Boundary Training

May 29, 2024 | Announcements, PCUSA, Policies | 0 comments

“God has entrusted you with something precious to Him – His children. Designed with the special needs of churches in mind, in Keeping Your Church Safe you will learn five specific ways your actions can keep children safe, the importance of keeping a watchful eye, what to do in the case of suspicious situations, and how to respond to inappropriate behavior.”

From the Course Description

The Presbytery of Nevada has chosen Praesidium Academy, offered by the Insurance Board, to fulfill the boundary training requirement.
Please disregard the “required courses” in the top banner of the course page. The Presbytery did not choose these, and we are not allowed to modify them. The Presbytery apologizes for the confusion.

Presbytery members, including Minister members, Commissioned Ruling Elders, Inquirers, and elected commissioners from each congregation, can take their training for Presbytery by emailing the stated clerk for an invitation to enroll in Praesidium Academy.

Our complete policy is in our Administrative Manual under Policy #10. Briefly, Presbytery directs members of Presbytery (above) to fulfill their training with these three courses from Praesidium Academy

  • Keeping Your Church Safe

  • Preventing Abuse and Exploitation in Pastoral Ministry

  • Safeguarding God’s People: Preventing Sexual Harassment

     

    The above course has been retired by Praesidium Academy. Until the Equipping Committee updates the courses, it is suggested to take:

    Promoting a Safe Environment: Supervisor Sexual Harassment Training (ENG)” course instead.

Sessions are free to choose their policy on how to fulfill the requirements of G-3.0106, including what training they require of their members every 36 months. Your insurance agent may have training options to consider.

The Praesidium Academy is far more than a check-the-box collection of e-learning courses. Instead, it is a comprehensive system based on learning theory and best practices in adult learning. At the core of the Praesidium Academy is a continually expanding library of engaging courses, each with clearly defined outcomes. Courses include research-based content, highly interactive multimedia activities, application scenarios, and a content mastery quiz.

Click the image or text above to read more.

Church Mutual has partnered with MinistrySafe® | Abuse Prevention Systems® to provide you with tools and resources to help proactively prevent child sexual abuse. MinistrySafe | Abuse Prevention Systems has filmed a condensed version of their child abuse prevention workshop, so it can be viewed online at no cost.

Click the image or text above to read more.

Safe Gatherings is a comprehensive system that incorporates an online application, online abuse prevention training, several levels of background checks, and paperless reference checks for people who volunteer or are employed with churches, schools, and organizations that serve or work with children, youth, and vulnerable adults.

Click the image or text above to read more.

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OR your own local solution! Each council (see below) makes their own policy. Some will do yearly boundary training as a group during officer training, others with have a guest speaker and open it to the entire congregation, others will choose some other procedure. Write the policy that fits your congregation and then follow the policy to fulfill G-3.0106 (see below)

PC(USA) Book of Order

All councils shall adopt and implement the following policies: a sexual misconduct policy, a harassment policy, a child and youth protection policy, and an antiracism policy. Each council’s policy shall include requirements for boundary training which includes the topic of sexual misconduct, and child sexual abuse prevention training for its members at least every thirty-six months.
Book of Order

G-3.0106, PC(USA)

Councils

Session
The session is the council for the congregation. It shall be composed of those persons elected by the congregation to active service d as ruling elders, together with all installed pastors and associate pastors. – G-3-0201
Presbytery
The presbytery is the council serving as a corporate expression of the church within a certain district and is composed of all the congregations i and ministers of the Word and Sacrament within that district. The presbytery shall adopt and communicate to the sessions a plan for determining how many ruling elders each session should elect as commissioners to presbytery, G-3.0301
Synod
The synod is the intermediate council serving as a corporate expression of the church throughout its region. It shall consist of not fewer than three presbyteries within a specific geographic region.
When a synod meets, it shall be composed of commissioners elected by the presbyteries. G-3.0401
General Assembly
The General Assembly…shall consist of equal numbers of ruling elders and ministers of the Word and Sacrament elected by the presbyteries. G-3.0501