Thank you for volunteering for ministry with First Baptist Church Montgomery!
Below, you will find the simple steps to preparing to serve with children, students, and vulnerable individuals within our church. You’ll also find Frequently Asked Questions below that may help with additional questions. We take seriously the responsibility of caring for those under our care and providing a safe place to learn about Jesus!
To serve in any ministry area that involves children, students, or vulnerable individuals, every volunteer and employee of First Baptist will complete the following steps to service.
STEP ONE: MINISTRY SAFE POLICY
Potential volunteers and employees of First Baptist must read, understand, and agree to comply with the policies and procedures outlined in our current Child, Student, and Other Vulnerable Individuals Protection Plan.
Click the link below to read and digitally sign the Protection Plan.
STEP TWO: SEXUAL ABUSE AWARENESS TRAINING
Once you’ve signed the Protection Plan, you will receive an email from First Baptist Church to complete your Ministry Safe Sexual Abuse Awareness Training. Sexual Abuse Awareness Training is a one-hour online training that you can complete at your convenience. This important training helps to equip and prepare volunteers and employees to recognize abuser characteristics and grooming behavior. This training is good for three years. If you have completed this training through another organization, you can email your certificate to volunteer@montgomeryfbc.org or give it to Carolyn Bryan in the Pastor’s Office.
STEP THREE: BACKGROUND CHECK
Once you’ve signed the Protection Plan, you will also receive an email to complete your background check. FBC contracts with Ministry Safe to run the background checks on employees and volunteers. You will receive an email from First Baptist Church with a link to Ministry Safe to complete the background check. See more information in the Frequently Asked Questions page regarding background checks.
Ready to SERVE!
Once you’ve completed these steps, you’re ready to serve. We’d encourage all church members to complete these simple steps to be prepared for the multitude of opportunities around the church. If additional screening is needed for a non-member or new member, a Program Minister will reach out to complete that information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is a new policy needed at the church?
For many years, First Baptist Montgomery has had common-sense policies related to the protection and safety of the children in our care. We felt it important to put those policies into a document and utilize today’s best practices to train staff and volunteers. The safety steps listed above are standard safety steps for organizations across Southern Baptist churches, evangelical churches, schools, and volunteer organizations. A safety council was organized to research and present a Protection Plan for the church’s adoption. The Protection Plan has been approved by our Church Leadership Council, Finance and Administration Committee, and deacon body with overwhelming support.
Why does the background check application appear to request financial or credit information?
The background check does not affect or run your credit or financial history. First Baptist Church does not receive any information regarding your credit or financial history. The statement that appears before running your background check is a legal statement that Ministry Safe is unable to remove. However, the background check does not check your credit history, nor does it affect your credit report.
What information shows up on a background check?
The background check for volunteers will check a multi-jurisdictional criminal check as well as the sex offender database. First Baptist does not see an individual’s full social security number.
Who has access to my background check at the church?
Only Pastor Mark will have access to the full background check. Carolyn Bryan in the Pastor’s Office will send emails and input names into Ministry Safe but will not have access to the background check information. If an issue should arise, Pastor Mark will reach out to discuss it with the individual confidentially.
If you have an additional question, reach out to a Program Minister, Carolyn Bryan (cbryan@montgomeryfbc.org) in the Pastor’s Office, or Pastor Mark (mbethea@montgomeryfbc.org).