Let the Children Come: Preparing Faith Communities to End Child Abuse and Neglect

Are children safe at your church?What precautions have you taken to ensure they won't be abused?Do you know how to recognize the signs of child abuse and neglect?What should you do if you suspect a child in your church or neighborhood is being abused or neglected?

If you aren't sure how to answer those questions, you need Let the Children Come, a new book from Herald Press that helps churches and church-related ministries learn how to keep children safe and strengthen families.

In the context of the Bible and faith, Let the Children Come helps Christians learn about their role in ending child abuse and neglect in all communities: church, home, extended family, neighborhood, school, work. Each chapter contains real-life stories, discussion questions and action items; the appendix includes prayers, readings and exercises for use in adult education.

About the author

Jeanette Harder is on faculty at the Grace Abbott School of Social Work at the University of Nebraska of Omaha, where she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses. She is a member of First Mennonite Church in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Endorsements

"A valuable tool for helping make our homes, churches and communities safer places for children."
--Carolyn Holderread Heggen, author Sexual Abuse in Christian Homes and Churches

"In clear, readable, and quite practical terms, Harder provides fundamental resources for understanding and taking seriously our responsibility to protect our children."
--David A. Sherwood, Editor-in-Chief, Social Work & Christianity

"Weaving biblical texts, social research, and stories, Let the Children Come arrives at a compelling conclusion: the faith community must respond to child abuse .. . . there is no excuse for every church not to own a copy and to share it with staff, volunteers, and parents."
--Beth A. Swagman, Director of Safe Church Ministry for Christian Reformed Church in NA

"Let the Children Come offers valuable equipping tools for all congregations."
--Jane Woelk, Program Coordinator Voices for Non-Violence, MCC Manitoba

About the book

In the context of the Bible and faith, Let the Children Come will help Christians learn about their role in ending child abuse and neglect in all communities: church, home, extended family, neighborhood, school, work. Each chapter contains real-life stories, discussion questions and action items; the appendix includes prayers, readings and exercises for use in adult education.

From the author

"Sadly, children are being hurt and killed every day through abuse and neglect. While the church would like to believe that 'it doesn't happen here, ' research and experience tell us that it does. Members of our faith communities need training to recognize the signs of abuse and to know how to respond. Faith communities need to be reminded of their role in protecting children, strengthening families, and ending child abuse and neglect."

Read a press release about the book
Read a feature article by the author
Read the full list of endorsements
Table of Contents