Safe Sanctuary Plan

As Christians we covenant to live with integrity and love in all our relationships and to avoid exploitation of the vulnerable and the misuse of positions of power within the church or family. In recent years it has become all too common to hear of allegations and proven incidents of sexual abuse of children by clergy and other church workers. Our church council has agreed that it is time to implement a Safe Sanctuary Plan with the hope that its procedures, education and training might help to prevent potential abuse. Experiencing sexual abuse can shatter a child’s sense of safety and trust and seriously interfere with his/her future development, including self esteem, autonomy, and healthy feelings regarding sexuality. When the abuse occurs within a faith setting, the child’s ability to maintain trust in God as a loving presence and in the church as a caring community may be damaged. This plan is designed to protect the young, as well as the rights and privacy of witnesses or an alleged offender who might later be exonerated. In covenanting to provide this safety to our children and each other, we believe the Safe Sanctuary Plan will facilitate trust within our CMF family .

To view the Safe Sanctuary Plan or its supporting documents, please click on the links below. Thank you.

To Friends/Interested Parties Outside CMF: A Disclaimer

This Plan was adopted by the Cincinnati Mennonite Fellowship (CMF), and is shared, upon request, in the spirit of Christian cooperation. State statutes and local reporting requirements differ, so each congregation must consult with an attorney when preparing its own plan.

Many factors were considered in the preparation of this Plan for the Cincinnati Mennonite Fellowship, among them the size of the church, the physical facility, the history of the fellowship and the uniqueness of its membership. These and other relevant factors must be taken into account by the church organization before such a plan is adopted.

Neither CMF nor any of its employees, nor any individuals who participated in the preparation of this Plan, assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of language or information contained in the Plan as it would apply in another church setting, and also specifically deny any liability for decisions/actions made or taken, which are based upon language found in any portion of this Plan.

S. S. Plan adopted version 8.1.13
Supporting Materials.8.15.17