Safe Sanctuary
We affirm that all children, youth and vulnerable adults have the right to safe sanctuary. Therefore, we are determined to provide an environment in which these persons are safe from neglect or abuse. The provision of safe sanctuary applies to all staff and volunteers, clergy or lay, who have direct or indirect contact with children or youth in conference and/or district sponsored events. The Safe Sanctuaries Certification Authority along with the Missouri Conference Mission Council is responsible for the Safe Sanctuaries policy and procedures. Each conference and/or district ministry involving children, youth, or vulnerable adults follows these policy and procedures.
Training
Get Certified Online
If you are seeking conference Safe Sanctuaries certification, you're encouraged to try the new online training and forms submission process. Learn more...
Note: If you attended or plan on attending a live training, you may now submit your paperwork and payment online.
You can do all of this from home either before or after attending a live training. On the Roster at the “live” training you do not need to repeat the address information, we only need your name as attending the class. The address information can be noted as "completed online" or "online".
Steps to complete the certification process
To receive Conference Safe Sanctuaries certification, please follow these steps. It is your responsibility to check to see that these steps are completed.
Complete Safe Sanctuaries Training
You may do so either online or by attending a live training.
Online training Training dates
Complete the required forms
Safe Sanctuary Application form
The application form is your statement of disclosure
and includes your contact information.
National
Background Release form
The national background release is required for all
applicants, as we are required by insurance companies to have a multi-state
background check.
Pastor and
General Reference forms
One of each is required, the reference forms can be
submitted electronically, by fax or mail.
Application Review for Certification
When all of your steps have been completed and the appropriate paperwork has been filed in the Safe Sanctuaries office, your file will be reviewed for certification. Once you have been approved, a certification letter will be sent to you at the address given to the Safe Sanctuaries office.
If the Certification Authority determines the person is not allowed to serve at the Conference level, the application shall be disapproved and the applicant shall be notified. If such applicant is a layperson, notification will be made to the pastor of the applicant's local church. Information provided by references shall be kept confidential at all times. The Certifying Authority will only tell the applicant whether the application has been approved or disapproved; it has no obligation to disclose reasons for its decision. The applicant does not have any right to learn the basis for the decision made by the Certification Authority.
When attending a live training
The fee for the application process is $25 per person for online, and $30 per person for the submission of manual paper work. As part of completing the forms online, you may pay the processing fee by credit card, debit card (Visa, Mastercard, or Discover) or by PayPal account. When submitting the manual forms the preferred method of payment is a check payable to the Missouri Conference.
Even if you choose to attend a live training you can still take advantage of submitting your forms online and paying the reduced fee of $25. If you plan to complete a paper application you will need to bring the $30 fee to the live training.
Effective Jan. 1, 2007, there will no longer be a re-certification category since the certification will be valid for four years. When the certification expires at the end of four years, the application process starts over with completion of the application process and training.