There are many ways to start submitting a background check:

Regardless of which way from the list above you go, you'll be taken to the same pop-up. The pop-up is split into multiple sections. We'll go over each section below.

The top of the form contains the following fields:

Position - this is an optional field and lets you designate what position the applicant is applying for. This can be a volunteer position (i.e. Kids Teacher), an employee position (i.e. Executive Pastor), or anything you'd like. Click on the cog menu to the right of the drop-down to manage the options.

Person - this is the person the background check is for. They must have a profile in the system. After entering a search term, you'll have a chance to create a new profile if the person you want doesn't appear in the results.

Send invite link? - by default, the system will send a link to the applicant where they can complete the consent form and background check details themselves. This is the recommended option since it doesn't require you to collect their information or acquire consent yourself.

Child Safety Training - whether the applicant also needs to complete a child safety training. Module must be enabled first before using this option.

Comments - these are optional comments to be stored with this background check. This is neither shared with the applicant nor with the background check vendor.

Custom Fields - you can create new custom fields to track any additional data not already found in the system. Any fields you define here are only accessible within the system and are not shared with the applicant or with the background check vendor.

This section only appears if you answered No to the "Send invite link?" question.

Full Name - this is the full legal name for the applicant and is required.

Social Security - this is the social security number for the applicant and is required.

Date of Birth - the complete birthday of the applicant

Gender - the gender of the applicant. This is optional and you can manage the list of options using the cog menu to the right of the dropdown

Email - the contact email for the applicant.

Phone - the contact phone number for the applicant.

Campus Attended - the campus the applicant attends if your church is a multi-site church. This information is not included with the submitted background check and is for your records only.

This section only appears if you answered No to the "Send invite link?" question. This is where you would enter their current home address.

This section contains the details of what background screening you want to run on the applicant.

Package - these are special packages offered by Protect My Ministry. Please see this map for recommendations on which package to choose based on the state you are in. Each state reports criminal history differently and so choosing the right package based on your state is important. The map helps with this.

When you select a package, the included reports underneath are automatically checked. The Basic, Plus and PA 153 packages also includes a "Smart Name Search" which is not available with the Customized package (even if you choose the same reports).

Note: the PA 153 Package is specific to Pennsylvania only. If you are an organization operating in PA, please check with your legal counsel regarding PA Act 153 and your background screening obligations.

You can run the Auto County 7 years with Smart Search background check with the Protect My Ministry integration. This will run a background check, which covers all counties the applicant has lived at in the last 7 years.

For churches in Georgia: This is the recommended background check order for this state and does not require an additional consent form be sent separately to the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC), since it is a county search and not a state search.

Billing Reference - this is optional and is an internal billing code you can enter that will result in your invoices being sub-totaled by this code. This is useful if you need to easily separate a certain group of background checks from others on your invoice.

Depending on which reports are chosen, additional details for certain reports will appear. The following section details each possibility.

This section only appears if you choose the "Criminal Search (County or Statewide)" report.

Search Type - the same map mentioned previously also gives a recommendation on whether to do a statewide search or a county search for your specific state. Please make sure you reference that if you're unsure what type to select.

State - the state to use for the statewide or county wide search. The initial state for this drop down is taken from the applicant's address. Please note, certain states have mandatory court fees in addition to the cost of the background check itself.

County - only appears if the search type is County. This list will show all counties located in the selected state above. The initial county for this drop down is taken from the zip code of the applicant's address. Please note, certain counties have mandatory court fees in addition to the cost of the background check itself.

Years to Search - this is the number of years back to run the search. The default is 10 years. If you increase this number, there may be additional fees. Some states may not provide criminal history the selected number of years back. In those cases, the maximum years will be provided instead.

Please provide court documents - whether the background check results should include the resulting court documents. Additional fees may apply.

This section only appears if you choose the "MVR Driving History Search" report and you answered No to the "Send invite link?" question.

This area lets you enter the applicant's drivers license number and state. Please note, some states have mandatory fees in addition to the cost of the background check.

This section only appears if you choose the "Education Verification" report and you answered No to the "Send invite link?" question.

This section only appears if you choose the "Employment Verification" report and you answered No to the "Send invite link?" question.

Comments/Instructions - this field contains special instructions you want the background check researcher to know regarding the employment verification.

This section only appears if you choose the "Child Abuse Registry Search" report. Please note, this report is not offered in every state.

This section lets you upload any documentation you want to include with the background check. Files are stored encrypted with One Church and are not sent to Protect My Ministry nor shared with anyone outside of the system.

If you are submitting the background check on behalf of the applicant, you can upload the consent form here.

This section only appears if you answered No to the "Send invite link?" question. Since you are not having the applicant submit the consent form themselves, this section lets you know what your legal obligations are. You must certify you have secured authorization and will adhere to these legal requirements before you will be able to submit the background check request.

This section will only appear if you answered Yes to the "Send invite link?" question. This area lets you design the email that will be sent to the applicant so they can consent and submit their background check details.

You can use the "Personalize" drop down in the editor toolbar to add mail merge variables that will be replaced when the email is sent out. The only one that is required is the {application_link} variable. This will be replaced with the link to the consent form for the applicant to complete.

You can set the initial email message that appears by clicking on the "edit default email template" underneath the editor.

Once you are ready to submit the request, click on the "Send Invite" or "Submit" button at the bottom. The one that appears depends on your answer to the "Send invite link?" question earlier on.