On Guard: Preventing and Responding to Child Abuse at Church

by Deepak Reju

In "On Guard," Deepak Reju examines why child predators target churches and offers eleven straightforward strategies to protect children from abuse and to help young victims recover if it does happen. While "On Guard" does provide practical help for building a child protection policy, it provides much more. Full of pastoral wisdom, "On Guard" recognizes that the church's response to abuse must be more comprehensive in line with her calling than a simple legal policy or clinical analysis. "On Guard" moves church staff and leaders beyond fearful awareness to prayerful preparedness with an actionable plan.

Genres: Church, Christian, Counselling, Nonfiction, Parenting, Theology, Childrens

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 27, 2014

About the author

Deepak Reju, MDiv, PhD, serves as the Pastor of Biblical Counseling and Family Ministry at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC, and is a contributing author in Christ-Centered Biblical Counseling and the forthcoming Scripture and Counseling. Deepak and his wife, Sarah, have been married over ten years and have five children.

Reviews

[Jon Pentecost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful guidance in a difficult topic. I appreciate the attention to responding to an abuser professing repentance, and on how the culture of the church helps guard against abuse, which both feel more unusual in resources on this topic.

Reju also gives careful attention to smaller churches that might not have the resources to accomplish all the best ways to guard against potential abuse. That said, some of the things that make the book very practical limit its applicability to those of us outside of a US/Europe law enforcement world.

A hard book to work through because it is very focused on some particularly dark sins in the world. But very useful and important for church leaders in every context to consider and weigh how to best protect children.

[Christian Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must need resource for church leaders. Reju articulates the dangers of the world and how churches can be on guard against those seeking to cause harm to children. A helpful read that provides real examples to demonstrate the necessity for protection in the church. The included resources are great aids that come with this work.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book on a difficult reality. Reju addresses the issue with honesty and clarity while providing helpful guidance on how churches should guard their children.

[Knowlton Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A disgustingly fantastic read. Disgusting because it is occasional, but fantastic for its insights. Perhaps more than the helpful statistics and descriptions of child abusers, and the straightforward and logical strategies that he provides for preventing and responding to child abuse at church, I appreciated his starting point: children are valuable. Enforcing policies for protecting children upon a church that doesn't value children is futile, and even more so when this attitude reflects the state of the church's leadership. A church will not protect what it does not value, and then it will be forced to create policies in response to what has happened. Leadership will not preemptively address non-issues. So, we must actually value children the way Jesus did. And this is not limited to the incarnated Christ, who invited children to Himself when his disciples would have turned them away. There is a clear theme through Scripture of God's love for the unprotected and vulnerable. Surely it follows then that children, who are extremely vulnerable, are loved and valued by their Creator. We have a responsibility to teach our children truth and to protect them. Reju labors to give strategies to protect children before abuse happens, but is also realistic enough to admit that we live in a broken world, and sometimes we will not be able to protect children. Keeping that in mind, he gives clear and helpful advice for loving victims well. This book was particularly difficult to read because Reju illustrated his points with true stories. The danger is not hypothetical. It is horrible, and real. I absolutely suggest this read for leadership, but also for members of a local church. Learn to value children. Learn the nature of this heinous abuse. Learn why churches are often specifically targeted by sexual predators. Learn practical insights for protecting one of our greatest treasures.

[Noah Senthil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Years ago, I made a personal commitment to study mental health/trauma care and sexual abuse prevention before I became a pastor again. This is one of the books I’ve been planning to read for a while.

It’s extremely practical and informative, interacting with numerous scenarios and possibilities. It’s really quite sobering, reckoning with how common sexual abuse is in the church, and how poorly it is usually handled. The emphasis on protecting children at all cost is needed, and I’m grateful for Deepak Reju’s consistent call for churches to implement Child Protection Policies, submit to and trust governing authorities, and take responsibility for the evil that happens in our midst.

This serves as a great go-to guide for prevention and response to sexual abuse in the church. The appendixes are useful too. I disagree with the way he interpreted and applied Scripture a few times, but that was fairly minor. Overall, I’m really glad I read this, and it made me increasingly grateful for my local church’s fairly rigorous Child Protection Policy.

[Jamie Bradley]

Its really sad to know that we need more people writing books like this. I would recommend every church staff member to read this book, no matter how much you already know on the topic. It is a good, sobering reminder that abuse isn't an "out there" issue, but is also an "in here" issue.

