TAMPA, Fla. — Florida Baptist executive pastor Chris Dotson believes that building a fence really high is a matter of “gospel integrity.” He takes this conviction to heart in guarding South Tampa Fellowship against sexual abuse.

“We take this seriously,” Dotson said. “We want to ensure that the church is the safest environment for our children and students as we seek to help people find and follow Jesus.”

Because South Tampa senior pastor JJ Johnson had served as chairperson of a special committee tasked with examining sexual abuse issues for the Florida Baptist Convention in 2021-2022, the church found it critical to use an outside, third-party organization to assist it in evaluating and auditing its policies and procedures.

That is where the Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention (ECAP) comes in.

ECAP was created in 2019 to provide awareness, accreditation and trusted resources to help Christian organizations, nonprofits and local churches in child protection and abuse prevention. To receive accreditation, a church must go through a strenuous audit process and successfully demonstrate compliance to ECAP’s thorough Child Safety Standards, earning the church the right to display its accreditation seal, a symbol of trust for families who participate in the ministry.

According to Jeff Dalrymple, ECAP executive director, the organization was born out of a desire to “proactively serve churches from a distinct Christian worldview.” ECAP leaders seek to accomplish this weighty task of abuse prevention through a two-tiered approach — informing ministry leaders on what to do and the implementation process of such standards.

As a charter member of ECAP, South Tampa Fellowship at least annually conducts mandatory training for all church employees and requires background checks and screenings for all staff and volunteers — with periodic trainings and even online resources designed for parents and families.

“To be a charter member of ECAP, we really wanted to be on the ground-up level of this organization and contributing financially,” Dotson said. “They were really an answer to prayer — an organization coming alongside us and helping us think through and evaluate our processes.”

‘Incredibly worth it’

The ECAP accreditation process is no small task.

Stating that the church did not want to live in a state of naiveté but did want to seek a “peace of mind,” Dotson said the church launched into a two-and-a-half-year process — from late 2021 to Fall 2024 — which included evaluating current processes, forming teams of staff and lay-leaders, writing specific standards to fit the DNA of the church, on-campus trainings, and conducting a one-year audit and practicum study of how the new policies and procedures actually functioned in each area of ministry.

Dotson is convinced that the “long, arduous process” of obtaining accreditation was “incredibly worth it” and put the church in a place for continued gospel ministry for years to come.

“Anything that is worth doing is typically hard,” he said. “Just because it is hard and made life difficult for a bit doesn’t mean that it is wrong to do. It was incredibly worth it … and it gave us the confidence that we are doing things above board.”

Dalrymple commended the church for its hard work.

“This major milestone that they have accomplished is worth celebrating,” he said.

‘Open door for gospel conversations and trust’

Dotson said the Central Florida church and its leadership have noted numerous advantages since gaining accreditation in November. On a staff level, Dotson believes the intentional policies, procedures and training have provided “comfort and confidence” in the various ministries and has “established a playbook” by which each pastor and director can lead and care well. In regard to parents and families, Dotson is convinced that the accreditation has been a game changer in establishing trust.

“When parents see the lengths that we have gone through in order to ensure their children are protected, it becomes an open door for gospel conversations and trust,” he said. “The currency in ministry to young families is trust … they recognize that this is a different type of place, and we have received more active participation in our ministries because of our accreditation.”

Wanting to replicate the processes as it adds more campuses throughout neighborhoods in Tampa, the church also sees this as a means of “fueling growth.” Dotson said the main goal of keeping the next generation safe is so that Christ and the gospel remain the main things.

“We truly believe that we have done everything we can to make our church the safest place possible for children and students to learn God’s Word,” he said.

More Florida Baptist churches seeking ECAP accreditation

In Florida, “multiple churches” are developing sexual abuse prevention programs that align with ECAP’s standards, said Dalrymple.

Today, more than 30 Florida Baptist churches are moving forward in their accreditation process. The Florida Baptist Convention established an affiliate relationship with ECAP in 2023 “for the primary purpose of training/resourcing Florida Baptist churches in the areas of child protection, abuse prevention and response.”

As an affiliate organization with the Convention, ECAP will provide a 20% discount to cooperating Florida Baptist churches that seek to have their ministries accredited through the ECAP process.

ECAP also provides Florida Baptist churches with various resources, free webinars and in-person and virtual training. This year, ECAP will host several in-person trainings across the Sunshine State including Ocala, Miami and Lake Yale.

The Convention has allocated monies for scholarships to help Florida Baptist churches, with fewer than 500 in attendance, cover half of the application fee with ECAP.

“The Florida Baptist Convention is leading the way,” said Dalrymple. “The convention hands-down has led the way in helping us launch … and challenging us to think outside the box and even providing scholarships to ensure that finances are not an obstacle.”

Other Florida Baptist churches that partner alongside ECAP include Hibernia Baptist Church, Fleming Island; Schindler Drive Baptist Church, Jacksonville; First Baptist Church, Orlando; and First Baptist Church, Naples.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Jessica Pigg is the director of women’s ministry at Fellowship Baptist Church in Immokalee, Fla., where her husband Timothy is senior pastor. This story originally appeared at the Florida Baptist Witness.)