Volunteer Screening

It's common sense to periodically take a look at your retirement accounts, investments, savings, etc.  You need to protect them, watch out for them and not let them slip away!  The same is true for the kids in your Children's Ministry in your church.  What a valuable investment you are given to care for week after week.  Are you watching out for them and protecting them?

Volunteer screening is vital in protecting the children in your ministry.  Many churches are happy when adults volunteer to help with Children's Ministries.  They are glad to have the help.  It is wonderful when people volunteer their time to help with teaching classes and music, puppets and so on.  But do you really know the person that is helping out in your Children's Church?

You should ensure that you have a volunteer screening process in place that includes a criminal background check.  You need to know for sure that a wolf has not infiltrated your ministry.  Children are so vulnerable to predators.  They are so trusting and honest.  You must check out anyone that wants to work with your kids.  Some say that we need to trust people and that God will protect the children.  I say that God gives you the tools to ensure that your children are protected.

A criminal background check can, just by being discussed with potential volunteers, screen people out.  If there is something in a persons background that they don't want you to know, they will not agree to the criminal history being run.  That should be a RED FLAG right off the bat!  If a potential volunteer agrees to the check and discusses any issues that may arise, then you can feel better about that person and their true intentions.

If you are not currently screening your volunteers, I would encourage you to begin to do so immediately.  There are a number of resources our there to use.  You can find some of them on my website at www.trinityriskmanagement.com.