DALLAS (ABP) – A jury in Florida recently ordered a prominent Southern Baptist church to pay $4.75 million to a man injured seven years ago on a youth ski trip — and such verdicts are inspiring church administrators to take a closer look at risk-management procedures.
Damian Mallard, an attorney representing the then-14 year old identified in the case only by his initials, said his client had never skied before, but his mother relied on chaperones from Idlewild Baptist Church near Tampa to see that her son received instructions on skiing safety.
Instead the boy wandered onto an advanced slope on Beech Mountain, N.C., in December 2003 and collided with another skier at an estimated 55 miles per hour. The youth suffered spinal fractures that left him with a limp and permanent nerve damage.
“We are very pleased that our clients have received justice for the negligent planning, organization and supervision of this snow skiing trip which catastrophically injured this young man,” Mallard said in a press release. “We hope this verdict will help other kids be protected in the future.”
Brian McDougall, executive associate pastor of the 11,000-member Idlewild Baptist, told the Tampa Tribune that church officials are consulting with attorneys about what to do next.
"We do not agree with the verdict and know that important evidence was not heard by the jury," McDougall said. "Idlewild has always maintained the highest safety standards in all our church activities.”
William Rice, senior pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater, Fla., worried that the judgment could have "a chilling effect on everybody that is trying to work with young people.”
Phill Martin, deputy CEO of the National Association of Church Business Administration, an interdenominational professional organization for church administrators, recognized a critical need for churches to safeguard members and take steps to ensure that donor contributions are used for ministry instead of litigation.
Martin said the second annual National Church Administration Day, scheduled Oct. 21, will focus on helping ministry leaders to foresee potential for liability, injury, abuse and theft that places congregations at risk.
“Part of the cost of doing ministry in a dangerous world is preventing, minimizing and preparing for these threats — that is, risk management,” said Martin, a Baptist minister.
Local NACBA chapters around the country are planning instructional events for clergy and laity Oct. 21 around a theme of “Risk Management: The Cost of Ministry.” Leaders will offer professional advice on the four critical areas of risk management:
- Property risks, like eliminating health hazards, enforcing building codes and providing liability insurance.
- Personnel risks, ensuring that personnel policies are appropriate and applied and understanding the laws that apply to church hiring.
- Congregational risks, including properly screening and training volunteers and providing security for church gatherings.
- Financial risks, such as proper handling of offerings and developing a financial-operations manual.
In addition to National Church Administration Day, the NACBA has recently begun offering a new resource titled Weeds in the Garden: The Growing Danger of Fraud Taking Root in the Church.
Written by Verne Hargrave, a certified public accountant, the book offers proactive ways for churches to prevent fraud.
National Church Administration Day event locations are published on the association’s website.
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Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.