Members: Members of the Team are delegated, one representative by each Congregations of Classis for three year terms.  Members who have completed their term and have been trained to be on an Advisory Panel will be asked to stand as an Associate Member for a one year term. The purpose of an Associate Member is to be available for an Advisory Panel if needed and to allow adequate time for new members training. The Team shall designate one member of the team as convener and one as alternate convener.

Mandate:

a. Members of this team will work collaboratively with local Congregations and other organizations to provide education around abuse prevention for Churches in Classis.

b. Members of the team will be available to serve when adherence to the denominational guidelines for response to allegations of abuse require the service of an abuse response team. The convener shall then convene an advisory panel from the team to deal with specific cases. Contact may be made through the convener or his/her alternative.

c. The services provided by Classis abuse response team shall be those designated by the denominational guidelines for response to allegations of abuse as they are updated from time to time. The advisory panels convened by the team shall adhere to these guidelines.

d. Members of the team will receive training and education regarding their role and function. Training to be provided by the Denominational Office of Abuse Prevention particularly as they apply to the formation of Abuse Response Teams, and other resources as deemed suitable by the Committee.