When a Sex Offender Shows Up At Your Church

The man sitting across your desk has just admitted to being a convicted child molester. He has served his time and now wants to attend your church. What do you do? A situation like this requires a pastor to walk a fine line between compassion for the sinner and responsibility to other parishioners. We offer the following considerations:

• Pray for discernment regarding the man’s level of sincerity and deliverance.
• Tell the man that you have a legal and moral responsibility to do everything necessary to protect the children of the church.
• Meet with your board to decide whether you will only inform key people (i.e. children’s workers, etc.) or the whole church.
• Take into account the “gossip factor.”
• Inform the man he is forbidden to be around children—especially unattended.
• Assign a mature, godly man to monitor his movements while in the church.
• Require on-going counseling with a biblical counselor who can minister to him and stay abreast of his struggles.
• Be proactive. Have a plan and be prepared to act on it decisively and quickly should disaster ever strike.