Lots of words have been written and information given about the dangerous current culture related to sexual misconduct and sexual harassment.
This is perhaps most alarming and disturbing as it relates to ministry and the church. Prompted by newspaper headlines and articles in the past year, the subject was dealt with most recently at the Southern Baptist Convention at its meeting in Birmingham in June.
Arguably some of the most vulnerable are youth/collegiate ministries and those who serve as student ministers, ministry volunteers, campus and collegiate ministry leaders.
Protection of students and protection of the ministry from harmful or negligent practices as well as protection of ministers in our increasingly litigious culture should be at the forefront of conversations about ministry with students today.
How does ministry with students — especially college students — deal with:
- personal counseling situations
- social media policies
- mission trips/housing
- background checks
- utilizing volunteer teachers/leaders
- campus ministry facility issues
- mandatory reporting
Every November on the eve of the annual meeting of the Alabama Baptist State Convention, collegiate ministry leaders from across the state come together for UNITE, a gathering of Alabama Baptist Collegiate Ministry Leaders.
On November 11, the UNITE event will focus on “Protecting My Ministry: A Conversation About Navigating Risk in Collegiate Ministry.” Jody Dean (New Orleans Seminary) and Emily Hamilton (Etowah Baptist Association) will lead our discussion.
Monday, November 11
4-8 p.m.
University of South Alabama Baptist Student Center
5904 Old Shell Road, Mobile
bcmlink.org/unite
The event includes dinner and is free, but we ask everyone to register so we can be good stewards of Cooperative Program-provided resources.For more information and to register visit bcmlink.org/unite.