[Samuel Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a bummer this book had to be written but given the fallen nature of man this is a must read for everyone involved in caring for children. This book is incredibly helpful for understanding the responsibility the church (and other organizations) has to protect the children under our care. It also contains very practical resources for setting up or refining policies and procedures in a children's ministry.

[Chase Riebel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The warnings, preventative measures, and practical applications for protecting children within the church that can be found in this book are priceless. The value of this book cannot be overstated for vocational ministers; especially those directly involved with children, teens, and students.

Deepak Reju has provided the church with an invaluable handbook for all things necessary to protect the feeblest and purest of the flock's population: our children. This book is a necessity.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every pastor and church leader should read this book (maybe every Christian for that matter)! It’s powerful, eye opening, and motivating.

[Zak Mellgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeply sobering and practical - which it needs to be. I'm sure many churches (especially smaller churches) feel way over their heads in thinking through how to protect their kids, and this book wakes us up to the reality of predators, challenges us to change if we haven't thought well about this issue, and gives a real-world, achievable path to doing so. We are reading this right now as a ministry team and I expect this to be an invaluable resource for our church going forward. Grateful for Deepak's work.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immensely practical and quite helpful. I am sad that there is a need for resources like this bit I am glad that there is a resource like this. On Guard will help me, my kids, our church. and many others.

This is a must read for ministers(all of it) and parents(much of it). Please get a copy, get a copy for your pastor(s), and glean and apply the wisdom found here.

[Jerry Baum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that every person looking to enter church leadership in the US needs to read this book. Very well done resource that deals with some hard topics.

[Wyatt Brandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful and important book. No church is too small to prioritize proper screening, policies, and training to keep kids safe. Somebody in every church should read this.

[Patience · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough and insightful, a really excellent resource designed for churches but helpful in thinking through abuse prevention and response in other ministry contexts. The appendices offer some great sample screening questions and elements to think about when putting together child protection policies.
Having come across a few resources that have emphasized the potential damage to organizations if abuse is mishandled, I appreciate Reju’s emphasis on the church’s responsibility to victims and that abuse prevention and response policies are ultimately about protecting children and caring for victims.

[Sara Vandenbos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a “fun read”. This is, however, apart of our culture and we must be vigilant to protect our most vulnerable. This gave me many ideas to implement in policies at our church. It also gave me tangible ways to protect our children. If you’re in ministry or working with children, this is a must read. Just don’t read it at night.

[Caleb Purdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really helpful book for thinking through how to be proactive in child abuse prevention in the church. Covers topics like creating a Child Protection Policy, having a safe kids area, enforcing smart check-in and check-out policies, and more. I would highly recommend this book to anyone working in the local church and specifically for anyone working in children's and/or youth ministry.

[David DeFazio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read

This book tackled so many questions I had in regards to setting up a solid Child Protection Plan. This needs to be required for all in the church. We can’t be responsive to abuse. There needs to be a solid direction of being proactive.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn’t what I would describe as a fun read, but it’s important for church leaders to take the reality of child sexual abuse seriously. If you are doing nothing to combat sexual abuse in your church, then you are part of the problem.

[Richard Cobb · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was an excellent book about an awful topic. I hope every Christian (and Pastor) reads this book and prioritizes protecting children in their care.

I am so grateful my church is working with ECAP (Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention) and I pray many other churches will do the same.

[Rachel Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who is a member of a church, even if you don’t volunteer in children’s ministry, should read this book. Abuse is everywhere, even in the church, and we should know how to prevent it and deal with it. Highly suggest that everyone read this book!

[Ross Rohrbough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super practical!

[Micah Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Needful

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every church officer should read this book. Every church needs a child protection policy, and this book is superb at explaining why and how.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding 👏🏼

[Carsten Kates · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really deep, very heavy, but immensely helpful and informative.

[emma jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent resource for a difficult topic

[Joshua Chatman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sobering, practical, and incredibly helpful!

[Caroline Shelatz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think every person on staff or volunteering in a church should read this. On Guard was very informative on a topic that's not addressed enough and has many examples of how to make your church safer for everyone.

[Ryan Beneke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sobering but important read. I’ll never look at children’s ministry the same way again. Also offers practical advice for teaching children about sex and abuse.

[Kelton Zacharias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrible topic, incredibly practical.