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The Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention was created in 2019 to provide awareness, accreditation, and resources in order to help Christian organizations that serve kids protect the vulnerable in ministry.

We believe that Child Protection is a Great Commission issue, because children should be able to hear the gospel and grow in discipleship in an environment unhindered by abuse. Furthermore, Scripture enjoins believers to reflect the character of God by caring for the vulnerable, serving with integrity, and stewarding resources responsibly.

We exist to serve any Christian organization that works with kids: churches, schools, daycares, camps, etc. ECAP seeks to help ministry leaders know how to protect individuals in their care, and how to respond when an allegation of abuse is reported. Our Child Safety Standards serve as the basis of our accreditation program, which will assist in demonstrating compliance to the Standards. You can learn more about how our Standards were developed here. To learn more about becoming ECAP Accredited, visit out Accreditation page.

ECAP is an association-based organization that provides child safety accreditation and resources to ministries that serve kids. Alongside other providers, we hope to make ministry environments safe for kids.

Mission

To Support Christian Ministries In Child Protection And Abuse Prevention Through Awareness, Accreditation, And Resources.

Vision

That Christian Ministries Would Be Safe Places For Children And Youth To Hear The Gospel, Grow In Discipleship, And That Spiritual Formation Would Take Place Unhindered By Abuse.

Values

Human Dignity
(Imago Dei)
Integrity
Stewardship
Transparency
Care &
Compassion

The Council

The Council consists of several committees that manage and monitor standards and the accreditation program. It also includes board members, survivors, subject matter experts, and eventually accredited members. The Council operates under the authority of the ECAP Board of Directors.

Who We Are:

Jeremy Herron

Executive Director

Jeremy Herron is the Family Pastor in at Eastmont Church in Bend, Oregon. Prior to that he was the Children’s Minister at Providence Church in Frisco, Texas for ten years. He has almost 30 years of experience in teaching children of all ages, having helped as an assistant teaching Sunday School since he was 15. After serving in the public school system for many years, he was called to ministry. In 2019 he served on the Expert Panel that led to the creation of the ECAP Standards and he has served in various roles to help ECAP since then. Jeremy’s endeavor to get an MBA has allowed him to see the importance of organizational structure and leadership, which has aided him greatly in consulting with other churches and religious organizations across the country to improve their child safety standards. He brings the knowledge and experience of implementing best safety practices, the heart of a pastor, and the insight of a leader to now champion ECAP as the Executive Director.

Jeremy spends his free time with his wife of 15 years and his 3 kids being outdoors as much as possible.

Sally Wagenmaker. Esq.

General Counsel

Sally Wagenmaker provides legal counsel in corporate, tax, employment, and real estate matters for nonprofits operating on local, national, and international levels. Her clients include churches and other religious organizations, social service providers, and schools. Sally lives in Chicago with her husband Dan, and they have two children in college.

Tim Smith

Membership Manager

Tim has been serving with ECAP since May 2024 and as the Membership Manager since August 2025. Over the years, Tim has served God’s Church in many capacities. He began a career in youth ministry in 2010, worked as church janitor for 2015, and eventually became a Pastor in 2023. He was ordained as an Anglican priest in the EEC in October 2025.

Tim earned a Bachelor’s degree from FSU in Philosophy and a two-year certification in “Spiritual Formation and Congregational Development” from the Ambrose Institute at Nashotah House Theological Seminary.

Tim and his wife, Ana, grew up in the Tampa Bay area. They married while in college and have a young son, Samuel, that can be seen wielding a lightsaber dressed as a Jedi.

Tim is passionate about equipping God’s church and families to disciple the next generation and keep them safe. When Tim is not working to that end, he delights his little boy and loving wife by dancing salsa in the kitchen.

Samantha Beattie

Executive Assistant

Samantha Beattie joined the ECAP team in 2020. She earned her B. S. in Biblical Counseling from Boyce College in 2014. She has worked as an administrative assistant for 7 years with experience in project management. She is excited to use these skills to provide administrative support to ECAP. Samantha lives in Louisville, KY with her husband Jake and their children Graham, Charlie Joy, Jack, and Crew.

