Crabtree, Better Safe Than Sued

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Jack Crabtree, Better Safe Than Sued: Keeping Your Students and Ministry Alive, Book and CD-ROM. Youth Specialties, 2008.

Referenced in: Church Administration – Tax, Legal, and Risk Management

LifeandLeadership.com Summary

This is a recognized standard for safety issues in working with teens. It is for teens what Thornburg’s Safe Sanctuaries is for young children and vulnerable adults.

From the Publisher

Most youth workers will admit that they don’t spend a lot of time thinking about safety in their youth ministry. Sure, they shout, ‘Seat belts!’ when the crew loads into the van, or they use the buddy system when at theme parks. But beyond that, they’re mostly concerned with introducing students to Jesus. Nothing’s wrong with looking after their spiritual well-being, but overlooking their safety can lead to pain and problems for you, your students, your church, or your community. The reality is, whether it’s a game of dodgeball in the church gym, or a rock climbing trip during a summer retreat, you have precious cargo in your care, and it’s your responsibility to make sure they return home safely and in one piece.

Better Safe Than Sued is an essential guidebook for anyone in youth ministry—-paid or volunteer, veteran or rookie. Along with questions to get you thinking about your own ministry context after each chapter, inside you’ll discover how you can make your ministry a safe place for students and leaders as you read about:

  • Safety while riding in buses, vans, and cars
  • Camps, retreats, and conferences
  • Selecting staff
  • Avoiding sexual misconduct
  • Establishing a No-Bully Zone
  • How to handle injuries

Make sure your ministry is safe and that you’re protected so you never have to be the one saying, ‘I never took safety seriously until …’

About the Author

For more than 35 years, Jack Crabtree has been working with young people and youth leaders on Long Island with Youth for Christ. He loves ministry settings where kids are engaged and honest, and he hates visiting hospital emergency rooms. Jack is married to Becky (his high school sweetheart) and is the father of two grown sons and a daughter-in-law. He also enjoys his precious new granddaughter – Jack prays that her future youth leader will read this book.

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