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Personal background checks for volunteers have become a hot issue for churches. While a background check for employment in the secular world is becoming routine, some administrators are still resisting the routine church background check on volunteers. They shouldn't. Federal laws state you can be sued for negligent hiring if you have an incident with one of your volunteers or employees and you didn't conduct a national criminal record background check. Volunteer employee background checks are the foundation to protecting the vulnerable people in your church.

Many church volunteers have little time for formal team building seminars or church leadership development programs. Yet, these are vital components for a healthy, functioning, and effective volunteer team. Even simple team building activities can develop shared goals, interdependence, trust, commitment, and accountability among church volunteers. Discover free team-building exercises, examples from other churches, and ideas for developing, supporting, training, and providing feedback to church volunteers.

Developing a vision for ministry in the 21st century is job #1 for your church. Your church vision and mission statement guides all the work and activities of your church. If you don’t yet have a formal mission and vision, here you’ll find resources for writing a church mission statement, inspiration and direction for identifying and articulating your vision, and practical tips for putting your vision into practice.

Recruiting church volunteers is the most identified challenge of church leaders. The process of identifying, screening and selecting qualified people to volunteer at church while hoping they have the right spiritual gifts and character qualities can feel overwhelming. These articles will equip you with proven strategies to find quality volunteers and communication tips to enlist them to serve on your volunteer team.

Retention is key is developing a strong volunteer core. Churches interested in increasing the retention of volunteers must go beyond screening volunteers, assigning them tasks to developing and training those volunteers for meaningful service. Recognizing your volunteers will make them feel valued and more connected to your vision. Find church volunteer appreciation ideas, volunteer recognition gifts that help increase retention, plus hundreds of ideas to create a culture of appreciation, encouragement, and make your church a fun place for volunteers.