Safe Church Self-Assessment, June 2026

We are grateful for your ongoing work to ensure your church is a safe, welcoming space for everyone, a place where parishioners live out their vows to seek and serve Christ in all persons and to respect the dignity of every human being.

In 2022, the Episcopal Church in Colorado began using the new Safe Church, Safe Communities training from Praesidium Academy and adopted updated diocesan policies for ministry with children and youth and ministry with vulnerable adults. These policies call for a regular diocesan self-assessment to help congregations review their Safe Church practices, training, and screening processes, and to ensure policies for ministry have been adopted and implemented.

We hope this self-assessment will provide a helpful opportunity to:

  • Reflect on your congregation's implementation of diocesan Safe Church policies, including training and screening practices.
  • Identify any areas where additional support or improvements may be helpful.
  • Ask questions and share how we can best support you in maintaining a healthy and safe church environment.

As part of the self-assessment, we will ask questions such as:

  • Have you adopted the Policy for the Protection of Children and Youth and the Policy for the Protection of Vulnerable Adults?
  • Do you know who is required to complete Safe Church training?
  • Are you familiar with certification timelines and recertification requirements?
  • Do you have a process for ensuring training is completed?
  • Do you have a process for conducting background checks?
  • Do you have a designated Safe Church administrator who maintains records of training completions and helps track recertification dates?
  • Do you know who to contact for support or questions?

How the self-assessment works:

Beginning June 1, congregations are encouraged to review their Safe Church practices using the questions above as a guide. Please also review the resources available on the diocesan Safe Church webpage: https://episcopalcolorado.org/congregational-resources/safe-church/

Please designate 2–3 people to complete the online self-assessment survey independently:

  • Rector, vicar, or priest-in-charge
  • Safe Church administrator
  • Senior warden or bishop's warden

The survey takes approximately 20 minutes to complete and should be submitted by July 15.

Questions? Please reach out to Missioner Tracy Methe.