Churches & Nonprofits
Background Checks for Churches & Nonprofits
Churches and community organizations are built on trust — from the families who bring their children to youth programs to the donors who support your mission. Screening the people who serve, paid or volunteer, is part of protecting that trust.
Red Brick helps ministries and nonprofits put a clear, consistent screening process in place that fits their roles and their budgets.
Challenges
Screening challenges in churches & nonprofits
Staff and volunteers in the same programs
Paid staff and volunteers often serve side by side. Deciding who is screened, and how, needs a clear and consistent policy.
Youth-serving and vulnerable-population programs
Children's ministry, mentoring, camps, and senior programs call for careful screening of anyone with direct access.
Volunteers who drive
Trips, transportation ministries, and deliveries put volunteers behind the wheel on your organization's behalf.
Stewardship of limited resources
Every dollar matters. Screening should be focused where risk and responsibility are greatest, rather than one expensive package for everyone.
Services
Relevant screening services
Criminal Background Checks
A broader database search casts a wide net across compiled criminal records to flag possible matches tied to a candidate's names and addresses; relevant court searches then verify those records at the source — the county, state, or federal court where the case was heard — so what you see is confirmed, current, and reportable. You receive one organized, easy-to-review report.
Sex Offender Registry Search
A search of state sex offender registries for candidates whose roles involve children, youth, or vulnerable adults. Registry information varies by state, so it works best as one layer alongside verified court searches, not as a substitute for them.
Motor Vehicle Records
Driving history for staff and volunteers who drive vans, buses, or personal vehicles for your programs.
Employment Verification & References
Confirmation of work history and structured references for paid staff and leadership roles.
Education Verification
Confirmation of degrees or credentials for positions such as clergy, counselors, or teachers where training matters.
Fingerprint-Based Checks & Child-Abuse Registry Searches
Fingerprint-based criminal checks and child-abuse registry searches for youth-serving roles, where required or requested.
By role
Example screening considerations
These examples are starting points for a conversation — not universal requirements or a guarantee of legal compliance. Your program should reflect your roles, policies, and the advice of your legal counsel.
Youth & children's ministry volunteers
Screening may include criminal record searches and sex offender registry searches for volunteers whose responsibilities involve access to minors. Depending on the role, program, and jurisdiction, fingerprint-based checks or child-abuse registry searches may also apply. Establish a consistent screening policy for comparable roles and confirm applicable requirements with your legal counsel.
Volunteer & staff drivers
Motor vehicle record plus a criminal search for anyone transporting participants.
Paid staff & leadership
Criminal search, employment verification, and references; education verification where a degree is required.
General event volunteers
Screening based on supervision level and access — many organizations reserve full checks for roles with unsupervised access.
How Red Brick helps
Screening from someone who's been on the hiring side
We believe a screening process should be as fair and caring as the organization it serves. Red Brick helps you define which roles are screened and how, so the decision isn't made case by case.
With our founder's decades of hiring experience, we can help you build a process that's simple for volunteers to complete and easy for staff to manage — and we're a phone call away when you have questions.
FAQ