The number of churches signing up for LifeWay Christian Resources’ background check program increased by 100 percent over the last year.
Jennie Taylor, marketing coordinator in LifeWay’s direct marketing department, said the dramatic increase “shows how serious churches and organizations are about protecting their children, students, employees and congregations.”
In 2008, LifeWay endorsed backgroundchecks.com, (www.LifeWay.com/backgroundchecks), to offer background screenings for churches and religious organizations. Subscribing through LifeWay enables churches and religious organizations to conduct background screenings for their camp counselors, bus drivers, staff, volunteers and others at discounted prices.
According to records for the program, nearly 2,800 churches and organizations conducted more than 55,000 background checks in the past year. Of those, 35 percent (18,753) returned a criminal hit, “which is any kind of incident ranging from minor traffic violations to felony convictions,” Taylor said. More than 33 percent of the 18,753 criminal hits, or 12 percent of the overall 55,000 checks, returned records with misdemeanor or felony offenses. – LifeWay