The Choice Every Parent Must Make: Stay, Fight, or Walk Away

PPE Kids
Feb 25
3 min read

Imagine this:

You sit down with your pastor, your children’s ministry director, or a church elder. You ask a simple, reasonable question—“What is this church doing to protect children?”

And instead of a clear, confident answer, you get:

Deflection: “We love our kids and would never let anything bad happen.”
Excuses: “We don’t want to create a culture of fear.”
Spiritual Manipulation: “Where’s your faith? We trust God to protect us.”
Stonewalling: “We’ve never had a problem before.”

At that moment, you are faced with a decision. A serious one. One that could impact your child’s safety.

Do you accept the situation and hope for the best? Do you stay and fight for reform? Or do you walk away?

This is the choice every parent must make—and it’s too important to ignore.

Option 1: Accept the Situation and Stay Silent

This is the easiest option. It requires no confrontation, no tough conversations, no uncomfortable Sunday mornings.

It’s also the most dangerous.

Predators thrive in environments where people don’t ask questions. Churches that dismiss accountability are playgrounds for abusers. Staying silent doesn’t protect your child—it makes them a target.

And let’s be real: If your church leadership is uncomfortable answering direct questions about safety, what else are they covering up?

Are you really willing to gamble your child’s well-being on blind faith?

Option 2: Stay and Fight for Reform

Maybe you believe your church can change. Maybe you want to fight for the safety of all children, not just your own.

This is admirable—but it won’t be easy.

Be prepared for pushback. Some churches would rather protect their reputation than protect children.
Expect to be labeled as “divisive.” When you demand accountability, some will see you as a problem instead of the solution.
Know when to walk away. If leadership refuses to take action, your presence isn’t making a difference—it’s enabling the problem.

If you choose to stay and push for reform, demand action, not just words. Real policies. Real background checks. Real accountability. Anything less is just lip service.

Option 3: Walk Away and Find a Church That Prioritizes Safety

This is the hardest choice—but sometimes, it’s the only right one.

It’s hard to leave a church you’ve called home. Hard to walk away from friendships, from a community, from the familiar. But what’s harder? Knowing you stayed in a place that put your child at risk.

Your loyalty should be to your family, not to a flawed institution. Your responsibility is to protect your children, not to protect your church’s image.

If your church refuses to prioritize child safety, it does not deserve you. Period.

This Decision is Too Important to Ignore

If you ask about child safety and don’t get a straight answer, you have your answer.

This is not a minor issue. This is not something to sweep under the rug. This is life and death.

So what will you do?