Consultant's Corner

Children's Ministry Applications
Sharlene Crutchfield

Q: I've heard a lot about volunteer applications for children's ministry and wanted to know more about the application and what should be included.

A: Volunteer applications are a great tool to help ministry leaders place potential volunteers in positions that are best suited for their gifts and the needs of the ministry. When it comes to children's ministries, however, they're also the first step in a screening process that includes the application, reference checks, a thorough personal interview, and a criminal background check.

The application will allow you to pre-screen volunteer candidates to determine if they are suited to serve in children's ministry. The candidate should tell you about his or her background, strengths, interests, and gifts. Carefully worded, your volunteer application can alert you to candidates whose backgrounds disqualify them from participating in children's ministry. You or another ministry leader can then work with the candidate to help him or her find another way to serve.

In addition to the practical reasons to have a thorough application process, there are important legal reasons. If ever there is an incident of alleged harm to a child in your church's care by a ministry team member, you will need documentation of your screening process.

Here are some of the things you may want to include on your volunteer application for children's ministry:

•  Volunteer's name, address, phone number, age, and gender.

•  Church membership and date joined. Some churches require church membership for a period of time prior to serving in children ministry. This is one way to determine the individual's stability as well as commitment to the ministry.

•  Former church membership and ministry involvement. Contacting the candidate's former church's leadership is a way to learn about his or her character and commitment to serving.

•  Personal references (friends, supervisor, former pastor, neighbor, and so on). Always contact the references listed. Church Volunteer Central has a form that will help guide you with the questions to ask (see the link at the end of this article). If the candidate did not list references, make sure he or she provides them during the personal interview.

•  Participation in a small group, and group leader's name. Many large churches include this inquiry on the application as a way to see if the candidate is connecting to the church.

•  Spiritual gifts, passions, skills, abilities, interests, and so on. During the personal interview, ask the candidate to elaborate on his or her experiences in utilizing his or her gifts and talents.

•  Release authorization section with signature. This authorizes you to collect information from personal references, and enables the references to share personal information without fear of legal liability.

Legally you can ask the tough questions on a volunteer application. Remember that your goal is providing a safe environment for your children. Here are some questions you might include:

•  Have you had any experiences that might make it difficult for you to minister to children?

•  Have you ever been accused or convicted of the use or sale of illegal drugs, child abuse, or a crime involving actual or attempted sexual molestation of a minor?

•  Have you ever used illegal drugs?

•  Have you ever been hospitalized, treated for, or struggled with alcohol or substance abuse?

•  Have you ever been charged with a misdemeanor or felony?

•  Are you engaged in any conduct that is contrary to the teachings of the Bible?

•  We conduct a background check on all applicants. Do you have any objections?

•  If you answered yes to any of the above questions, please explain briefly.

Some tips to consider:

•  Follow through with all the components of the screening process. Churches have been able to expose deception on an application because they followed through with contactin g references, conducted a personal interview, and did a criminal background check.

•  Don't ask for a Social Security number on the application. It can be collected on the background check consent form.

•  Carefully review the completed application. Look for questions that were not answered. Sometimes omission is intentional. When conducting the personal interview, address the questions that were not answered to your satisfaction.

•  Other red flags are multiple names or addresses, gaps or frequent changes in employment, and insufficient contact information for references.

•  Have a policy in place to be followed in the event you have concerns about the volunteer's credibility.

On our Web site, there are tools to assist you with the volunteer application process. Check out these forms: Volunteer Application, Applicant Screening Checklist, and Reference Follow-up Questions. We also offer national background checks at a deep discount for our members.

Using a thorough screening process for your children's ministry volunteers is one of the ways to provide a safe and nurturing environment for the children. Having a team of well-qualified volunteers will allow you and your team to concentrate on sharing the love of Christ with your precious children.

Sharlene Crutchfield serves as a volunteer leadership consultant with Church Volunteer Central. She has 20 years of church leadership experience.

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