If Something Goes Wrong, Are Your Church's Volunteers Safe?

A lot of church ministries depend on volunteers who give their time and expertise to serve others. But this great help also puts your church at a lot of legal risk. If a volunteer hurts someone, doesn't do their job, or does something else wrong, your church could be held liable.

It's crucial to know the risks of volunteer liability and put in place strong protections to protect your ministry's reputation, money, and purpose if your church has between 900 and 2,500 members.

This whole resource talks about volunteer responsibility, common legal issues, and the best strategies to keep your church safe, all in line with the Tier 2: THE FOUNDATION PLUS PLAN.

What is Volunteer Liability, and Why Should Your Church Care?

Your church could be legally accountable for what volunteers do if they hurt someone, damage property, or hurt someone else while doing missionary work. Things you didn't mean to do could get your church in trouble with lawsuits, costly settlements, and difficulty running the church.

Liability: You can be held liable for being careless, not keeping an eye on things, doing things that are dangerous, or doing things on purpose.

Legal fees, damages, higher insurance rates, and losing the trust of the community are all possible repercussions.

When Churches Are Responsible for Volunteers in Certain Situations

• Accidents and injuries that happen during events: For instance, a volunteer who is in charge of a youth group trip doesn't follow safety rules, and as a result, a kid gets wounded.
• Not looking after kids or people who are weak: For instance, not having adequate workers on hand can lead to claims of mistreatment or accidents.
• Not taking care of or using church property the right way: For instance, volunteers who use church equipment without the necessary training could hurt themselves or break it.
• Violating regulations about privacy or secrecy: A volunteer, for instance, tells everyone about a member's private information.
• Volunteers who are rude or harass others: If someone accuses a volunteer of harassment, you need to respond right away or you could be sued.

How Can Your Church Protect Itself from Being Sued by Volunteers?

1. Check to see that your agreements with volunteers are complete: Clearly explain what each volunteer's role, responsibilities, and expectations are. Include a statement of understanding of policies and waivers where the law allows. Make it clear that volunteers must obey the church's regulations for safety and behavior.
2. Do thorough background checks and training: Do background checks that are specific to the volunteer roles, especially those that deal with kids or money. Tell individuals about the regulations for safety, the ethics of the ministry, and their duty to report. Set up regular training and reminders on how things should be done.
3. Make sure you have enough insurance: Get general liability and volunteer accident insurance that makes it clear that it covers volunteer activities. Make sure that the terms and coverage levels in your church's insurance policy are still right for your church every year.
4. Make sure that regulations and procedures are easy to understand: Set rules for safety, supervision, and behavior, and ensure that everyone follows them. Make it easy for others to report problems and for you to check into them quickly. Make sure that all leaders and volunteers know these guidelines.
5. Keep records and do risk assessments on a regular basis: Check the risk exposure of volunteer roles and ministry activities on a regular basis. Make sure to keep detailed records of volunteer assignments, attendance at training, and incident reports. Use records to keep yourself protected from lawsuits and make things safer.

How the Foundation Plus Plan Keeps Your Church Safe from Liability for Volunteers

The FOUNDATION PLUS PLAN gives churches the following:

• Templates for making your own volunteer agreements and legal reviews.
• Expert advice on how to choose, train, and manage volunteers in the best way.
• Help you figure out what kind of insurance you need and get it.
• Making rules on how to deal with problems and decrease liability.
• You can get help changing your plans as your ministry grows and the rules change.

In Conclusion

You should manage volunteer liability to secure the future of your ministry. Churches are dealing with a severe and changing problem with volunteer liability. But the FOUNDATION PLUS PLAN's proactive guidelines, education, and legal aid can help your church protect its mission and make the ministry a safe place for volunteers.

Links Inside

• Services for Checking Volunteers
• Tools for Managing Church Risk
• Church Policy Templates

Links to Other Websites

• Guide to Volunteer Liability - Nonprofit Risk Management Center
• Church Volunteer Insurance Overview - Brotherhood Mutual
• IRS Volunteer Tax Guidelines

Notice

This blog post is only for information and should not be used as legal advice. Get advice from a lawyer who is licensed to work with your religion.