Episode Summary:

In this eye-opening episode of the Lead Security Podcast, host Preston Hocker delves deep into a critical issue faced by many church communities: recognizing and managing potential abuse. With over 20 years of experience in church security and as a fourth-generation pastor, Preston shares his expertise and practical insights into identifying signs of abuse, taking immediate action, and implementing thorough procedures to ensure a safe and nurturing environment for all congregants. Tune in to learn about situational awareness, the importance of incident reporting, and effective communication strategies when dealing with sensitive situations.

• Situational Awareness: Understanding and practicing situational awareness is the first defense line in identifying potential abuse or neglect.
• Immediate Action: Knowing the importance of not delaying when confronting potential abuse and involving the appropriate ministry directors and pastoral leadership.
• Effective Communication: Strategies for having sensitive conversations without leading or interrogating, ensuring open lines of communication, and observing non-verbal cues.
• Procedure and Reporting: The necessity of having clear, actionable procedures for abuse management and the role of incident reports in improving community safety.

• "We didn't wait a day or even a minute. We immediately went to the parents and asked them to step out of service for a few minutes while we started our procedure."
• "The first line of defense is always going to be being situationally aware."
• "Reports provide objective information, through which leaders can identify areas of improvement and establish a culture of safety and security."
• "When managing these types of situations with care, even a nightmare such as abuse or neglect has a way of leading people back to the foot of the cross."

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