Hi, I'm Stephanie. And this is my husband, Steve. Together, we started Safe Pathways out of a shared passion to make the church the safest place in Canada. And while I grew up in the church, Stephanie didn't. Our journeys to faith were different, but we both share this fundamental need for safety. Without it, church can't become a place of healing, deep connection, or faith discovery.

Every Sunday, churches across Canada do something courageous. They open their doors to strangers and they trust them like family. But when people walk in, the first question often isn't, who is Jesus? Rather it's, is this place safe for me, my kids, and my family? Safe Pathways is an all-in-one safeguarding platform designed to help Canadian churches get more volunteers and keep them, to save time and money, and to create a visibly safe culture that guests can trust.

Having served as a pastor for 10 years and even longer as an early childhood educator, I can tell you that when we prioritize safety and fun, it creates an openness in hearts to connect and respond. And as someone who has worked over a decade in developing policies and training courses on topics like exploitation and abuse prevention, I know that safe environments require intentionality. Your staff and board will love the hours that Safe Pathways will save your team.

You will love not having to chase down your volunteers. You will also love offering an onboarding process that doesn't discourage volunteers, but instead energizes them. Let's take a closer look at Safe Pathways. Training. Your volunteers will have multiple pathways to safety by only learning what's relevant to their roles.

If they're serving with teenagers, no need to learn how to change a diaper. and that goes for all of our pathways. Each pathway takes under 20 minutes start to finish. It's easy for new volunteers to start and easier for your best volunteers to stay. And for volunteers serving across ministries, there's the comprehensive pathway that covers everyone.

Platform, we automate everything, emailing your volunteers directly so they can renew their training every year, completing or renewing background checks, or to sign that they read and understood your church policies. We're also fully integrated with church management and background check softwares that you might already be using. And all of that data stays securely stored on Canadian servers, not just for today, but for the long haul.

Permanent records you can find in seconds. Lastly, policies. When you sign up with us, we will create a suite of policies customized to your church. You'll have a call with us and we will explain the policies to your staff and to your board. If you wanna get more volunteers and keep them, save time and money, and create a visibly safe culture that guests can trust, take the next step with Safe Pathways. Connect with us at safepathways.com and see how it works for your church. Safe Pathways, making the church the safest place in your community.

Hello and welcome to Safe Pathways Training, your next step towards safer Canadian churches and communities. We're so glad you're here. Choosing to spend a few minutes on safeguarding means you're choosing to love people the way Jesus loved them. This intro pathway contains four micro-videos, each about two to four minutes long.

At the end of all four micro-videos, there will be a lightning-fast quiz. It shouldn't take you more than ten minutes. And if you're one of the brave and awesome volunteers who is working with children or vulnerable adults, you'll move on to the age-specific section next. So grab a coffee, and by the time it cools, you'll have a badge in your inbox and a toolkit in your pocket.

Across Canada, most guests decide within 60 seconds whether they'll ever return to a church. And creating a trustworthy space is how we live out Jesus' command to love our neighbours. Safety isn't an add-on. It's the welcome mat. When people trust the space, they can open their hearts to worship, community, even tough conversations.

In the intro pathway, we'll explore three questions. Why do so many Canadians doubt churches are safe? How does a visible safety culture flip suspicion into curiosity? What simple habits can every volunteer adopt today? From big city multi-site churches to rural small town chapels, one pattern shouts for our attention.

Abuse is the number one liability claim filed by churches, outpacing fire, flood, and even theft. Federal child protection data shows that roughly one in five confirmed abuse investigations involve a faith-connected setting or a relationship that started through community programs. In other words, abusers look for trusting spaces, no matter the congregation size or postal code.

Safeguarding isn't red tape. It's mission fuel. Because protecting people is the first step in welcoming them to meet Jesus. Here's the hope. Volunteers like you can change that narrative. When a congregation demonstrates proactive care, trust rebounds. parents tell neighbors, seniors linger after service, newcomers volunteer sooner.

Safety culture is evangelism that skeptics respect. And most of that culture is wonderfully ordinary. A greeter notes a slippery tile, or an usher reunites a wandering child and records how long it took. Small written actions build guardrails that guests notice in seconds. Courts and insurers value those guardrails, but guests value them first.

Some of us might shrug and say, I know everyone here, we're all fine. Guests don't share that same history. Systems translate hidden love into visual signs outsiders can read instantly. Think airlines. Crews repeat the same safety demo every flight because new passengers need it and frequent flyers deserve the refresher.

Churches should be just as predictable. If anything feels obvious, celebrate that, you're already modeling it. And if something feels new, lean in. Somebody's first visit may depend on it. By the end of this intro training, you'll be able to greet every family with quiet confidence. Hey, we planned for you, we protect you, and we can prove it. That's radical hospitality. We'll see you in Module 2.

Hi, I'm Stephanie. And this is my husband, Steve. Together, we started Safe Pathways out of a shared passion to make the church the safest place in Canada. And while I grew up in the church, Stephanie didn't. Our journeys to faith were different, but we both share this fundamental need for safety. Without it, church can't become a place of healing, deep connection, or faith discovery.

Every Sunday, churches across Canada do something courageous. They open their doors to strangers and they trust them like family. But when people walk in, the first question often isn't, who is Jesus? Rather it's, is this place safe for me, my kids, and my family? Safe Pathways is an all-in-one safeguarding platform designed to help Canadian churches get more volunteers and keep them, to save time and money, and to create a visibly safe culture that guests can trust.

Having served as a pastor for 10 years and even longer as an early childhood educator, I can tell you that when we prioritize safety and fun, it creates an openness in hearts to connect and respond. And as someone who has worked over a decade in developing policies and training courses on topics like exploitation and abuse prevention, I know that safe environments require intentionality. Your staff and board will love the hours that Safe Pathways will save your team.

You will love not having to chase down your volunteers. You will also love offering an onboarding process that doesn't discourage volunteers, but instead energizes them. If you want to get more volunteers and keep them, save time and money, and create a visibly safe culture that guests can trust, take the next step with Safe Pathways. Connect with us at safepathways.com and see how it works for your church. Safe Pathways, making the church the safest place in your community.