Dealing With Sex Offenders
A Tough Topic for Church Leaders

By Laura J. Brown

(UPDATE 06.27.08: Read about the recent controversy regarding sex offenders working as church volunteers in Georgia.)

At some point, you might learn that a sex offender attends your church — or wants to. What will you do?

Offer support if the person is repentant? Ask the person to leave?

Allow him or her to stay unconditionally and pray nothing happens?

If you do nothing, the offender might be tempted to harm someone else in the church, traumatizing the victim and devastating your ministry. The liability exposure is enormous.

If you ask the person to leave, tough questions about the church’s position on forgiveness might follow.

And if you offer support, you’ll need to meet the offender’s needs, overcome members’ objections, and protect vulnerable people in your flock. That’s a tall order, but it can be accomplished in many cases with careful thought and preparation.

If you think this scenario could never happen at your church, think again. Across the country, convicted sex offenders are being released from prison into communities like yours. You can’t tell who they are by looking at them. Most offenders are men, but some are women. In fact, a few convicted sex offenders are former ministry or community leaders.

People who’ve fallen into this type of sin are predisposed to do it again, even after receiving treatment. Studies indicate that sex offenders need both treatment and continuing support from others to help them to manage the thoughts, feelings and situations that led them to commit sex crimes in the past.

More than half a million people in America are listed on sex offender registries. Being placed on a registry can cause offenders to be shunned at every turn, like modern-day lepers. Recovering sex offenders might find it difficult to find acceptance anywhere outside of a church.

It’s only a matter of time before a sex offender seeks help from your ministry. What should you do? ...