Risk assessments, sin and the trap of Pharisaism

I recently completed an admin task that I had never done before.

It was perhaps something that I should have done before, but no one had asked, and I hadn’t considered it necessary. I had managed to avoid it for 30 years. That is approximately the number of years my husband and I have led one Bible study group or another in our home. What was the task? A risk assessment for leading a church group in our home. Why, after all these years, are we now doing one? Because it was recommended as good practice at recent safeguarding training. Some of you reading this may be horrified by our previous lack of diligence, especially as we had four children at home during much of that time. Others of you may now be thinking that perhaps this is something you need to add to your to-do list.

Our culture has changed dramatically in the last few years. Anyone involved in church leadership will have spent much time considering and reconsidering safeguarding. Things that were done casually in the past are no longer straightforward. If you were involved in youth work on a summer camp, you will know that linking with young people on social media is taboo, as is writing a private sealed letter to a teenager to encourage them in their faith – you can write a postcard. Adding to the mix, pastors struggle to work out how to supervise female team members, and some make rules that mean men and women cannot car share. We are all aware of terrible pastoral failures and desperate to avoid abusive situations and relationships. We long to be diligent and careful.