Why churches use Ministry Facts for background checks
Most background check services were built for HR departments hiring warehouse staff — then repurposed for ministries with a “faith-based” landing page. Ministry Facts was designed from day one for the roles that faith communities actually screen: volunteer greeters, small-group leaders, deacons, youth workers, camp staff, and ordained clergy.
$22.50 Basic, $45.00 Enhanced, $65.00 Premium. No sales call required, no annual seat fee, no minimum volume. Additional court fees may apply.
Applicants complete the authorization on any device in under three minutes. Every report includes the notices, disclosures, and adverse-action tooling your church legal counsel expects.
National average is 2.3 days. Rush processing available for camps and event-driven ministries.
One click applies the right package (volunteer, youth ministry, clergy, or admin) so untrained church admins do not have to make legal decisions about scope.
Automated annual or biennial re-checks aligned with denominational Safe Environment standards.
What a church background check should include
The right screening scope depends on the role. A greeter and a children’s ministry leader should not receive the same check — and the two most common vendor mistakes are (a) over-screening low-risk roles and driving up cost, or (b) under-screening high-risk roles and leaving liability exposure.
For every volunteer or staff role
- SSN trace and address history
- National criminal database with sex offender registry search across all 50 states
- County criminal record search in every county the applicant has lived in during the past 7 years
- OFAC / global watchlist screening
Additional checks for children's, youth, and student ministry
- State-specific child abuse registry search
- Federal criminal search
- Motor vehicle report (for anyone transporting minors)
Additional checks for clergy, executive pastors, and finance-facing staff
- Employment history verification (7 years)
- Education and seminary verification
- Professional license verification (LPC, LMFT, ordination credentials)
- Credit report (finance-facing roles only, with proper FCRA notice)
How much does a church background check cost?
Our three packages are $22.50 Basic, $45.00 Enhanced, and $65.00 Premium with no annual fee. A typical mid-size church running 40 volunteer checks on the Basic package and 6 staff checks on the Enhanced package per year spends around $1,170 total with Ministry Facts, versus $1,600–$2,400 with the incumbent vendors once their annual membership fees and per-check surcharges are included. Additional court fees may apply.
See our full pricing page for every package and add-on, or read the comparison against MinistrySafe and Protect My Ministry.
How to run background checks on church volunteers
- Create your church account — no credit card required, no annual fee.
- Choose your default package per role type (volunteer, youth ministry, clergy).
- Invite applicants by uploading a spreadsheet or sending them a branded link. Every email carries your church name.
- Applicants authorize on any device in under three minutes.
- Cleared results return in 2–3 business days with a plain-English summary and audit-ready documentation.
FCRA compliance and church liability
The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires specific disclosures and authorizations before running a background check — even for volunteers. Failing to follow FCRA process is one of the most common ways churches accidentally expose themselves to lawsuits. Every Ministry Facts workflow is built around FCRA compliance by default, including the standalone disclosure, the electronic signature capture, and the pre-adverse and adverse action notice sequence if a report shows disqualifying information.
For a deeper policy reference, download our free FCRA authorization form template and volunteer screening policy template.
Send us your expected volume and role mix — we will send back a written quote with total annual cost, not a per-item price list you have to reverse-engineer.
Ready to switch background check vendors?
Move your ministry off the $199/year membership model. Flat, published pricing. Talk to a real person.
Or call (860) 555-0117
