Christ Church follows “Safe Church” policies, which are mandated by the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina.* These are intended to protect vulnerable children and adults. According to the diocesan policy, “Safe Church training is required for anyone contracted to provide services, vestry members and any individuals, clergy and lay persons, paid and non-paid, who work children/youth and adults in any established program” (Safe Church Manual, p. 6). Safe Church certification is therefore required for all volunteers who serve in any of Christ Church ministry areas, and who work with people.
Certification Now Online Only
Note that there are no longer in-person training sessions offered by the Diocese. Certification may only be done on-line now. To register for the on-line training, please contact Michelle Brown. She will set up an online user profile with Praesidium Academy. Once your user profile has been created, you will receive an email with your login credentials, the training portal link, and training instructions. She will also send each person a list of the specific modules, which you will need to complete, relative to your area of ministry.
Changed Renewal Requirements:
This training now needs to be renewed every 3 years (instead of the previous requirement of every 5 years). Volunteers may check their certification status by logging into their account on the Praesidium Academy website: https://www.praesidiuminc.com/login/ If additional assistance is needed, please contact Michelle Brown.
* “As Christians, we live in a covenant relationship with God and with one another. Through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, we enter into a sacred covenant in which we pledge to live lives that “seek and serve Christ in all persons,” and to “respect the dignity of every human being.” Because incidents of violence, hatred, and sexual misconduct occur in our world, the Church must maintain ethical and moral standards that clearly communicate what is, and what is not, acceptable behavior on the part of those called to Church leadership. Pastoral leadership in the Christian Church is a calling that demands the highest standards of moral integrity and personal responsibility. Leadership is a gift of the Spirit that can be effectively exercised only in an environment of trust. Where there is no trust, there can be no community. Since trust is so fundamental to the well-being of the Christian community, Christian people have the right to expect that their leaders, both lay and ordained, understand and are committed to standards of behavior that are trustworthy.” (From the diocesan website: https://www.edusc.org/safe-church-training-and-reporting-misconduct/)
Contacts
Michelle Brown, Coodinator for Pastoral Care • 864.282.3101
The Rev. Scott Fleischer, Associate Priest for Pastoral Care • 864.282.3116
