Comments on Youth Pastor Watch

nothing on the story I forwarded to Dan over the weekend.... Oh well...

Is anyone keeping track of the total number youth pastor-related arrests and/or convictions that have been documented in "youth pastor watch" since Dan started this series of postings? I'd be interested to know (I'm sure the number is staggering).

good point @2. what percentage of youth pastors are under investigation/convicted out of the total # of youth pastors in the nation, and how does that compare to stats in similar but secular circumstances, eg: high schools, youth correctional facilities, etc. maybe the numbers are roughly equivalent, but maybe not.

make me proud AR

#3, but that would be real journalism.

People in youth correctional facilities don't presume to speak for God, or to be in their positions in order to offer moral guidance.

Thank you for playing Slog.

I was just curious about the total number since you started posting them. Not to compare them to schools or anything, but to calculate the frequency at which youth pastor malfeasance occurs, i.e. "if you are between the ages of 8 and 16 and attend a Methodist church in the United States, you have approximately a 1 in __ chance of being molested by a youth pastor." Now that would be a startling statistic to throw around...

Here in Australia, everyone who regularly works with children under age 18, paid or volunteer, must receive a Working with Children certification. This criminal record check keeps known violent criminals from working with children, and alerts employers and community groups of people who may not have a violent history, but do have a criminal record. And, Australian forms are easy to understand and fill out!

In the North Carolina story, I found this comment disturbing, "churches and schools must do everything they can to protect themselves…." To protect themselves? Shouldn't you being background checks to protect the students?