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Background Checks & Finger Printing

Safe Gatherings OR Ministry Safe – Choose One

Your church or ministry must choose one of these online platforms for your background checks and training. If you are already working well with Ministry Safe and wish to continue, please do. Thank you for your diligence in protecting our children, youth, and vulnerable adults.

If you are not already successfully and consistently using Ministry Safe, you’ll want to get started with Safe Gatherings right away. 

  • Both offer online applications.
  • Both offer AB506-compliant searches.
  • Both offer AB506-compliant web-based abuse prevention training.
  • Both offer electronic data management for local churches, District offices and the Conference.

The Conference used Safe Gatherings regularly until a few years ago, when we switched to Ministry Safe. Our experience has shown that Ministry Safe is more challenging to implement than Safe Gatherings.

The main difference is that Safe Gatherings automates most of its functions once your administrator inputs a candidate for employment, staff person or volunteer.

Safe Gatherings puts the background check in motion and sends out training reminders until your candidate, staff person or volunteer complies. Safe Gatherings notifies the administrator of compliance and send out a notice of completion to the applicant. If there is a flag on the background check, Safe Gatherings handles the adverse action for you. Safe Gatherings sends applicants and administrators notices when the 3-year renewal time rolls around.

Ministry Safe requires church administrators to be proactive about requesting the background checks and sending out training requests until compliance is gained. The system does not automatically kick out reminders or notices. Ministry Safe does not handle adverse action, but instructs the church administrator on how to handle these.

Therefore, if your church struggles to keep up with administrative tasks, you will want to sign up with Safe Gatherings.

Where Do We Go For Background Checks and Training?

Safe Gatherings OR Ministry Safe – Choose One

Your church or ministry must choose one of these online platforms for your background checks and training. If you are already working well with Ministry Safe and wish to continue, please do. Thank you for your diligence in protecting our children, youth, and vulnerable adults.

If you are not already successfully and consistently using Ministry Safe, you’ll want to get started with Safe Gatherings right away.

  • Both offer online applications.
  • Both offer AB506-compliant searches.
  • Both offer AB506-compliant web-based abuse prevention training.
  • Both offer electronic data management for local churches, District offices and the Conference.

 

The Conference used Safe Gatherings regularly until a few years ago, when we switched to Ministry Safe. Our experience has shown that Ministry Safe is more challenging to implement than Safe Gatherings.

 

The main difference is that Safe Gatherings automates most of its functions once your administrator inputs a candidate for employment, staff person or volunteer.

 

Safe Gatherings puts the background check in motion and sends out training reminders until your candidate, staff person or volunteer complies. Safe Gatherings notifies the administrator of compliance and send out a notice of completion to the applicant. If there is a flag on the background check, Safe Gatherings handles the adverse action for you. Safe Gatherings sends applicants and administrators notices when the 3-year renewal time rolls around.

 

Ministry Safe requires church administrators to be proactive about requesting the background checks and sending out training requests until compliance is gained. The system does not automatically kick out reminders or notices. Ministry Safe does not handle adverse action, but instructs the church administrator on how to handle these.

 

Therefore, if your church struggles to keep up with administrative tasks, you will want to sign up with Safe Gatherings.

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Each church is already set up in both the Ministry Safe and the Safe Gatherings portals.

  • You can start or switch from one to the other whenever you are ready.
  • Both platforms will be monitored for compliance by the Conference HR Manager and the District Offices. Clergy compliance will be monitored from the Episcopal Office, and Candidates for Commissioning will be monitored by the Board of Ordained Ministry.
  • Charge Conference Form #6: has a box to let the Conference know which system you’ve decided to use.

Here’s a link to a current copy of Charge Conference Form #6 for your reference:

Charge Conference Form #6: Abuse Prevention Policy Verification

Once you’re signed up, you’ll have access to training tutorials and live customer support. There is no limit to the number of employees and volunteers that you can add to the portal.

 

Cost

$47 per applicant covers an enhanced criminal history search: address history, 7-year felony/misdemeanor search, county/state and federal levels, Sex Offender Registry/National Criminal Database Search.

www.safegatherings.com

Each church is already set up in Safe Gatherings, you only need to sign up.

To sign up, fill out the following form (also available at this link):

 

 

 

 

www.ministrysafe.com

Each church is already set up in the Ministry Safe portal. The account has initially been set up with the church’s SPRC chair (or the Senior Pastor) as the administrator.

  • How To Access Ministry Safe (PDF) for instructions on how to access the portal, add users, send training and how to customize your training settings
  • Demo (video)

There is no limit to the number of employees and volunteers that you can add to the portal.

 

Cost

Background checks: $40 per person for Level 1 background checks including:

    • Identity Research
    • Multi-Jurisdictional Search with Sex Offender
    • County of Residence
    • County of Employment
    • Federal Court Nationwide Search
  • For Motor Vehicle Report, extra $10 will be applied per person.

Ministry Safe charges an annual fee of $250/church

Livescan is administered by the Department of Justice, and is therefore an entirely separate process from Ministry Safe/Safe Gatherings.

More resources coming soon.