Black and white Sound Cloud icon Black and white YouTube icon Black and white LinkedIn icon Black and white Facebook icon

Pick and Choose

Selecting and Vetting Church Staff and Volunteers

Tax inspector investigating financial documents through magnifying glass forensic accounting or financial forensics inspecting offshore company financial papers documents and reports.

This article is based on the Safety Member Certification training modules "Safety Team Fundamentals" and "Protecting Children from Abuse."[1]

In the Bible

A bishop then must be blameless ... Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil ... (1 Timothy 3:2a,7a).

Introduction

At this time in early 2025, appointees to federal posts are facing examination by the Senate before confirmation. At issue are their qualifications for office. Objections have been raised by some senators, claiming that certain appointees are disqualified for one reason or another.

When a church is looking for people to fill pastoral, staff, or volunteer positions, there are expectations we have for those who are in those positions. These qualifications extend beyond the ability to perform specific tasks - at least they should.

With daily news coming from all parts of the nation, we are made aware of scandals in churches and other religious institutions. We can't just wish these scandals to not happen where we are. We need to diligently work to hold applicants in the church to standards of behavior. At risk are children and youth, vulnerable adults, finances, safety in general, legal standing, and the church's reputation.

In the News -

Canadian County, Oklahoma, July 14, 2022 - Two men were arrested in Canadian County when they showed up to have sex with underage girls. Instead, they met law enforcement officers with handcuffs. One of the men was a volunteer at a church camp.[2]

Tonawanda, New York, February 11 to March 11, 2024 - A woman employed at a church in Tonawanda embezzled almost half a million dollars. When exposed, she went south to North Carolina and hired out as a nanny. There she was found and arrested. It was discovered that she used her maiden name when she applied at the church. Under her married name she had served time in prison for other thefts from churches.[3][4]

Riverside, California, January 2024 - A married couple were arrested for physical abuse of two children a decade earlier. The husband was the alleged abuser and his wife was an accomplice/enabler. Since the man had worked with youth in a church in the intervening period, officials were looking for other victims.[5]

San Jose, California - Willow Glen Bible Church in San Jose has an application for volunteer drivers. This is for persons who would transport minors to and from church activities in vehicles that they (the drivers) provide (owned or borrowed). The application asks information about the vehicle, driver's license, insurance (required amounts), and driving record. It also lists the requirements, the applicant's declaration of intent to drive, and the validity of the information provided.[6]

Help Wanted -

When you look at "Help Wanted" ads, most say what the job is, and several have some statement or indication of requirements, with some being more specific. People responding to an ad will be asked questions about their experience and other qualifications for the job.

When we ask for help in the church, it is rarely in a help wanted ad other than in the church's bulletin, on its posting board, or in its newsletter. There are several ways to recruit help, including asking someone personally. However we ask, we state what the job is and basically what is to be done. For instance, in the announcements during the service, the chairperson may say, "With Sister Debbie Smith's family moving out of this area, we need another nursery attendant. If you are interested, see Sister Mae Jones, the Children's Ministry Director." Of course, this announcement assumes that applicants know what a nursery attendant does.

There are biblical standards for church leaders, including deacons (safety team members can be considered deacons). In 1 Timothy 3:1-13, the Apostle Paul outlined qualifications for them:

Similar qualifications are given in Titus 1:6-9.

Application -

A church should have every person considered for a position fill out an application. Of course, this does not apply to setting up tables and chairs for an event, decorating for a holiday, or a work day cleaning the grounds, but it does include ongoing work in the church, even as a custodian. In the first place, this conveys the message that working in the church is serious business, and every person doing the work is in a valuable position.

Why an application? At the most basic level, it records that a person has applied for the job and has contact information. There are also other questions:

For the church, the application's questions ought to be relevant for the position. For example:

Background Check -

The taking of an application should also include permission for a criminal background check. Many businesses and organizations conduct a background check of applicants for employment. The simplest is verification of address, previous employment, and education. Then there's the criminal background check. To be considered for work in many public school districts, you'll be fingerprinted. Then a search is made of the local, state, and federal criminal databases for arrests and convictions.

There is more than one field of background searches:

Sexual Abusers:

Because of the threat to child safety by sexual predators and physical abusers, a criminal background check is recommended for all applicants to positions in the church involving working with children and youth. Practically, since all staff and volunteers in a church will have some access to vulnerable persons, this is recommended for all applicants for any position. This check should also include a registered sex offender check.

