GRAPEVINE, Texas — With the goal of providing “safety for children and integrity for ministries,” the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention has reached an agreement with Child Guard Systems of Richardson, Texas, to recognize it as a service provider to assist SBTC churches in this critical area. “Each year nationwide, thousands of individuals and hundreds of ministries are devastated by child abuse,” said SBTC Executive Director Jim Richards. “The thorough and pro-active approach Child Guard provides can be a resource to our churches that will help ensure safety for children, peace of mind for families, and integrity for ministries throughout Texas.” As a service provider, Child Guard is linked from the convention’s website and recommended by the convention staff to all SBTC churches. Child Guard remains a private business but one that has been carefully examined by convention leadership and found to be an exemplary resource. The approach of the company goes beyond the standard criminal background check although this is an important part of the process. Churches entering into an agreement with Child Guard receive a customized training and testing program for their ministries. Staff members and volunteers receive online training, testing and certification to ensure they understand appropriate procedures for maintaining the safety of the minor children under their care. A criminal background check for each staff member and volunteer is included as a crucial part of the service. Rates for these services are:
“We looked at companies providing safety-related services to churches and found Child Guard to be the best choice for our convention,” said SBTC CFO Joe Davis. “We strongly recommend that churches establish thorough and effective safety procedures for their own staff members and volunteers, whether they use Child Guard or not. At the very least, do a background check on everyone who works with children in your church.” “The safety of children, that is the bottom line,” agreed Richards. “We’re trying to help as we can, but the responsibility falls on individual churches. Only they have the authority to direct their own ministries. We hope our recommendation of this service provider will encourage churches to do more to keep kids safe and their own ministries reputable.” Although Southern Baptist churches have formed denominational entities at the local, state and national levels, the churches remain self-governing. Participation at various denominational levels is completely voluntary and the entities maintain no level of control over churches. |
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