Georgia churches leading the way on background checks

Background checks are becoming all the more important in all aspects of society, not just when it comes to employment. Almost all organizations where children and vulnerable adults are concerned, from schools to churches, are ensuring that those involved have a clean background and pose no risk.
In the past four months, three youth ministers in Northeast Georgia churches were arrested and charged with molesting minors in their congregations, which has resulted in a call to action in the state to make sure that all volunteers, employees and contractors have a background check before they can work. Parents should trust in their churches and other community groups but remain aware of who their children are with, said Gwinnett police Sgt. Scott Killian, who works in the department’s special victims unit. “You always need to be on guard about it,” Killian said. In these instances, the abusers had in fact already had a background check, so what further measures can be taken to prevent this from happening in the future? Jason Ellis coordinates youth programs for Zion Baptist Church in Braselton, and he suggests using psychological exams as another way to screen applicants who want to work with youth or lead programs at his church. “There’s always room for improvement,” he said. Furthermore, church leaders should strive to always have two adults chaperoning one child instead of a one-on-one situation, said Chief Deputy Lee Weems of the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office. That practice is one of the best ways to squash any opportunities for inappropriate behavior, while also protecting the ministers from false allegations. Such measures are certainly a step in the right direction, and many other churches and states would do well to follow suit. Sometimes background checks just aren’t enough, and as a society we need to come together to find new, additional solutions.]]>