Safeguarding & Abuse

The Zion Bishan safeguarding team was formed in 2018 to respond to abuse and misconduct issues in our church family, and to educate and disciple the Body of Christ on what Scripture teaches regarding these things.

1. What is Safeguarding?

Safeguarding is the process of protecting people from abuse or neglect. Abuse is a sin and offense towards the Living God because abuse harms His precious image-bearers. We aim to build a safe culture in Zion Bishan so that the church may be a place where we protect each other, especially the most vulnerable. We desire that every member and visitor can freely enjoy what God intends church to be – a place to truly know our Lord Jesus.

2. Why do we have a Ministry of Safeguarding?

Scripture mandates it – The Bible is absolutely clear about the responsibility of God’s people to care especially for the vulnerable. Consider this: there are more than 2,000 references to issues of justice and injustice in Scripture – from which many principles of safeguarding and caring for one another can be gleaned. Whether you’re flipping through the pages of Exodus, meditating on the Psalms, or doing an intense study of the book of James, you will find repeated exhortations to care for the least among us.

The Church needs it – We are a community and family committed to holiness, as our God Himself is holy and set apart from the world. Yet, while Christ has cleansed us to be holy by His loving sacrifice, we still live always in the reality of sin and evil. We must not pretend that the church if free from abuse, but be ready to deal with it if and when it happens. To be the light of the Lord to the world (Isaiah 51:4; 60:3; Matthew 5:14-16), we must first allow God who is light to bring the sins in the church out into His exposing and illuminating light.

3. But does abuse even take place in churches?

Yes, it does. In a 2019 survey conducted by IPSOS and United Women Singapore, it was found that 30% of Singaporeans claimed they or someone close to them had experienced domestic abuse before (source). Globally, about 30% of women aged 15 and older—have experienced physical and/or sexual violence at least once (International Violence Against Women Survey). For children, it is estimated that possibly over half of all children aged 2–17 (more than 1 billion globally) experience some form of violence each year—including maltreatment, bullying, emotional abuse, neglect, etc (World Health Organisation).

Building a safe culture is a deeply challenging task no less because it requires us to change our mindsets for a start. It involves confronting the reality of sin, recognising that abuse can occur anywhere, even within a church community; taking steps to prevent harm; and caring well for those who have suffered abuse.

4. What have we done to build a safer church?

Education and awareness-building is crucial, which is why the team has been engaging ministries serving children and young people (Youth, Children, Tuition, Soccer Ministry) since 2020. Through these engagements, the team conducts basic training for ministry leaders and volunteers in areas of safeguarding awareness, abuse reporting, and safe behaviours.

Our aim is to ensure every small group leader (Children’s, Youth, Action Group etc.) has the requisite Biblical understanding and practical training needed to play their role well in this collective safeguarding effort. A refresher training session is conducted at the beginning of each new year, which also ensures that any and every new volunteer is equipped in this regard.

In 2021, the team carried out basic Safeguarding training with the pastors, elders, deacons, ministry staff and AG leaders of the 4 English congregations. The goal was to ensure every leader on the ground had a fundamental awareness of abuse and how to respond or escalate a call for help when necessary.

In 2022-23, the team contributed to a resource for the local church – ‘Assault on the Body‘, which presents a Christ-centred response to sexual violence, through testimonies by sexual assault survivors and articles by theologians, pastors, academics, social workers, counsellors, lawyers and advocates.

Contact Us

Please reach out to us if you need help, if you need assistance or advice on how to walk with abuse survivors, or you have a report to make about a possible abuse situation. A member of our team will get back to you as soon as possible. We aim to keep all information confidential. However, if someone’s safety is at risk, we may need to contact additional parties.

If you are personally interested in the important work of safeguarding in Zion Bishan, or if you simply wish to find out more about what the team does, please contact Deborah (deborahliew@gmail.com) or Danny (danny@zionbishan.org.sg).

If you are looking to start or grow a safeguarding ministry and culture in your local church, please feel free to contact us as well.

To access some of our safety policies, please click here.

Useful Resources

• A Theology of Safeguarding
• Common Questions about Abuse
• Pastoral Care for Abuse Victims
• What is Sexual Grooming?
• What is Sexual Abuse?
• What is Family Violence?
• Domestic Violence in Singapore
• Helping a Friend When You Suspect Domestic Abuse
• Child Abuse in Singapore