Best Church Background Checks for Employees and Volunteers
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If you are a leader of a Church or House of Worship, then this blog post about the importance of background checks for workers and volunteers is for you!
It answers the following questions:
Why check church background checks?
When do church background checks?
What are examples of church background checks policy?
How far back do church background checks go?
What does a church background check show, and where to get church background checks?
Why check church background checks?
The number one goal of church background checks is prevention!
Most importantly, church background checks help to prevent harm to the children. Houses of Worship must not allow registered sex offenders to work with children. Make sure your church background checks include a search of all 50 states’ sex offender registries!
Church background checks help protect the church’s finances. For example, if someone has a criminal history involving theft, you may not choose them to collect the offering or be the Treasurer.
Church background checks reduce the chance of litigation and insurance claims. Imagine a scenario where you run someone’s Motor Vehicle report and they have a history of poor driving. You may not want them to drive congregants to a retreat in the church van. This may mitigate the risk of an accident, and any resulting insurance claims, and/or lawsuits. This also helps to protect the church’s finances.
Church background checks may help your church to be compliant with insurance companies. For instance, your insurance company may require employees or volunteers working with minors to undergo a national criminal background check.
Church background checks also help to protect the church’s reputation. If there is an incident at a House of Worship, the bad news could tarnish that House of Worship’s reputation.
When do church background checks?
Church background checks should be performed whenever someone applies for employment at the church or to volunteer for any ministry. They should also be performed periodically thereafter. Such as, every 6 months, year, or 2 years. Once leadership decides when background checks will be performed, and which services should be ordered (e.g., 7 Year Unlimited Package and Motor Vehicle Search), leadership can create background check related policies.
What are examples of church background checks policy?
A few examples of church background checks policy include:
Order a “7 Year Unlimited Package” for every applicant for employment or volunteering.
Set up a “Rescreen Notification” and have the employee or volunteer’s background check run every year thereafter.
In addition to the above, order a “Motor Vehicle Search” for anyone seeking permission to drive a church vehicle.
How far back do church background checks go, and what does a church background check show?
To determine how far back a church background check will go, and what it will show, you have to look at what services are included in the background checks your church orders. For example, the “Plus Package” checks one (1) county or state. Whereas the “7 Year Unlimited Package” checks unlimited counties and states based upon the last seven (7) years of address history reported via Social Security Number.
Where TO get church background checks?
I recommend Protect My Ministry for church background checks, and my church’s insurance company recommends it too!
Protect My Ministry (PMM) serves more than 35K faith-based organizations and has a great reputation.
PMM is able to check all 50 states’ sex offender registries!
All bundles include a Child Safety training.
PMM makes it easy to run legally compliant background checks.
All you need is a name and email address and PMM will send the consent form directly to them.
The applicant fills in the required information (e.g., name, address, date of birth, Social Security Number). This saves you time, and you don’t have to worry about securely storing this information, which is also a form of risk management.
Customers can speak with a live representative for help.
A physical team (not electronic) checks the records and re-verification to ensure the data is accurate.
PMM’s sales team will help you order the best background check-related services for your needs!
If you want to prevent harm to the children, protect the church’s finances, reduce the chance of litigation and insurance claims, and protect the church’s reputation then complete this short form! Protect My Ministry will contact you and provide you with more information and generous discounts!
If you know a leader of a Church or House of Worship that would benefit from this information, then please share this blog post with them!
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About the Author: Lori Corini is an attorney admitted to practice law in the state of New York, an NRA Pistol Instructor and Range Safety Officer, a NYS licensed armed guard, and Director of Safety and Security and a Board Member at her Church.