When the Lord opens the door for me to talk, consult, and train with churches, classically I am talking to church administrators, facilities managers, executive pastors, and the staff member or volunteer that is in […]
Eligible churches and other nonprofits can apply for the annual FEMA Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). If awarded, the church can receive up to $150,000 per site for target hardening against potential terrorist or […]
One of my favorite pastimes after a long day of work is to sit and watch sports. During each sports season, you’ll find me enjoying my favorite Atlanta-based teams as they work together to defeat […]
Effective September 1, 2023 Texas child abuse and neglect reporting authorities will no longer accept an anonymous report.
Every state in the United States has mandatory reporting requirements related to child abuse and […]
Everyone has a story about personal information fraudulently obtained by a security breach, Phishing email scam, or sold by a vendor gathering personal information in […]
O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that man who is of the earth may strike […]
I’ve been asked a lot of questions about password managers, especially due to the LastPass hack that started in 2022 and was fully disclosed in 2023. Before getting too far into this, let me be […]
Your state could be impacted by the new California sexual abuse prevention legislation. Assembly Bill Number 2669 modifies the requirements of AB506. What did AB506 require? Which AB506 requirements are modified by AB2669, and how? What potential error is […]
Many Baptist leaders and congregation members were discouraged after the release of the Guidepost Solutions Report on May 25th, investigating actions of the SBC Executive Committee related to sexual abuse. The Report focused on sexual […]
Not every organization has chartered or hosted a Boy Scout Troop, but every organization with physical facilities must learn the lessons stemming from this massive child sexual abuse settlement. […]
Attorneys Greg Love and Kimberlee Norris, of MinistrySafe, address issues in a new California law. Elements of this law may be soon in your state. To whom does the new law apply? What action is […]
Pastors and church leaders are biblically aware that predators will prey on their church. One of the biblical roles for the pastor is to be a shepherd and guard the lambs. What pastors generally miss […]
Data security breaches are constantly in the news, but the threat of phishing scams and ransomware attacks aren’t limited to large companies. In fact, ministries are increasingly under attack by savvy cyber criminals. […]
Ransomware is a serious threat that costs a lot of unbudgeted dollars to fix. Effective protection is available! Here’s what I recommend. Ransomware is not like most malware threats that slip into systems under the radar. […]
Churches used to be able to handle a crisis or major event on their own. The current scenario is complicated by publicity on social media, a tangle of laws and regulations and the prevalence of […]
The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability has a downloadable PDF detailing what to do when fraud is discovered.1 When a church discovers embezzlement within the ministry, the following issues should be considered with the assistance of […]
In Fletch’s book, Predators—The Case of the Church Embezzler, uses a fictional case study of WheatFields Good News Church. Executive Pastor Dan Black created a report card to evaluate how the church is doing in […]
This material is from The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. With its mission of Enhancing Trust, ECFA now certifies nearly 2,300 Christ-centered churches and ministries based on its high standards in financial management, governance and […]
We have brought together material from Mike Batts and from Brother Mutual to see the scope of risk management. Mike Batts is the managing partner of Batts Morrison Wales & Lee. He has more than […]
Fraud is just about losing money, right? Fraud does have negative financial implications for churches, but the impact goes far beyond money.
Fraud and misuse of church resources can create sensational news—and not good news. Sadly, […]
In Fletch’s book, Predators—The Case of the Church Embezzler, uses a fictional case study of WheatFields Good News Church. Executive Pastor Dan Black created a report card to evaluate how the church is doing in […]
Charlie Cutler is the Managing Partner of ChurchWest Insurance Services and works with over 3,000 churches. He offers these thoughts from the perspective of an insurance agent. As ChurchWest says, “A good agent will provide […]
Not all background checks are created equal, while Protect My Ministry educates and emphasizes proper ordering, 40% or 4 out of every 10 churches are knowingly ordering a lesser search than they should. This could […]
When making personnel decisions including hiring, retention, promotion, and reassignment, employers and organizations sometimes want to consider the backgrounds of volunteers and employees. For example, some organizations might try to find out about the person’s criminal […]
Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company has a free, 60-page ebook, Child Protection in a Ministry Environment: Guidelines for Ministry Workers. With sample policies and forms, the major areas of the book are:
Tiffany Henning is an expert in human resource issues. Henning earned certifications of Professional Human Resource (PHR) and Chartered Retirement Professional Counselor (CRPC). She created a non-profit human resource network called HR Ministry Solutions to […]
In Fletch’s book, Predators—The Case of the Church Embezzler, uses a fictional case study of WheatFields Good News Church. Executive Pastor Dan Black created a report card to evaluate […]
On May 19, 2019, David and Tami Fletcher met for over three hours with Frank Pomeroy, Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Paul Buford, Senior Pastor of River Oaks Church of Sutherland […]
Insurance agents and companies often have a trove of helpful information for churches. The insurance company desires to avert tragedy from your people, prevent incidents at your church and […]
Depending on the nature of the crisis, there are various levels of communication necessary.
Often a Risk Management Team will begin as WheatFields’ did—see The Case of the Church Embezzler.” The church knows something must be done, but does not know the needed scope. Experts help teams learn the […]
These tools are provided by The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. With its mission of Enhancing Trust, ECFA now certifies nearly 2,300 Christ-centered churches and ministries based on its high standards in financial management, governance […]
Eventually most churches encounter a known registered sex offender who is either already in the congregation or desires to attend. Trying to determine whether or how to live with a wolf is dangerous and fraught […]
Use this Report Card to help you evaluate your readiness for an event at your church. Score 0 for not prepared to a 10 for fully prepared.
