Boundary Training a Hot Topic

Dear Friends,

Boundary training is a topic that we need to lift up to make sure that all our churches and leaders are creating safe and healthy places for everyone to come closer to God in their learning, service, and social activities. Anyone in your church who works with children, youth, or vulnerable adults must have training in abuse prevention and reporting. All Teaching Elders and Ruling elders are required to have boundary training every three years.

In order to help you access this training, COMT has recommended several different programs for you to access. I’ve taken the online classes through Praesidium and Safe Gatherings, and I’ve signed up for the Leaderwise training on October 21-22. If there is a way I can be helpful to you, please email me at oursundaybest@hotmail.com or call the Presbytery phone number and leave me a message – I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!

Grace and peace,

Christina

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Many sessions across the Presbytery are having discussions regarding the necessity for Boundary Training. “We don’t have any kids anyway!” “I don’t have three hours to spend learning something that I already know!” “We have to do this more than once? I already had the training a couple of years ago, why do I have to go through it again?”

During the COMT meeting, held on Oct. 7, we looked at this requirement, and it was noted that the pastors and CREs have known about the need for Boundary Training for some time now.  We decided that we needed a deadline to show the seriousness of this issue.

For now, we are asking all of the pastors and CREs in the Presbytery of Southern Kansas to complete their required Boundary Training prior to the next Presbytery meeting which will be on November 18 at First Presbyterian Church in Wichita.  The Boundary Training needs to be renewed every three years.  If you have had this training within the last two years, please send a copy of your certificate to our Stated Clerk Joe Wiseman so that he can verify that we have the correct information.

There are many ways to receive this training.  If your church has a policy with Praesidium, they offer free boundary training.  Safe Gatherings charges $29 while the current acceptable course is Convergence, which is around $200.  Leaderwise also offers a course online for $98.  November is coming up so it might be a good idea to hop onto this and start the process.  Please contact Christina Berry (oursundaybest@hotmail.com) if you have any questions.

At our next COMT meeting in November, we will address the situation regarding the other members of our congregations that will also need Boundary Training.  Stay tuned!