Before anything else, let me say this: protecting children and vulnerable people must always take precedence over protecting a church’s reputation. 

Every pastor hopes he’ll never have to navigate allegations of abuse within his church or school. I certainly did. Yet only five months into serving as Lead Pastor, that became my reality. Several months ago, Child Protective Services contacted our church regarding a report involving one of our Academy teachers. Within a week, that teacher had been arrested. I don’t write as someone who handled everything perfectly. I write as someone who made mistakes, learned hard lessons, and hopes those lessons can help another church protect the vulnerable and respond faithfully when crisis comes.

1. Take reports or accusations seriously. 

We don’t have to assume someone is guilty simply because an allegation has been made. But neither should we assume they’re innocent in the sense of allowing them to continue serving as though nothing has happened. Our first responsibility is to protect the most vulnerable. That means acting quickly. Place the individual on administrative leave, immediately remove them from any interaction with children or students, and allow the proper authorities to investigate. Administrative leave is not a declaration of guilt; it’s a prudent safeguard while the facts are being determined. Don’t hesitate. Respond decisively, prioritize safety, and let the investigation take its course.

2. Cooperate immediately and completely. 

The church should never become an obstacle to justice. We serve the God of truth, and that means cooperating quickly, honestly, and fully with those charged to investigate. Sadly, in the midst of a crisis, you’ll likely hear voices questioning whether full cooperation is really necessary. Don’t entertain that temptation. You don’t need to deliberate over whether to cooperate: you should. Let law enforcement and Child Protective Services do the work they’ve been trained and entrusted to do. Your role is not to protect a reputation or manage an investigation. Your role is to pursue truth, protect the vulnerable, and cooperate fully every step of the way.

3. Communicate with your people. 

When crisis hits, the temptation is often to protect the institution rather than the people. But the church is not a building or a brand. It is the people of God. We don’t protect God’s people (or their children) by withholding information that they need to know. Communicate as openly and transparently as you responsibly can. That doesn’t mean sharing every detail of an ongoing investigation. It does mean providing timely updates, telling people what they need to know to remain informed and safe, and being honest about what you know and what you don’t.

This same commitment to communication should extend to anyone who may have been affected. Reach out to potential victims and their families, offer counseling and pastoral care, and maintain an open-door policy for questions, concerns, and suggestions for improving your church’s care and safety practices. In times of crisis, clear communication is one of the most tangible ways you can shepherd your people well.

4. Do your due diligence in helping with the investigation. 

The church’s role is not to conduct its own investigation. That’s why reporting allegations promptly is so important. It allows trained professionals to do the work they’ve been entrusted to do. At the same time, don’t assume your responsibility ends once a report has been made. On the advice of Kimberly Norris with MinistrySafe, we contacted ministry leaders who had served alongside the alleged perpetrator in various ministries over the years. We weren’t trying to determine guilt. That responsibility belongs to law enforcement. Rather, we wanted to ensure that any relevant information was reported to the proper authorities and that no potential concerns had gone unaddressed. If our goal is to see the truth come to light, we should be willing to do whatever is appropriate to help that happen.

5. As a church, look in the mirror. 

As far as we can tell, no one in our church or Academy was aware of what was happening before the report was made. Even so, a crisis like this should prompt every church to take an honest look in the mirror. While our existing policies addressed many important issues, the crisis exposed opportunities to strengthen our practices. When it comes to protecting the most vulnerable, “good enough” should never be our standard. We should strive to do everything humanly possible to safeguard those entrusted to our care, whether in the church or in a connected school or ministry.

That includes regularly reviewing policies and procedures, strengthening accountability, and providing ongoing training in abuse awareness, grooming recognition, and mandatory reporting. Everyone who serves with children or students should receive this training, and not just once, but regularly. And if your review uncovers failures or weaknesses, don’t become defensive. Admit them, address them, learn from them, and move forward on a stronger footing. Humility is not a sign of weakness. It’s one of the clearest marks of faithful leadership.