If you think doing a thorough background check is dauntingly more than you can do, you're right. That's why there are firms that will perform background checks for you. Their employees are dedicated to this project, and they're better equipped than we are. But be aware. Not all background checking firms are the same. Some, like Protect My Ministry (PMM), a Sheepdog Church Security affiliate, are a cut above the others. PMM offers continuous monitoring. They monitor the persons in your background checks and update the records when new cases are added to the databases. This is important, because not all files are up-to-date. Some cases take more than a year to show in a search. This is especially critical for sex offenders.[8]

On sexual abuse, there is something you can do. That is to check the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website. On the search pages, put in the name of an applicant and see if he (or she) is a registered sex offender. You can also get a link to the sex offender website for your state, where you can also find sex offenders in your area and see how close they are to the church.[9]

Financial Issues:

A financial background check is necessary for any position in the church where money and bank accounts are handled. Take for instance the woman in Tonawanda. She got under the radar by using her other name. PMM checks for aliases, and if that had been done for the church in Tonawanda, she might not have gotten the job there with access to half-a-million dollars.[3]

Check not only for theft, but indications of financial instability, such as recent bankruptcy, poor credit rating, etc. Lead them not into temptation.

Driving Record:

This is a must for anyone driving a church vehicle or driving for the church in their own vehicle. Some drivers should not be trusted with a carload of passengers from the church. That is why Willow Glen Bible Church has separate applications for drivers.[6] See the SDCS article "[Wreckless] Driving."[10]

Help for Background Checks:

Check this video on the Sheepdog Church Security Academy: "Evaluating Background Check Providers." It takes you through the process of a background check. It also shows the warning signs of a substandard background check provider.[11]

Check References -

References are there for a reason. For the staff or volunteer applicant, this means we personally contact any church where that person has worked. You may find out more about the applicant than the person at the other church would be willing to put into writing. On the other hand, you might find out the applicant is better than you thought and feel better about hiring that person.

Interview -

Every applicant should be personally interviewed. Is there anything on the application or from the references that raises questions? You may find answers in the interview. Note the body language and voice of the applicant. Is the person evasive? Or is he or she confidant and eager to work?

Free Download -

We have a free download for you, "Team Building Guide" by Kris Moloney:

Download the Team Building Guide to learn how to start conversations about church safety, identify allies, and develop collaborative safety plans to protect your congregation.

Click *HERE* to get it.[12]

Conclusion -

Lead the church into carefully selecting and vetting workers, whether pastors, staff, or volunteers.

References -

  1. Kris Moloney, "Safety Team Fundamentals" and "Protecting Children from Abuse," Safety Member Certification, Sheepdog Church Security, 2018-2020 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/bundles/safety-member-certification].
  2. FOX23.com News Staff, "DHS worker, church camp volunteer arrested in Canadian County," Fox23 News, July 14, 2022, Updated July 25, 2023 [https://www.fox23.com/news/dhs-worker-church-camp-volunteer-arrested-in-canadian-county/article_d9af676a-0951-59d9-a69d-d54471cd8e26.html].
  3. Dan Herbeck and Jay Tokasz, "Woman accused of stealing $465K from church had served prison time after previous thefts," The Buffalo News, February 11, 2024 [https://buffalonews.com/news/local/crime-courts/woman-accused-of-stealing-465k-from-church-had-served-prison-time-after-previous-thefts/article_72293dd4-c777-11ee-9bfe-d3bec46f79e7.html].
  4. Taylor Epps, "'We're collateral damage': North Carolina family reacts to finding out their nanny is a WNY fugitive," WKBW ABC7, March 11, 2024 [https://www.wkbw.com/news/local-news/were-collateral-damage-north-carolina-family-reacts-to-finding-out-their-nanny-is-a-wny-fugitive].
  5. Vivian Chow, "Church volunteer, wife arrested for alleged sexual, physical abuse of children in Riverside," KTLA, January 17, 2024 [https://ktla.com/news/local-news/couple-arrested-for-alleged-sexual-physical-abuse-of-children-in-riverside/].
  6. Staff, "Volunteer Driver Application Form," Willow Glen Bible Church, undated [https://wgbible.org/volunteer-driver-application-form].
  7. Kris Moloney, "[Form] Safety Team Application.pdf," Sheepdog Church Security, 2018.
  8. Sheepdog Church Security affiliate link, Protect My Ministry [https://protectmyministry.com/sheepdog-signup/].
  9. Staff Writers, "National Sex Offender Search," Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice [https://www.nsopw.gov/en/Search/Results].
  10. WGV, "Reckless Driving," Articles, Sheepdog Church Security, February 10, 2025 [https://sheepdogchurchsecurity.net/articles/reckless-driving/] and [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/pages/security-articles?p=reckless-driving-church-vehicle-safety].
  11. Staff, "Evaluating Background Check Providers," Protect My Ministry, shown on Sheepdog Church Security Academy, September 20, 2024 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5EyfBG_qRs].
  12. Kris Moloney, "Team Building Guide," Sheepdog Church Security, 2024 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/products/digital_downloads/team-building-guide-church-safety]