• Create a Safe Sanctuaries Task Force for your local church
  •  Start looking at the context of your local church and who your ministries serve (ie youth, children, young adults and vulnerable adults)
• Create a Safe Sanctuaries Policy for you local church,
  • Be sure to include your state’s reporting guidelines in your policy
  • Reporting Abuse in PA
  • Reporting Abuse in NY
  • Reporting Abuse in NJ
• Set up a Ministry Safe account for your church and appoint a Ministry Safe Administrator (see below for details).
• Have all adults (laity and clergy, paid and volunteer) working with children, youth and vulnerable adults complete a background check through Ministry Safe (see below for details), Safe Sanctuaries training for your church’s certified policy and Ministry Safe Training videos (see below for details).
• Implement policy in your local church, review and celebrate annually with your congregation.
• Once the policy has been approved by the Administrative Council of the local church, submit to the GNJ Safe Sanctuaries Coordinator for review and approval. 

• Develop a Safe Sanctuaries Task force or team in your local church.
• Review Safe Sanctuaries Sample Policy
  • Reference the checklist for certification- in order for a policy to be approved by the Safe Sanctuaries Coordinator, it must meet these minimum requirements. 
• Using the Sample Policy and the Checklist along with your review of your local church ministries, create a Safe Sanctuaries Policy for the local church to reduce harm and safeguard all that God has given the local church to steward. 
• Have policy approved by local church Trustees and Administrative Council. Safe Sanctuaries policies are required by both the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference and our insurance agent. 
• Submit policy to Greater New Jersey Conference Safe Sanctuaries Coordinator, Gabrielle Corbett, to have your policy reviewed and certified. The GNJSSC will review for changes, clarifications or editorial needs. 
• Submit certificate to annual church/charge conference. 
  •  Policies must be reviewed by each church’s Administrative Council every year, and re-submitted to the GNJ Safe Sanctuaries Coordinator (Gabrielle Corbett) for recertification every other year. 

• Please expect this process to take a minimum of four weeks once you submit the church’s policy to the Safe Sanctuaries Coordinator.
• Due to the complex nature of these policies and procedures, all communication must go through safesanctuaries@gnjumc.org. Please note, any communications sent through social media, phone or other methods will not receive responses.

Clergy background checks are handled through the Board of Ordained Ministry and Episcopal Office.

For questions about clergy background checks contact Joanne Sullivan.

• Discipleship Ministries – Safer Sanctuaries: Nurturing Trust Within Faith Communities
• Safe Sanctuaries: A Comprehensive Abuse Prevention Policy Development Guide
• Engaging Everyone in Abuse Prevention
• Safe Sanctuaries Policies and Guidelines for Smaller Congregations
• Safe Sanctuaries Policies and Guidelines for Larger Congregations
• (Legacy)Safe Sanctuaries: Inclusion and Hospitality for LGBTQ Youth