Welcome to Safe Gatherings, Missouri Conference!
The Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church is committed to providing safe places of worship and fellowship to everyone they serve. As part of that commitment, they are offering Safe Gatherings as a resource for you in this important area.
Safe Gatherings is an online abuse prevention program that screens and educates staff and volunteers to help prevent abuse of children, youth and vulnerable adults. When employees and volunteers are trained about best practices when working with vulnerable populations, know the behaviors of potential abusers, recognize the signs of abuse and know how to handle reporting, they are better equipped to prevent abuse.
Upon successful completion of the Safe Gatherings application, background and reference checks, and online training program, each applicant will receive documentation of approval valid for three years, and will have continued access to the online training program for one year.
The Missouri Conference is committed to this program and is supplementing half the cost of the program through December 2023 (Regular price: $45). The price per applicant for the individual church program available through the Conference is $22.50. This includes:
- Processing of two electronic references
- National criminal background check
- 7-year multi-county of residence background check
- National and state of residence Sex Offender Registry check
- Applicant tracking for church administrators
- 1.5-hour online abuse prevention and boundary awareness training
Note: For those driving in your ministry, a motor vehicle record check is available for an additional fee.
To get started, access the program HERE or directly through the Safe Gatherings website.