Safe Church Policy^*
First Baptist Church, Dover, DE

It’s a fact. Good guys don’t wear superhero capes, and bad guys don’t always have shifty eyes and devious-sounding chuckles. In real life, discerning the heroes from the villains often requires more than a visual assessment.

In truth, you can’t know whether someone is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ simply by looking at them when they walk through the front door of our church and volunteer to serve. That’s why our church has recently developed a policy and procedure for screening all FBC employees and all volunteers working with children and youth.

According to a 2005 study conducted by researchers at the University of New Hampshire, one-in-twelve youth aged 2 to 17 nationwide experienced sexual victimization, including sexual assault and attempted or completed rape. Grievously, of all the crimes against children in the U.S. every year, thousands will occur within the walls of churches and youth centers. With crime and abuse at an all time high, churches must develop hiring programs that work to prevent dangerous situations before they occur.

In a ministry that serves children and youth, First Baptist Church has the obligation to exercise "due diligence" with regards to protecting its members, especially the children. By performing background checks on our volunteers our ministry at First Baptist is…

• Putting up a safeguard at the "doorway" of our church that will, in most cases, eliminate sexual predators.
• Offering peace of mind to discerning parents when choosing a church, by knowing our ministry is being pro-active in trying to protect the children.

Under the direction of the Board of Christian Education, a "Safe Church" Committee has developed a policy and procedure for screening, including the national criminal database and national sex offender registry. Working through Protect My Ministry, background checks and child safety training is required of: (1) all FBC employees, and (2) all volunteers working with children and youth.

A copy of the FBC Child Protection Policy is available HERE.

At First Baptist we agree with David: "Children are a gift from God" (Psalm 127:3). And we welcome them as an important part of our gathered family. We believe it is our privilege and responsibility to share the goodness and the love of God with boys and girls of every age. In the midst of our ministry, we are committed to their protection.

^*All employees screened by September 1, 2011
^*All volunteers screened by January 1, 2012