You will need the Write Background Checks permission to perform this action.
There are several ways to start a background check. Choose whichever fits how you work:
From the left-hand menu, go to Contacts, open the Screenings tab, and on the Background Checks sub-tab click + New Screening.
From the top toolbar, choose + New > Background check.
From a person's profile, click Actions > New background check in the upper right.
From a person's profile, open the Safeguards tab and click + New Screening.
No matter which route you take, the same New Background Check window opens. The form reveals more fields as you fill it in, so you'll see additional sections appear once you choose a person and set your options. Each section is described below.
Filling out the background check form
Person and position
The top of the form collects who the check is for and how the applicant's information will be gathered.
Position - an optional field that records what position the applicant is applying for. This can be a volunteer position (such as Kids Teacher), an employee position (such as Executive Pastor), or anything you like. Click the cog menu to the right of the drop-down to manage the options.
Person - the person the background check is for. They must have a profile in the system. After you enter a search term, you'll have the chance to add a new profile with + Add New if the person you want doesn't appear in the results.
Send invite link? - a toggle that is turned on by default. When it's on, the system emails the applicant a link where they complete the consent form and enter their own background check details. This is the recommended option, since it doesn't require you to collect their information or obtain consent yourself. Turn the toggle off if you are entering the applicant's information on their behalf.
Child Safety Training - whether the applicant also needs to complete a child safety training. The module must be enabled before you can use this option.
Comments - optional comments stored with this background check. These are not shared with the applicant or with the background check vendor.
Custom Fields - any custom fields your church has set up appear here so you can track additional information. Custom fields are only visible within the system and are not shared with the applicant or the vendor.
Applicant information
This section appears only when the Send invite link? toggle is turned off, since you are entering the applicant's details yourself. It combines the applicant's personal information and current home address.
Full Name - the applicant's full legal name. Required.
Phone - the contact phone number for the applicant.
Email - the contact email for the applicant.
Social Security - the applicant's social security number. Required.
Address - the applicant's current home address, including country, state, and ZIP code.
Campus Attended - the campus the applicant attends, if your church is multi-site. This is for your records only and is not sent with the background check.
Gender - the applicant's gender. Optional. Manage the list of options using the cog menu to the right of the drop-down.
Birthday - the applicant's complete birthday.
Order background check
This section is where you choose what screening to run on the applicant.
Package - select one of the packages offered by Protect My Ministry: National Combo Search, Plus + Minimum Recommendation, Auto County 7 years with Smart Search, PA 153 Package (Only available in Pennsylvania), or customized. When you select a package, its included reports are automatically checked in the Custom list beneath it. Choose the right package for your state — each state reports criminal history differently. Please see this map for recommendations.
The Auto County 7 years with Smart Search package runs a background check covering every county the applicant has lived in over the last seven years.
Tip: The PA 153 Package is specific to Pennsylvania. If your organization operates in PA, check with your legal counsel about PA Act 153 and your background screening obligations. For churches in Georgia, the county-based search is recommended and does not require a separate consent form to the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC), since it is a county search rather than a state search.
Custom - the individual reports to include. Use the check all link to select every report at once. Available reports include:
National Criminal Database Search
SSN Verification & Address History
National Sex Offender Registry
Criminal Search (County or Statewide)
Child Abuse Registry Search
Education Verification
Employment Verification
MVR Driving History Search
Employment Credit Check
Depending on which reports you choose, additional detail sections appear below — those are described next.
Billing Reference - an optional internal billing code. Invoices are sub-totaled by this code, which is helpful when you need to separate a certain group of background checks from others on your invoice.
Report-specific details
Some reports collect extra information. These sections appear only when you select the matching report (and, in most cases, only when Send invite link? is turned off).
Criminal Search
Appears when you choose the Criminal Search (Statewide or County) report.
Search Type - the same map mentioned above recommends whether to run a statewide or county search for your state.
State - the state used for the search. It defaults to the applicant's address. Some states charge mandatory court fees in addition to the cost of the check.
County - appears only when the search type is County. It defaults to the county from the applicant's ZIP code. Some counties charge mandatory court fees.
Years to Search - how many years back to search. The default is 10 years. Increasing it may add fees, and some states cannot provide history the full number of years back — in those cases the maximum available is provided.
Please provide court documents - whether to include the resulting court documents in the results. Additional fees may apply.
Driver's License
Appears when you choose the MVR Driving History Search report and Send invite link? is turned off.
Enter the applicant's driver's license number and state. Some states charge mandatory fees in addition to the cost of the check.
Education Verification
Appears when you choose the Education Verification report and Send invite link? is turned off.
Employment Verification
Appears when you choose the Employment Verification report and Send invite link? is turned off.
Comments/Instructions - special instructions you want the background check researcher to know about the employment verification.
Child Abuse Registry Search
Appears when you choose the Child Abuse Registry Search report. This report is not offered in every state.
Files
Upload any documentation you want to keep with the background check. Files are stored encrypted with One Church and are not sent to Protect My Ministry or shared with anyone outside the system. If you are submitting the check on the applicant's behalf, you can upload the signed consent form here.
Fair Credit Reporting Act — Client Certification
This section appears only when Send invite link? is turned off. Because the applicant is not submitting the consent form themselves, this section explains your legal obligations. You must certify that you have secured authorization and will follow these requirements before you can submit the request.
Email invite
This section appears only when Send invite link? is turned on. Here you design the email sent to the applicant so they can consent and submit their own background check details.
Use the Star (personalization) drop-down in the editor toolbar to add mail-merge variables that are filled in when the email is sent. The only required variable is {application_link}, which is replaced with the link to the applicant's consent form. You can set the starting message by clicking edit default email template beneath the editor.
Submitting the request
When you're ready, click Send Invite at the bottom of the window to send the request. If Send invite link? is turned on, the applicant receives the email invite; if it's turned off, the check is submitted with the information you entered.
Additional tips
Once you submit a background check request, a safeguard of type "Background Check" is also added to the person's profile in One Church. The decision to clear or reject the applicant based on the results is made on the safeguard.
If you sent an invite, the status starts as "Invited." Once the applicant completes the consent form, the status changes to "Complete" or "Pending" depending on whether results were available instantly or further research is required. Any additional research is handled by Protect My Ministry.
Once the results are ready to be viewed, the person who requested the check is emailed that the results are ready.
Once a background check is complete, a decision needs to be made on whether to accept the applicant. See How do I view the results of a completed background check? for details.
A background check can be deleted while it is in the "Invited" status. Once it moves to "Pending" or "Complete," it can no longer be deleted — you would archive it instead to hide it from the main listing. See How do I delete a background check? for details.
If you delete a person who is linked to a background check, the check is not deleted. You can still find it under Contacts > Screenings.