What every volunteer screening policy needs
A church volunteer screening policy is not a document about background checks. It is a document about decision-making — specifically, how your church consistently decides whether someone is eligible to serve. When that decision is contested (by a rejected applicant, by an insurance carrier, or by a court), the policy is what makes the decision defensible.
The template includes the following sections:
1. Purpose and scope
Which volunteer positions require screening (best practice: all of them, with different screening scopes by risk level), and which positions do not require screening.
2. Screening tiers by risk level
- Tier 1 (all volunteers): National criminal database, sex offender registry, OFAC
- Tier 2 (volunteers with unsupervised access to minors): Tier 1 + county criminal + state Child Abuse Registry + MVR if driving
- Tier 3 (finance and executive volunteers): Tier 1 + county criminal + credit report + employment history
3. Application and consent process
What forms are required (FCRA disclosure, authorization, application), who collects them, and where they are stored.
4. Rescreening cadence
Best practice: annually for Tier 2 and Tier 3, biennially for Tier 1. Most denominations require at least biennial rescreening.
5. Disqualifying criteria
The template lists categories of offenses that automatically disqualify (violent felonies, sex offenses, offenses against minors) and categories that trigger board review (financial crimes, DUI within 5 years, misdemeanors).
6. Adverse action process
How the church notifies an applicant of a disqualifying result and their FCRA right to dispute inaccurate information.
7. Record retention
How long screening records are kept, who has access, and how they are secured.
How churches use this template
Most churches use the following adoption workflow:
- Volunteer coordinator or pastor downloads the template
- Board or elders review the tier structure and adjust for the church’s specific ministry areas
- Attorney reviews the disqualifying criteria and adverse action section
- Board formally adopts the policy in a recorded meeting
- Policy is added to the volunteer handbook and reviewed annually
Total board effort is usually 2–3 meetings over 4–6 weeks.
Related resources
- FCRA authorization form template
- Child protection policy template
- Church background check services
Download the template
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