Child/Teen Protection Update

At the April 9th IMPACT service, Pastor Duke talked about some updates to our Child/Teen Protection Policy.  HERE is a PDF of the policy. Here are some of those changes highlighted in bold with an explanation of the change in italics. Introduction:  Any changes to this policy will be submitted to the pastors, approved by the pastors and deacons and communicated to the church.

Changes to this Child/Teen Policy are made through the pastors and deacons, not constitution amendments. These changes will be communicated through the church website, bulletin announcements and other means. The policy by which changes were made was not clearly stated in the previous document and the nature of ministry requires leadership to make changes that best reflect changing ministry programs and facilities.

II.A.2.  Every staff member (paid or non-paid) who works with minor children or teens will have a background check every five years.

In the past, there was only an initial background check done on an applicant with yearly ministry affirmation forms. These yearly ministry checks will continue to happen with every fifth year's check including a formal background check. This change is meant to reflect the recommendation of other ministries and legal recommendations. 

III.A.1.B. & III.A.2.A.  Individuals may be asked to show their pick up receipt when entering or in the children’s ministry area.

Any adult in the EKIDZ area MAY BE ASKED by a safety team member or EKIDZ worker to show their child 's pick up receipt. Adults WILL NEED TO show their child pick up receipt to pick up their child from the classroom. 

III.A.2.B.  Changes to restroom practices to reflect changes in the building.

There were several policies modified to reflect the current EKIDZ wing. These policies in the previous document were written with the previous building layout in mind.

Standard Policy: Membership is required for Bible-teaching ministry at EBC. Issue 1. Special Exemption for non-Bible teaching ministries Non-members may serve in specific ministries such as UPWARD, Sonshine and other such ministries under the leadership of authorized Emmanuel members when the following conditions are met: 1.  An APPLICATION FOR PAID/NON-PAID MINISTRY has been received and the applicant has been approved for ministry. 2.  Background and Reference Checks for those who are not church members serving in non-Bible teaching roles need to be completed. Note: Service is limited to one year in the chosen ministry. Individuals may reapply for ministry in subsequent years.

The biggest change in this section is the addition of UPWARD to the wording.  UPWARD states it is "a community-based kids sports program most frequently hosted by a church.  Children and volunteers of any faith - or no faith - participate in Upward Sports."  At Emmanuel Baptist Church we make it a point to let everyone know that we do UPWARD as a ministry of our church for the glory of God.  All adult volunteers go through an application process and when they don't have a church home we make an effort to partner them with an Emmanuel Baptist Church member or make other accommodations. This section has always included SONSHINE to allow non-members to serve during our carnival and/or Bible school in specific, non-Bible teaching roles that are determined by the SONSHINE leadership team.  These include but are not limited to roles like puppets, snack helpers and technology personnel.