SBC Fortify Training in Clearwater Equips Churches to Safeguard the Next Generation

Fortify Training: Safeguarding the Next Generation will take place Tuesday, January 19, 2027, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Eastern at Calvary Baptist Church, 110 N. McMullen Booth Road in Clearwater, Florida. Calvary is hosting the event with the Tampa Bay and Suncoast Baptist Associations and the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee’s Sexual Abuse Prevention & Response team. The workshop and panel are designed to help churches and ministries begin or strengthen child-protection programs through concrete, actionable instruction. The published program includes welcome and prayer, a session by Mississippi pastor Brad Eubank on the problem of abuse and survivor care, a session by SBC Executive Committee leader Jeff Dalrymple on abuse and ministry safeguards, and a session by Jodi Domangue of One More Child addressing abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and safeguarding children. A moderated panel is scheduled to answer participant questions before the closing prayer. The Florida Baptist Convention’s official event page says the training will address definitions, common grooming behaviors, exploitation, safeguarding practices, trauma, and care for people who have experienced abuse. The stated audience includes ministry leaders, while the wider Fortify material also identifies pastors, parents, grandparents, and caregivers as people who benefit from safeguarding instruction. Registration is handled through the SBC Abuse Prevention & Response platform, and participants should use the official event link to confirm current availability and any final logistical updates. The event page lists lunch as included but still to be determined, another reason to verify details before travel. Because the workshop is in person, attendees coming from outside the Tampa Bay area should also confirm registration before arranging transportation or lodging.

The Clearwater workshop is one local expression of a national Southern Baptist training model. Fortify was created as a scalable, customizable framework that associations and state or regional conventions can use to equip churches in their own legal and ministry contexts. Its five stated goals are to make training available to every church in a participating network; explain the problem of abuse, including indicators and common grooming behavior; identify mandatory-reporting and jurisdiction-specific laws; review essential safeguards for children and vulnerable adults; and connect churches with the Abuse Prevention & Response Resource Guide and localized support. Christian Post reported that more than 5,200 Southern Baptist churches have trained staff members, volunteers, and parents in abuse prevention and response since 2021, and that nearly two dozen additional Fortify trainings were in planning around the country when the article was published. Attending this event can therefore serve two purposes. Individual participants can return home with better language, resources, and first steps for their own ministries, while associational and denominational leaders can observe a model intended for wider replication. Training alone does not guarantee safety, and Fortify expressly notes that its general material is not legal advice. Churches still need clear reporting procedures, qualified professional counsel, screened and trained workers, accountable leadership, survivor-sensitive care, and repeated practice. The strongest reason to attend is practical: concern for vulnerable image-bearers must become policies and habits that people understand before a crisis occurs. Teams will gain more value if they attend together, assign responsibility for follow-up, and schedule a policy review immediately after returning home.