Rocky Mountain Conference UCC - Conference adopts criminal backgound check policy

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Conference adopts criminal background check policy
By Tom Rehling

Robert Fulghum concludes his famous "All I really need to know, I learned in kindergarten" with the following thoughts:

" Think what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together."

Wouldn't it be great, if the whole world was as safe and innocent as our kindergarten memories. But, as adults, life experience has taught us to be more skeptical, cautious and wary of the world around us. We know that not everything is as simple as it first appears and sometimes people try to cover up things from their past.

In the United Church of Christ, we have a very open process for the searching for and call of ministers. Anyone with appropriate ministerial credentials has the right to apply and be considered for ministerial positions in the UCC. Therefore, we have created an extensive system of checks and balances to insure that information shared by candidates is accurate and past experiences are fully disclosed.

In 2004, conference and association staff, committees on the ministry, national counsel and Parish Life and Leadership began exploring the relevance, need, benefits and concerns of including criminal history verification as part of the search and call process. It was determined that Oxford Document Management (www.oxforddoc.com) could best provide a comprehensive criminal background check for all ministers with authorization and/or standing in the United Church of Christ.

As an additional level of safety and security for our congregations, beginning July 1, the national office of the UCC will only send out ministerial profiles that have the above mentioned Criminal Background Check (CBC). Further information about the CBC is available on the national UCC's Website, http://www.ucc.org.

We currently have many ministerial profiles on file in the Conference office that do not include the CBC. Anticipating that there may be an initial backlog of ministers needing to complete the CBC, the Rocky Mountain Conference Board of Directors has established a conference policy that as of October 1, 2006, we will only send out ministerial profiles that have the CBC included. Local church search committees can continue working with all of the profiles they have received from the conference office, whether they have the CBC or not. However, all search committees are encouraged to require a CBC on their candidate before presenting the candidate to the congregation.

Ministers desiring to circulate their ministerial profile can initiate a criminal background check at the Website: http://www.oxforddoc.com/members/authform.asp. The CBC process takes about a month before a report is generated. Ministers are encouraged to request a CBC before they begin work on their ministerial profile. The minister will be charged $140 for the CBC and once completed, will be valid for 18 months. It is suggested that churches reimburse the cost of the CBC to the person they call.

It would be nice, but rather naive, to think that this process is not necessary in our churches. It is important for all of us to work together to make our churches safe places, sanctuaries, for all of God's children. Remember, "when we go out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together."

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