Daniel I. Arreaga

Communications Coordinator

Daniel graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from Florida International University and is now an MDiv student at The Master’s Seminary. Daniel serves Faith Church (Hallandale Beach, FL) as a Pastoral Assistant and is also a call-taker with the SBC abuse response helpline.

Debbie Hansen

Accreditation Director

Debbie has served with ECAP’s Accreditation Program since early 2022 and is now its Director. She enjoys assisting organizations with the important mission of protecting children and workers. Debbie’s background is in teaching and Christian School Administration, where she was actively involved in ACSI Accreditation. She has also served as an Auditor on ACSI Accreditation Teams. Debbie has been married for 52 years, has three children, and 9 amazing grandchildren.

Our Board

Jeff Dalrymple

Board Member

Jeff Dalrymple is an organizational leader whose leadership experience includes roles in public safety, higher education, non-governmental organizations, and parachurch ministry. Jeff served as a vice president at Southern Seminary in Louisville from 2008-2016. He is now the director of Abuse Prevention and Response at the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
In addition to implementing child protection programs at several ministries, his experience includes organizational leadership, team building, communications, development/fundraising, hospitality, conference & event planning, international relations, strategic planning, revitalization, and board governance. Jeff enjoys reading, exploring, and spending time with family. He is married to Kristil, and they are the parents of JJ, Kassie, Katherine, and Kylie. They reside in Jacksonville, Florida.

Dr. Lynne Little

Board Member

Dr. Lynne Little is the founder of Compass Education LLC and is nationally recognized in Christian education leadership, curriculum design, and professional training for faith-based institutions. She is a co-author of Safeguards for Schools, a biblically-based abuse awareness and prevention instructional resource for elementary students. With more than 25 years of experience, she partners with schools and ministries to cultivate biblically grounded, academically excellent, and ethically sound learning environments. Serving as chair for numerous school accreditation teams, she values the accountability and continuous improvement accreditation brings to an organization.
Lynne and Ronnie, her husband of 30 years, reside is northeast TN. Lynne is passionate about the discipleship of the next generation and is an advocate for the protection of children from evil and harm.

Julie Lowe

Board Member

Julie Lowe is a former faculty member at the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF). She holds an MA in counseling from Biblical Theological Seminary. She is a licensed professional counselor with over twenty-two years of counseling experience. She has extensive experience with marriage, women’s issues, sexual abuse, body image issues, parenting, and child maltreatment issues, and regularly speaks on these topics. Julie is a registered play therapist and has developed a play therapy office and resources to serve families and youth. She is trained in leading mandated reporter trainings and provides numerous trainings on child sexual abuse. Julie has a registered therapy dog that she works with both professionally and on a volunteer basis.

She has authored several books: Childproof: Parenting By Faith Not Formula, Building Bridges: Biblical Counseling Activities for Children and Teens, Helping Your Anxious Child: What to Do When Your Worries are Big, and Teens and Suicide: Recognizing the Signs and Sharing the Hope.
https://julielowe.org

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David K. Wilcox

Board Member

David K. Wilcox, Ph.D., served for 26 years with the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) as the Assistant Vice President – Global. His work involved the development of accreditation systems for schools in Asia and Latin America as well as providing oversight for the 11 ACSI offices in those regions. He continues to chair accreditation teams to international Christian schools and to Christian colleges’ teacher education programs. David and his wife, Erin, live in Colorado Springs.

Tami Kreitl

Board Member

Tami Kreitl serves as the Donor Engagement & Stewardship Manager for the Orlando Health Foundation, overseeing board governance, volunteer leadership and office management. Tami and her husband, Ben, attend First Baptist Church of Orlando where she currently serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees. She is committed to using her voice to protect the innocent and to make a difference for the least of these.

Emily Rose

Board Member

Dr. Rose is the Director for Pre-Health Undergraduate Studies and the Director of the Minor in Health Care Studies at Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California and Associate Professor (Educational Scholar) of Clinical Emergency Medicine at Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center. A native South Dakotan, she trained in Emergency Medicine and was chief resident at Los Angeles County/ USC Medical Center and completed a Pediatric Emergency Medicine fellowship at Loma Linda University. She has been core Emergency Medicine faculty at LAC/USC Medical Center since 2010 where she continues to care for both sick/injured children and adults.