In the […]
There are two email scams occurring with increasing frequency. These scams hurt churches in two ways, by stealing finances and by breaking congregational trust. What are these scams? What can or should you do about […]
Our youth and children’s ministers recently said, “This is one of the most spiritually transformational events that we do.” We were discussing a camp for elementary age kids where our youth serve as counselors. It […]
Today’s public safety personnel are busy. Given the workload placed on public safety, anything you can do to make their job easier is greatly appreciated.
Collect the 5 W’s and […]
Sex abuse claims remain the top reason churches go to court each year. Fletch interviews Matthew Branaugh, editor for Christianity Today’s ChurchLawAndTax.com, about this troubling ongoing trend in the church. What policies and […]
Dan Black, Executive Pastor of WheatFields Good News Church, thought on what had been said at the Risk Management Team meeting. “Maybe I need a better handle on what risk […]
Hey Fletch … An article on XPastor mentions a doctoral dissertation by Dr. Art Hunt, I Never […]
Friday, March 1, 2019
Hey Fletch … Do you have any thoughts on putting security cameras in children’s ministry classrooms? If this is something you recommend, do you have any recommendations as to companies to get […]
In past months, scores of allegations of child sexual abuse have come to light, many for the first time. On the heels of these revelations, churches and ministries have begun to better understand that every […]
Every child-serving organization is responsible for the protection of children in its care. To discharge that responsibility, the organization should take reasonable steps to create an effective safety system that prevents child sexual abuse. These […]
Thursday, August 16, 2018
Hey Fletch … I’ve been reading in the “Hey Fletch” columns about sexual abuse. Normally I think of that as between an adult and a minor. What about sexual activity between two […]
Friday, August 3, 2018
Hey Fletch … Do you have any articles concerning sexual abuse policies in the church?
DRF—Attorneys Gregory Love & Kimberlee Norris are some of the best people working on the subject of sexual […]
Monday, July 30, 2018
Hey Fletch … With all the craziness in the world, our church is concerned about safety and security. What can you recommend?
DRF—Here is what the Federal Bureau of Investigation says: “The […]
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
Hey Fletch … In the area of sexual abuse, I heard the term “grooming.” What does this mean?
DRF—That term took me aback when I first heard it. I’m not an expert in […]
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Hey Fletch … Have you heard about this scam? According to police in Troy, Michigan, a church received a $4,500 donation for hurricane victims. Later that day, police say the donor contacted […]
Monday, July 16, 2018
Hey Fletch … I have a question concerning our security team. There are as many opinions about a security team as there are people, so I wanted to check and see if […]
Saturday, June 16, 2018
Hey Fletch … Our church has $2 million in umbrella insurance. Does that cover sexual abuse as well?
DRF—When I get a question on insurance issues, I always turn to the professionals. Insurance […]
Friday, June 15, 2018
Hey Fletch … Our church has $2 million in umbrella insurance. Does that cover sexual abuse as well?
DRF—When I get a question on insurance issues, I always turn to the professionals. Insurance […]
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Hey Fletch … my boss stole my idea and said it was his. What gives?
DRF—That’s a hard one to hear. I’m so sorry that you had this experience. Can you go back […]
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Hey Fletch … A pastor here at the church allows his assistant to work overtime and then they don’t put it on the assistant’s timecard. I have warned both of them but […]
Monday, March 19, 2018
Hey Fletch … Someone who is a supposed tax expert emailed me the following letter in response to a question: “If you buy everything you need or want in the name of […]
Friday, March 16, 2018
Hey Fletch … There was a column on January 14, 2018 that all of a church’s W2s vanished. Some insurance policies have coverage for this and the church may have a legal […]
January 14, 2018
Hey David … A shipping firm claimed they left the W-2s for all of our employees at the church’s front door. No signature was required and they left the package at 9:00 pm. […]
Malware. Ransomware. Identity and data theft. Phishing. Corporate account takeovers. Denial of service attacks. As recent headlines illustrate, cyber attacks are a real and growing risk for all organizations. It’s no longer a question of […]
As the need for a more formalized approach to security becomes the norm for many churches, some congregations are developing plans and policies to better protect their congregants and staff from active shooters.
A matter of […]
Receive training to help your church avoid sexual abuse. In 1997, a watershed lawsuit—the Rudy Kos Case—resulted in a $119 million verdict against the Catholic church for child sexual abuse. Twenty years later, much of Christendom has […]
Ministry is more than numbers. Yet church leaders are, by nature, scorekeepers. We use dashboards to evaluate how well we’re doing at church. We use numbers to get to know one another at conferences. What […]
Am I a mandatory reporter? If an adult describes having been abused as a child, am I required to report? When? How do reporting requirements impact individuals providing spiritual guidance? Around the country, state legislatures are […]
Sadly, it appears church after church is having to respond to immoral actions of pastors falling from grace. It deeply grieves me and causes me to really hurt for those churches. Young Christians and seekers […]
How has the law changed? How does this change in law affect you? Will this impact other states’ laws? On April 26, 2010, Florida lawmakers passed a bill removing the statute of limitations (or time limits) for victims […]
In recent years, our society has begun to understand the widespread nature of child sexual abuse. Studies indicate that one female child out of every three and one male child out of seven will be […]
