Safe Church Practices

The Presbytery of Greater Atlanta is committed to helping the people within its congregations worship and serve in churches that are free from discrimination and abuses of all kinds.  There are several resources available to help clergy and lay membership learn more about what makes a church a safe place for all, click here for resource information.

Click here to download the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta's Policy on Preventing and Responding to Sexual Misconduct.

Sexual Misconduct Prevention Trainings

Awareness is the key to the prevention of sexual misconduct. When awareness is raised, persons are often able to spot and stop inappropriate conduct before it harms others. The Presbytery of Greater Atlanta offers Misconduct Prevention Trainings sponsored by Committee on Ministry.  These trainings are for clergy, church staff and volunteers to learn more about appropriate behavior in relationships with its members.

Child/Youth Protection Policy Models

In 2009, the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta adopted a Child and Youth Protection Policy Model as a resource for its congregations to use as sessions develop or update a policy to care and protection children and youth. This manual is simply a model to be used as a guideline and can be adopted to a congregation's specific needs. The policies contained in this manual are applicable only to churches NOT to pre-schools, schools or daycare centers that may be affiliated with your church. Pre-schools, schools and daycare centers may be subject to different legal requirements than churches; therefore, you are encouraged to seek legal guidance when developing policies for pre-schools, schools or daycare centers. 

The policy has been removed for revision. 1/27/2016