Dr. Rose is a prolific educator with numerous publications and invited national presentations. Dr. Rose has been awarded several education awards including multiple LAC/USC faculty of the year awards, outstanding teaching performance, and the Honorable Mention Outstanding Speaker of the Year for the American College of Emergency Physician Scientific Assembly. She recently published a textbook on life-threatening rashes and a practical clinical textbook for pediatric emergencies written specifically for EM-trained providers.

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Matt Espenshade

Board Member

Matt Espenshade is the Executive Pastor at The Journey Church in Lebanon, Tennessee. Before entering full-time ministry, he enjoyed a 24-year career as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). In his last assignment, Mr. Espenshade led the FBI’s Nashville office, directing all operations throughout middle Tennessee. During his career in the FBI, Mr. Espenshade served in various domestic and international leadership positions including Legal Attaché in Budapest, Hungary, and Nairobi, Kenya. Mr. Espenshade served as a Military Intelligence officer in the U.S. Army. He has a B.S. from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA, and an M.S. in Organizational Leadership from Norwich University in Northfield, VT. He is married to Lisa Espenshade, together they have four children. Mr. Espenshade is also an adjunct professor of criminal justice at Cumberland University and sits on the board of directors for Blue Sky Global Ministries, Imago Classical Academy, and the Evangelical Council for Abuse Protection.

Weyland Glenn

Board Member

Weyland Glenn is an Elder and the Executive Pastor at Providence Church in Frisco, TX. He and his family have been members of Providence since 2008. Weyland is a strategic leader who encourages collaboration and open dialogue with the aim of creating and sustaining high-performing teams. His primary responsibilities include ministry oversight, staff development, and vision execution. He truly shepherds those he leads. He is a master at communicating belief in people and commissioning them to effectively use their gifts in order to advance the mission. Prior to joining Providence Church, Weyland spent seven years working in the corporate world in areas of Finance and Human Resources. Immediately after college, Weyland served as the Regional Director for K-Life Ministries from 2001-2008. Weyland earned a BA in Finance from Texas A&M University and an MA in Leadership from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Weyland has been married to his high school sweetheart for 23 years and they have four wonderful children ages 9-18. They are a busy family and love sports, eating out, and playing cards!

Advisory Board

The ECAP Advisory Board works to advance the mission of keeping kids safe in ministry. Each advisory board member serves 3 year terms as approved by the board of directors. Advisory board members are actively serving as ambassadors of the mission to raise awareness, advocate, educate, and raise funds to support ECAP.

Dee Dee Mayer

Advisory Board Member

Dyonette “Dee Dee” Mayer is the Director of the RelateStrong program for the Boone Center for the Family. She is a licensed clinical social worker who has been in private practice for over twenty years specializing in treating couples, women in leadership, and families.

She earned a Doctor in Ministry from Azusa Pacific University studying healthy leadership in ministry contexts. She has over 20 years of experience providing organizational leadership and program management in academic and community health environments. She is passionate about supporting ministry leaders and congregations in developing strong and healthy relationships.

Prior to joining the Boone Center for the Family, Dee Dee served at Oaks Christian School as the Associate Head of School for Spiritual Life investing in spiritual formation and discipleship for youth and families. She also served as co-host for Movieguide TV supporting parents and families in making media-wise choices.

Dee Dee loves to help couples and individuals prepare their relationships for life and leadership as they build character, cultivate healthy attachments, and grow in compassion towards self and others. Dee Dee loves to teach through God’s word and encourage people towards a transformational relationship with Jesus Christ. She is a published author, regular guest on national radio programs, and a sought-after public speaker.

Dee Dee has been married to her husband, Albert since 1994. Together, they have three adult children.

Kevin Trotter

Advisory Board Member

Kevin Trotter currently serves with Josiah White’s, an Indiana-based Christian non-profit organization serving children and families, as the Vice President of Advancement, overseeing Marketing, Communications, and Development. Kevin also serves as a lay pastor with Light City Bible Church, a new church plant in Wabash, IN.

