Friday, June 12, 2015

Youth pastor Derek Hutter pleads guilty

The teen mentioned below is a 13-year-old girl in his youth group. Youth pastor Derek Hutter is 37.

Authorities say Hutter was a youth pastor at South Garland Baptist Church and married when he began an online and cellphone relationship with the teen.
- via Valley Central

Hunter worked for South Garland Baptist Church in Texas, which as expected, does not acknowledge the controversy on the church website.

The victim’s parents discovered the relationship while reviewing photos on the girl’s phone. Which is a good thing, but it raises a few questions. Do 13-year-old children really need smartphones? If so, , what is the role of parents in monitoring activity? Should parents use technology like TeenSafe? More importantly, should parents allow unmonitored access to their children?

What about the church? Do they use a management agent for church smart phones? Do they monitor employees social media behavior? Do they have a social media policy? Are at-risk populations properly educated? Are the kids attending youth group meetings told about what a youth pastor can and cannot do? Do the kids know the difference between appropriate and inappropriate staff behavior? Is there a safe reporting mechanism? Is there a two adult policy?

I’ll reach out to the church, but I expect to get the same answer I aways do. No comment!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cell phones help kids more than they hurt them, in my view. Safety is the main reason: a cell phone is the fastest way to reach a parent. Location software can also help keep track of teens. All phone use requires open discussion, and this promotes a deeper relationship with parents as well as good opportunities to teach the teen reasoning and judgment.

Unknown said...

I was a member of this church while I was in high school and for a litle bit shortly after graduating. I can prove this with multiple photos of myself at the church. I think Derek slipped under the radar due to just how likeable the guy was, and probably is. Don't get me wrong, the guy's a monster for wat he did. But he's good with people. Really good. If you have any questions, maybe I can help. Out of curiousity, I've been kind of digging into this.