International (MNN) — Child protection is a topic that churches, ministries and organizations may feel uncomfortable delving into. But it is a foundation we all need to press after with humility and dedication.
David Durance, president of TeachBeyond, says TeachBeyond is pursuing an organizational culture where child protection is a topic they comfortably engage in.
“If we start with a posture of humility and then build on what we’ve learned, I think we can end up with highly effective and ever-evolving safeguarding programs,” says Durance.
For more than 70 years, TeachBeyond staff have served as the hands and feet of Christ by providing transformational education services around the world. Their next step toward ever-increasing safeguards for children is to empower children to understand those safeguards.
“It’s not just enough now to just have the adults in the room know what’s going on. It is actually critical that the children actually understand how to report things, what things should look like, what is appropriate or inappropriate,” says Durance.
Children at a school in Kazakhstan. (Photo courtesy of TeachBeyond on Facebook)
“So much of the challenges that our kids face today is often one that involves the internet, which is something that may or may not actually happen in the classroom, and often through what happens with other kids that are their colleagues, or peers within the school.”
In 2023 TeachBeyond served kids in more than 75 countries, so their polices have a massive reach in our changing world.
“When [we] look at how Christ responds to those that are around Him that are most needy, we recognize that our life needs to also reflect that. So God is asking us to ultimately be responsible for those that He puts in our care,” says Durance.
“I would really encourage everyone to ask, ’What does our child protection or safeguarding policy look like in my church? And are we informing our kids about how to tell us if there’s a problem?’”
Please, don’t forget to pray. Ask God to give TeachBeyond team and teachers wisdom to protect children well. If you are passionate about safeguarding kids, connect with TeachBeyond at teachbeyond.org.
“We’re always always recruiting in this area. We want more people in our organization helping us think about this and helping us deliver a high-quality program around the world that safeguards the most marginalized that God’s given us,” Durance says.
Header photo courtesy of TeachBeyond.