Kevin began his professional career in 2000 as a police officer in Fishers, Indiana. He was promoted to sergeant in 2007 and continued to serve Fishers Police until 2012. Before leaving the police department, Kevin co-founded My Cyber Guardian Educational Services, Inc., in Noblesville, where he served as the full-time operations manager before moving his family to the Tampa Bay area in 2013 to be part of planting Harvest Bible Chapel in the Tampa community. In addition to launching this church in Tampa, Kevin joined Bethany Christian Services of Florida where he most recently served as the executive director for Florida and Alabama. Kevin earned his Master of Science in Human Services from Walden University and his Bachelor of General Studies from Indiana University.

Kevin and his wife, Misty, have six children. They were licensed therapeutic foster parents in the state of Indiana and adopted three of their six children through Indiana’s foster care system. Kevin and Misty are passionate about Christ, shepherding people and serving children and families.

John Heymann

Advisory Board Member

Jon Heymann serves as the President of Heymann Consulting, helping organizations to achieve their fullest potential. Jon has devoted his life to helping the next generation gain access to the resources they need in order to be successful, serving as the CEO of organizations such as Communities in Schools of Jacksonville, Jacksonville Children’s Commission, and Elevate Jacksonville, Inc.

Kurt Gebhards

Advisory Board Member

Kurt Gebhards serves as the Senior Pastor of The Grove Bible Chapel in Tampa, FL. He is passionate about making disciples, training leaders, and doing all things for the sake of the gospel. Kurt is a graduate of The Master’s Seminary and Southern Seminary.”

Herb McCarthy

Advisory Board Chairman

Herb McCarthy serves as the Managing Director and Owner of Port City Consulting, helping ministries with leadership and funding solutions. Herb has been a pastor, and served as the Vice President of Crusades for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association for 13 years. Herb is married to Suzanne and has 3 daughters and 14 grandchildren.

Alina Sardiñas

Advisory Board Member

Alina Sardiñas is a Cuban American attorney and former partner of the law firm of Galbut, Galbut, Menin and Wasserman in Miami Beach Florida. Alina lived abroad in Madrid, Spain for four years and was involved in the food bank program and vacation Bible study in Emmanuel Baptist Church. Alina is currently a licensed real estate advisor and lives in Ponte Vedra beach Florida and is a member of Sunrise Community Church in Atlantic Beach Florida.

Accreditation Committee

Tami Kreitl

First Baptist Church, Orlando

Tami Kreitl serves as the Donor Engagement & Stewardship Manager for the Orlando Health Foundation, overseeing board governance, volunteer leadership and office management. Tami and her husband, Ben, attend First Baptist Church of Orlando where she currently serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees. She is committed to using her voice to protect the innocent and to make a difference for the least of these.

David K. Wilcox

Chair, ACSI

David K. Wilcox, Ph.D., served for 26 years with the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) as the Assistant Vice President – Global. His work involved the development of accreditation systems for schools in Asia and Latin America as well as providing oversight for the 11 ACSI offices in those regions. He continues to chair accreditation teams to international Christian schools and to Christian colleges’ teacher education programs. David and his wife, Erin, live in Colorado Springs.

Dr. Lynne Little

Board Member

Dr. Lynne Little is the founder of Compass Education LLC and is nationally recognized in Christian education leadership, curriculum design, and professional training for faith-based institutions. She is a co-author of Safeguards for Schools, a biblically-based abuse awareness and prevention instructional resource for elementary students. With more than 25 years of experience, she partners with schools and ministries to cultivate biblically grounded, academically excellent, and ethically sound learning environments. Serving as chair for numerous school accreditation teams, she values the accountability and continuous improvement accreditation brings to an organization.
Lynne and Ronnie, her husband of 30 years, reside is northeast TN. Lynne is passionate about the discipleship of the next generation and is an advocate for the protection of children from evil and harm.
Statement of Faith
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Our goal is to help churches and ministries prevent abuse.

Read our statement on organizations with a history of abuse.

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