6. Be very clear about what “gossip” is—and isn’t. 

Sadly, some churches have weaponized the word gossip to silence victims or discourage people from reporting abuse. We must never do that. In our church, no one felt we were using the word that way. But I still made a mistake. From the pulpit, I said that gossip can include sharing things that are true. What I meant was that it is sinful to spread unnecessary or harmful information about victims, those who made the report, or others involved in the situation. Unfortunately, some in our community and online understood me to be saying that people shouldn’t speak about potential abuse at all.

That taught me an important lesson: in moments like these, clarity matters. We must be explicit. It is never gossip to report a reasonable suspicion of abuse or to bring legitimate concerns to those responsible for investigating them. Churches should encourage reporting, not discourage it. At the same time, we should discourage speculation, rumor, and unnecessary discussion that can harm victims, compromise an investigation, or damage others unfairly. Distinguishing between those two is essential.

7. Seek out help from experts. 

Don’t assume you can (or should) handle a crisis like this on your own. Most pastors and church leaders have little or no experience navigating allegations of abuse, mandatory reporting requirements, or the complexities of responding well to an investigation. That’s okay. Recognizing the limits of your expertise is a sign of wisdom, not weakness.

Seek counsel from trusted organizations and professionals with deep experience in abuse prevention, mandatory reporting, legal compliance, and organizational response. MinistrySafe, for example, was an invaluable resource for us throughout this process. Their guidance brought clarity, challenged some of our assumptions, and helped us make better decisions. When the stakes are this high, don’t rely solely on your instincts or experience. Learn from those who have devoted their lives to helping churches protect the vulnerable and respond wisely when crisis comes.

8. Care for the wounded. 

In the midst of a crisis, it’s easy to become consumed with investigations, policies, media inquiries, and public communication. But don’t neglect the people who are hurting right in front of you. Even when only allegations exist, there are real people carrying real pain: victims, families, children, parents, staff members, and others whose trust has been shaken. They don’t just need updates. They need shepherding. Pray with them. Listen well. Provide counseling and practical support. Be patient with their questions, fears, anger, and grief. Some will struggle to trust church leaders again, and rebuilding that trust will take time. Faithful pastoral ministry in these moments isn’t just about leading an organization through a crisis. It’s about caring well for wounded souls.

9. Don’t wait for crisis to come. 

One of the first things we did after this happened was conduct a thorough review of our policies, procedures, training, reporting practices, and overall culture of safety. We’re still doing that. But if I could give one piece of advice to churches that haven’t faced a crisis like this, it would be this: don’t wait.

Review your child protection policies now. Strengthen your screening process. Train your volunteers and staff regularly. Ensure everyone understands mandatory reporting requirements. Ask hard questions, invite outside evaluation, and implement best practices before they’re needed. No church can guarantee that abuse will never occur. But every church can take meaningful steps to reduce risk and better protect those entrusted to its care. Don’t do it merely to protect your church’s reputation. Do it because safeguarding the most vulnerable is a gospel responsibility.

10. Rest in your identity in Christ. 

No matter how faithfully you respond, a crisis like this will take a toll on you. You’ll be tempted to measure yourself by how well you managed the situation or by what others think of your leadership. Resist that temptation. You will second-guess your decisions. Others will second-guess them too. Some criticism will be deserved. Much of it won’t. You’ll never satisfy everyone, and you’ll never handle every moment perfectly.

Your identity cannot rest in your reputation as a pastor or in your church’s public image. It must rest in Christ alone. Faithfully pursue truth. Protect the vulnerable. Care for the wounded. Cooperate with justice. Lead with humility. Then entrust both your reputation and your church’s reputation to the Lord. Your standing before God has never depended on flawless leadership. It depends entirely on the finished work of Christ.

I hope you never need this list. But if you ever receive that phone call, remember that your first responsibility is not protecting the institution. It is glorifying Christ by pursuing truth, protecting the vulnerable, caring for the wounded, cooperating with justice, and shepherding God’s people with courage and humility.