Resources e-letter 25:6 - November 2025

NEW: Safeguarding  - a vital responsibility

I have not written on safeguarding before but here is a short paper for church leaders and Trustees which shows just why good safeguarding practice is so important.

Safeguarding is far from  just another box to be ticked. Its foundations go deep down into an understanding of what it is to be a local church. The reasons are explained under three headings which I use elsewhere to define a healthy church.

• The ‘Godward’ aspect of church life, showing that any form of abuse is sin and that leaders worship God by living godly lives and serving a God of both love and justice.

• The ‘Usward’ aspect of church life, showing that safeguarding is part of pastoral care, and a shepherding responsibility of leaders to enable their church members to flourish in the faith.

• The ‘Outward’ aspect of church life, warning of the dangers to our witness and evangelism if we enable unreported abuse in church or at home, or build structures which lack thorough accountability.

The notes conclude with a set of discussion questions on these themes.

Training Notes TN159,  Safeguarding – a vital responsibility, are now available without charge on the Training Notes index page of this website.
    

A summary of new resources uploaded

Although I retired from client work at the end of last year I am continuing to add to my printed resources on the website. Here is a listing of the new items uploaded during 2024 and 2025.

Training Notes

 TN151    Loss of leadership passion

 TN152    Should a church set ‘targets’?

 TN153    How not to manage volunteers!

 TN154    Prayer sessions that engage

 TN155    The value of the ‘Blob picture’ tool

 TN156    Preparing a house-style guide

 TN157    The value of reviewing the past

 TN158    Body language: take care

 TN159    Safeguarding – a vital responsibility

DIY Workshops

W4        How to work with volunteers (enabling every-member ministry work in practice)

W5        How to manage yourself (for Ministers and leaders on handling time and stress)

W6        How to become a welcoming church (fun training for all welcomers)

Please ensure all these materials are widely promoted in your church. Thank you for your interest in my website.