Pastoral Background

[Shellie]

one love,

It is more about future protection than anything else. Drug trafficking upteen years ago would not effect a license being given to someone.

Any type of sexual crime would obviously be the most important thing that would be looked for.

Embezzlement might not keep you from getting a license, but it could possibly keep you from being the clerk/treasurer.

[one love]

one love,

It is more about future protection than anything else. Drug trafficking upteen years ago would not effect a license being given to someone.

Any type of sexual crime would obviously be the most important thing that would be looked for.

Embezzlement might not keep you from getting a license, but it could possibly keep you from being the clerk/treasurer.

got ya I see the point, thank you shellie

[pastorsa1]

Sexual crimes are one of the main things that are looked for on anyones background check.

Most of the time it should depend on repentance and a case by case review.

Someone found guilty of a sexual crime should never be allowed to work with children again.

I know God can forgive but there has to be a standard.

[RamboPreacher]

Sexual crimes are one of the main things that are looked for on anyones background check.

Most of the time it should depend on repentance and a case by case review.

Someone found guilty of a sexual crime should never be allowed to work with children again.

I know God can forgive but there has to be a standard.

I agree. there is a difference in the physical ramifications of sin and the spiritual ones, in my opinion. especially when the legal and insurance companies have particular requirements.

It's not about is making a prejudgment choice. as mentioned, discretion and case at a time review should be used as much as possible. but where does one draw a "line", I think that it is a case by case evaluation.

[TC]

I have seen the replies about background checks but not much has been said about credit checks.

While if someone has a record of Embezzlement might not keep you from getting a license, but it could possibly keep you from being the clerk/treasurer would you still want that person in charge of the decisions made when it comes to the money issues of the church.

But to me a bigger question is what if they don't have any never been convicted of a crime but has a history of bad credit, not paying their bills or not taking care of their obligations. Do we really want them in charge of a church? Do we really want them making decisions that could kill that church later?

Yes I know that the Pastor is not the only one making decisions, but every church I have seen, the pastor makes the boards and they usally follow what he wants to do. We had a pastor that wanted to be known as a "Church builder" so when several people told him of a Church building with plenty of land, he got the his people on the board to vote it down. Our Church Cost more, is smaller and is land locked. He is no longer around and most of the people he had on the board are not around. A very poor decision that he got to walk away from that we are stuck paying for, we are stuck with a parsonage that is need to be leveled, in an area that is going down in value as we speak.

I know one other minister that was moved so often I thought he was not liked anywhere he went, until I found out he was keeping ahead of his bill collectors. It is a sad thing when a minister has his year old caddy repo'ed in the church parking lot.

[Alan]

Georgia also requires background checks before obtaining your license now.

[pastorsa1]

I think that it is a case by case evaluation.

Oh I agree.

[RamboPreacher]

I have seen the replies about background checks but not much has been said about credit checks.

While if someone has a record of Embezzlement might not keep you from getting a license, but it could possibly keep you from being the clerk/treasurer would you still want that person in charge of the decisions made when it comes to the money issues of the church.

But to me a bigger question is what if they don't have any never been convicted of a crime but has a history of bad credit, not paying their bills or not taking care of their obligations. Do we really want them in charge of a church? Do we really want them making decisions that could kill that church later?

Yes I know that the Pastor is not the only one making decisions, but every church I have seen, the pastor makes the boards and they usally follow what he wants to do...

i agree.
"Bad credit", though, is perhaps a different issue than bad stewardship, which would be revealed in a credit report review case by case.

[stevenson]

Wow, I thought there would be some against the "credit check". I feel that if you can't run your own finances you shouldn't run the churches.

[Shellie]

stevenson wrote:

Wow, I thought there would be some against the "credit check". I feel that if you can't run your own finances you shouldn't run the churches.

I know people that have terrible credit because of huge medical bills with no insurance. Babies are born early, car accidents happen, things happen.

Credit card debt is one thing. Unexpected medical bills are another. A bad credit history may not mean a bad steward.

[stevenson]

Most credit checks will excuse medical bills. But I understand what your saying!

[Dr. Ron]

Many times the whole "credit check" thing is convoluted.

I did some mortgage lending for a while and I can tell you that the 3 companies that do the "credit scoring" are very nearly always wrong in some way or another ....unless you have a single credit card, a car pmt. and mortgage.

When it gets into more than that they seldom get it right.

My sister worked for the "Federal Bankruptcy Court". She was the person who did the paperwork for people who were taking bankruptcy.

The credit bureau had her listed as having a bankruptcy!lol
We had to go to great lengths to get her credit score taken care of.

That report does not reflect all that it should when making the kinds of evaluations you are discussing here.
While a pastor needs to have good credit, he actually should not have credit...so that he is not held in bondage to a lender......now back to the real world.....lol

Shellie called it properly. While the credit bureau generally doesn't list that , it can still be an issue.

[Pastor Bill]

When did you go through that with the CoG, I was also in the CoG, and though I didn't finish getting my license before leaving to pastor in the CoGoP (I was about 3 weeks away, and had the test scheduled which would have been the last step other than GO's signature)

I wonder if you went through that before me and it's been dropped, or afterwards and it's been added, or if I am just clueless. At that time a credit report wouldn't have looked good, we had gotten ourselves over our heads in Credit Cards and were just getting our heads above water with that, so I feel like I would have remembered the credit report, although the criminal background check I wouldn't have paid much attention to, having to have those for so many other things like helping at the kids school, my wife working in a day care, etc.

[kurt73]

It is sad we have to come to this but I think it is a good thing to help protect the organization. Look at the Catholic organization for an example. They are being sued left and right. Credit checks is going a little to far in my opinion.

[stevenson]

Pastor Bill, 1995!