, if you don’t agree, “Can’t we just get along?”

 

THE POWER OF USING POWERPOINT

by

powerpoint

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Ken Blue

 All appears quite on the home front. The brethren who were vehemently against PowerPoint have evidently seen the light, or retreated into a cave. There is no need for fear. There never was, but anything new terrifies the brethren, until they can convince others they came up with the idea. So, do thy self no harm.

 If your church is small, and you seldom have visitors, PowerPoint will be of little value to you. Most churches of a hundred or less operate as a family atmosphere. All the members know each other by name, they are one happy family, and many hope it stays that way. Everyone has access to the pastor, and he loves it. In addition, all the members bring their Bibles, and can find the books with ease. If you don’t have visitors, and your church is not growing, you may not need Power Point.

 On other hand, if you have visitors each Sunday, PowerPoint can be a great advantage, and should be used. Keep in mind that most visitors are self-conscious, and your church is a strange environment for them. They do not want to be pointed out, nor embarrassed as they fumble through the Bible in an attempt to keep up with the pastor. So, if you want your church to grow new converts, make it easy for visitors and new members to follow you. You want your visitors to return next Sunday. Give them a reason to return.

Wisdom will dictate that you put your sermon outline, sub points, and Bible verses on Power Point. The benefits of doing this far exceed your fears. It is better to make is easy for people to trust Christ than it is to try to teach them to find verses in the Bible before they are saved. Win them first, and then teach them. Preaching and teaching is an educational process. You should use every tool available to reinforce your teaching. Power Point, and handouts will do that.

Now, for those who fear that people will not learn how to find the books in the Bible, and that is the excuse many pastors use, the key is to not put the verses up on PowerPoint in the evening service. Visitors seldom attend these services.

Pastor seldom give it a thought that most believers in both Testaments did not have a Bible in their hand. The priest or the preacher read aloud, and the people listened. So, don’t get the idea that the Bible is a fetish that must be held in your hands. It is the Word of God, no matter how it is proclaimed.  

 

You should not throw the baby out with the bath water. Learn how to balance your ministry so you can best help those who attend. However, you should create handouts of your sermon, and let the people fill in the blanks. Yours is a teaching ministry. Let wisdom guide you instead of fear.

Creating an outline, and putting Bible verses for PowerPoint will require a little more effort on your part. However, the benefits far outweigh the time invested. Don’t allow PowerPoint paranoia  to paralyze you. I believe there are two reasons pastors refuse to do the above; it requires work, and they are lazy, they fear what other pastors will think and say.

 

IS THE MUSIC IN STEP WITH YOUR MESSAGE?

by

 

 marching

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Ken Blue

Perhaps the best example of “the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing,” is in the lack of coordination between the Pastor’s sermon, and the music director’s selection of songs. Seldom do these two connect the music with the message. I have watched song leaders pick songs for the service five minutes before a service begins.

Pastor, if you perform a wedding, the party selects wedding songs and music to match the occasion. If you serve at a funeral, the songs match the event. At a birthday party, they sing “Happy Birthday.” So, why is it that most song services in church have no connection to the sermon? The reason, no doubt, is ignorance of its importance, or a lack of planning by the pastor. Many pastors have no idea what their sermon subject will be a week from Sunday. That may be the real cause of the problem.

Another reason for the problem, is the pastor is too lazy to plan his preaching schedule, and topics. Therefore, he doesn’t have any plan for the music ministry. This takes time, thinking and planning. Many pastors don’t have any plans beyond next Monday morning. This is inexcusable.

Everything that happens in the service should reinforce and support the purpose of the sermon. This includes all the services. That means that the Pastor must plan all sermons or subjects weeks before they are preached. He must then meet with the music director and see that the songs support the sermon.

How is it at your church? Do the songs have any real purpose or are they just filler? Are the songs selected because they are familiar, and old favorites, or do they promote the theme of your message? Think about it, and see how next Sunday’s selection matches the goal of your message.

One way to correct this problem is for the pastor to fill out the order of service, and see that all involved in the music ministry receive it. Include in it the song selection. If you are doing a theme for a month, ensure that everyone, who needs to know is informed of what you expect. The more people you have supporting your objective, the more likely you are to achieve it, and the more you communicate, the more they will be able to help you. You are trying to get a point across with your sermon, I hope. Why not plan so the music will assist in that goal? Are you lazy?

 

TWO TEST OF LEADERSHIP

by

 

leadership

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Ken Blue
Of all the management skills, leadership is the most difficult to define. What are the ingredients that make one a great leader? Many books are written on the subject, and we can memorize the steps, but many times something is lacking. We will let other wrestle for the answer.
This article is not a repeat of those oft published steps that one finds on the shelf. Rather, it is about two undeniable qualities, anyone can measure. They are simple, and to the point.

1. Leaders have followers. A large crowd does not mean great leadership. I have seen many leaders who were only “a flash in the pan,” or like “fourth of July fireworks.” In time their true character became evident, and the followers disappeared. So, a leader has followers.

2. The second test of leadership is how we respond in a crisis, or under pressure. Leaders do not blame others for their own lack of leadership. A crises brings out the best or the worst in us; Our true feelings, and character comes to the surface. Leaders are born, or hatched in the midst of a crises. The latent gift of leadership, may be dormant. If it is there, a crises, no doubt, will give it cause to emerge.

So, the two test of leadership, are, do you have a following, and how do you respond in a crises? These, you can see and judge; so can everyone else.