Project Safe Church exists to train and equip others to recognize and respond to abuse in biblically redemptive yet legally and ethically responsible ways. Though we are not an official church organization, we guide our operations by the ethics policies of the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.
Our Purpose
We initiate awareness and education on abuse and biblical principles for responding to abuse reports. We cooperate with church leadership and law enforcement for the well-being of survivors, the church's reputation, and the potential redemption of perpetrators.
We offer a confidential online platform for reporting abuse occurring within the Seventh-day Adventist denomination. We do not work for or represent the church, but we work with church leadership to bring responsible claims and information about abuse to their attention for proper resolution. We train leaders and constituents to recognize and respond to abuse reports, and empower survivors to take appropriate action.
We strive to alert and protect the innocent, aid victims on their path to healing, promote education and awareness, investigate the credibility of reported abuse, prevent false accusations, collaborate with trusted leaders for necessary action, and ensure accountability for all.
Frequently Asked Questions
Project Safe Church accepts reports from individuals who believe they were abused by leaders of any congregation, school, or other entity within the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Project Safe Church connects a staff of abuse response experts under Abide Network to various entities within the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Trained practitioners review abuse reports and provide support. Project Safe Church is not officially affiliated with any law enforcement or government agency. It is not under the auspices of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
No. Unless your report is about abuse of a minor (under the age of 18), you retain the ability to choose whether to speak out to either law enforcement or church leadership.
Your report will be reviewed by a trained practitioner, and that person will work with you to decide whether you want to share it more widely, either in the church or to law enforcement.
Your name will not be disclosed to anyone outside of Project Safe Church unless you provide written permission to do so.
Your confidential report will be seen by the trained team who manages case files. It will then be kept secure for the purpose of cross-checking reports from other survivors.
With the exception of reports involving minors, Project Safe Church will never reveal the identity of those making reports to anyone outside of Project Safe Church without their knowledge and permission.
Reports of past, ongoing, and suspected abuse are accepted.
Project Safe Church actively cooperates with appropriate law enforcement on credible reports of current abuse, and especially on the abuse/suspected abuse of minors, the disabled, or other vulnerable populations.
Project Safe Church is run by a trained and licensed Seventh-day Adventist counselor with many years experience in working with the Church to report and prevent abuse. This knowledge has been passed on to the support staff. We cooperate with the North American Division as well as various Unions and Conferences to provide support and resources to deal with claims sensitively, confidentially, and fairly.
We recognize that trust is at the core of all efforts to empower survivors to come forward, speak out, and keep abusers accountable.
Project Safe Church is an initiative of the 501 c-3 nonprofit corporation Abide Network and is funded through private donations.
History
We gratefully acknowledge that most clergy, church school teachers, administrators, coaches, and other leaders in our faith community are morally sound individuals — but unfortunately, some are not safe. Using power to their advantage, these individuals prey on both adults and children within the church, often hiding behind a charming guise of devout religiosity.
Far too often, our beloved Seventh-day Adventist Church has become unsafe for the vulnerable and the wounded. Fortunately, the church has sexual ethics policies in place which we believe must be implemented to support survivors, warn the innocent, and protect future victims from unrepentant perpetrators.
Project Safe Church educates church leaders and members about signs of abuse, and how to handle cases of abuse with biblical redemption and legal and ethical responsibility.
You Can Make an Impact
Host
Host a Project Safe Church training event in your church, school, or community.
Report
Report allegations
of abuse through the Project Safe Church website and encourage others to do the same.
Share
Share posts to raise awareness about godly response to abuse on your social media feeds.
Pray
Pray for survivors,
for the repentance of perpetrators, and a safer church environment for all.
How It Works
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Survivors or witnesses submit online allegation reports.
Reports help develop a database useful in identifying individuals likely to abuse others. When a name has been identified by more than one survivor, those survivors are notified. Each survivor is free to decide whether or not to reveal their identity.
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Reports are confidentially reviewed and added to case files.
These records are cross-checked to determine whether an alleged perpetrator has been reported by more than one survivor. Survivors from the same alleged perpetrator are notified and given the opportunity to take action, either individually or collectively.
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Submitting reports indicates an agreement to be contacted confidentially.
Survivors who submit an Abuse Report Form will be confidentially contacted by a member of Project Safe Church to provide resources for recovery and healing, and support for any action that may need to be taken.
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Reports are only shared with permission.
Abuse recovery coaches communicate directly with survivors to decide the best course of action, which may include: filing police reports, informing church leadership, and/or individually or collectively warning others of a dangerous individual. This is done with discretion and a view toward preserving as much as possible the reputation of the entities represented by the individual.
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Confidentiality is paramount.
Survivors’ reports remain anonymous and their identity is not disclosed outside of the PSC team.
Trust is at the core of all efforts to empower survivors to come forward, speak out, and keep abusers accountable.