Safe Gatherings
SAFE GATHERINGS POLICY
ATONEMENT LUTHERAN CHURCH (ALC)
685 INCA PARKWAY, BOULDER, COLORADO
Approved: August 13, 2020
Because God calls us to be a cross-generational community of faith and because as God’s most important gifts, God entrusts to us to care for one another; all congregations, institutions, and ministries of the Rocky Mountain Synod are encouraged to make a commitment to be a place for Safe Gatherings for all people, regardless of ability or need.
Atonement Lutheran Church asserts that commitment in implementing this Safe Gatherings Policy in order to protect our church members, our staff, and our church, and to promote the prevention of abuse of any kind.
Atonement Lutheran Church’s (ALC) goals are:
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- To ensure that our church is a safe place for all.
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- To protect our staff and volunteers from potential false allegations of abuse.
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- To lower our church’s legal risk by establishing a program and procedures.
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- To design a program that meets the above goals while maintaining the integrity of church programs and staffing needs.
Atonement Lutheran Church has instituted the Safe Gatherings policies and procedures described in this document.
From the Rocky Mountain Synod Safe Gatherings Resource:
The church must be a place where no one is put down, no one is taken advantage of, and no one is measured by his or her wealth, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, ability, or age. The church has always been about the work of lifting up and caring for the powerless (Deut. 10:17-18). The church must be the one place where everyone trusts that they will be welcomed, safe, and nurtured. The church must earn this trust and do everything in its power to shape, maintain, and radiate as a community of trust. (Ephesians 4:12-13)
Acknowledgements:
References consulted include:
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Rocky Mountain Synod (www.rmselca.org)
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ParentingSafeChildren (www.safersociety.org)
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Blue Sky Bridge (Boulder County Child Advocacy Center) (https://blueskybridge.org/protect-a-child/resources )
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