Brisbane School of Theology

Safeguarding Children Conference: Key takeaways and vital conversations

We’re thrilled to share the highlights from our BST Safeguarding Children Conference held on 10 August! This year’s event was a resounding success, selling out and nearly doubling last year’s attendance with 60 participants from various churches and denominations. It’s clear that creating safe spaces for children is a mission that resonates deeply within our communities.

Our conference featured an incredible lineup of speakers who shared their expertise on crucial topics related to child safety. The energy and commitment from everyone involved were truly inspiring:

Rev. Dr. Richard Gibson opened the day with his session, “Dear Church, We Need to Talk…About Correctly Handling the Word of God for the Sake of Our Children.” As BST’s principal and a seasoned pastor with over 30 years of experience, Richard highlighted the importance of aligning our theology and messages to foster safer environments for children. His talk was so well received that many attendees requested copies of his notes to share with their congregations.

Jenni Woodhouse followed with “Dear Church, We Need to Talk…About Protecting Kids in Emotionally Abusive Homes.” An experienced social worker, Jenni guided us through practical scenarios of domestic and family violence in Christian communities. Her session provided valuable insight into some of the hidden struggles that families and children can face.

Detective Senior Constable Scott Meehan rounded out the day with “Dear Church, We Need to Talk…You’ve Called the Police; Now What?” With over 20 years of experience investigating child abuse cases, Scott offered crucial insights into the process following a child abuse report. His session sparked so much discussion and follow-up questions that we are hosting a Zoom session with Scott to answer our attendees’ questions.

Looking Ahead

We trust that attendees left with actionable ideas and a renewed motivation to enhance child safety in their communities. Safeguarding children is an ongoing journey that requires continuous learning and proactive measures.

Join Us for More Learning

We’re excited to announce that our Safeguarding Children Unit will be available in February 2025. This unit, with evening classes to fit your schedule, is an invaluable resource for Christian leaders dedicated to protecting and nurturing children. You’ll explore best practices for safeguarding children in churches and Christian organisations, and learn how to prepare your community for both prevention and effective response to crises.

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Pastor Grace Lung

BSci (Comp Sci), GradDipDiv, MA (ChrStds)

DIRECTOR

Grace grew up in Sydney in a large Chinese church. Since then she has served at various Chinese churches over the years in youth, students, young workers and women. Her passion and interest is contextualizing the gospel to Asian Australians and developing Asian churches in Australia. Grace is a graduate of Sydney Missionary and Bible College and Fuller Theological Seminary. Her study focussed on Chinese Australian identity and ministry.

Her previous roles have included: Director for Asian Contextual Engagement for the RICE Movement, Team Member for Interserve Culture Connect and OMF QLD’s Ministry Team. She was an Anglican Deaconness Ministries Summer Fellow in 2019. Her writing has appeared on the SOLA Network, Gospel Coalition Australia, Centered: Resources for the Asian American Church, Common Grace and Ethos: EA Centre for Christianity and Society.

In addition to her role as Director of CAC, Grace is also serving as a pastor alongside her husband, Chris, at Rise Alliance Church – a new church plant servicing the Rochedale area.