Faithful Footsteps

This afternoon I attended a workshop on Volunteer Screening procedures for the United Church. Certainly we want to protect those who are most vulnerable to abuse, namely children and seniors. This not to say that the people of our church misuse their power or positions, this process also protects those who work in risky situations.

More than simply police checks (which may or may not be needed), the screening process involves the creation of job descriptions for the variety of roles and positions that exist within a congregation and assessing (and reducing) the risk connected to them. It is something that requires a little bit of time and thought, but nothing too onerous. Simply put: we want to avoid situations that could be seen as improper or inappropriate by others.

Is this political correctness gone too far? Some may believe so, but I think it's a proactive response to a world that features abuse of the vulnerable and a philosophy that lawsuits solve everything.