I agree with the previous comment, background checks should be part of all churches policies--whether it be for volunteers or clergy members.

Churches are a place of trust--and vulnerability. It is up to the church to run employment screenings (and volunteer screenings) when putting applicants in a position that deals with children. In fact, the Volunteers for Children Act (Public Law 105-251) holds organizations liable if a volunteer sexually molests a child, elderly person or individual with a disability in his or her care if they've previously been convicted of a relevant crime in the US.

To read a blog post about conducting background checks on volunteers in the church, go to:
http://hire4integrity.premieress.com/blog-0/bid/3...

When it comes to trusting others (especially with something as important as your children) a background check is vital to weed out convicted rapists and criminals like Lashawn Furguson from the group. The bottom line is, you don't know what kind of record someone is hiding, and you should always take the extra step to make sure everyone is in good hands. Volunteers are not exempt to background checks either; according to NFPCSA, the Volunteers for Children Act (Public Law 105-251) holds organizations liable if a volunteer sexually molests a child, elderly person or individual with a disability in his or her care if they've previously been convicted of a relevant crime in the US.

To learn more, read a great background screening blog post entitled, "hire4integrity" by Premier Employment Screening Services to get the full picture about pre-employment screening and volunteer background checks. You can access it at:
http://hire4integrity.premieress.com/