Start here MinistrySafe.com/Highlands

Since changes to the Book of Order required boundary training for session members, the Presbytery has been seeking a way to meet this important requirement in a way that for your church is both easily accessible and financially feasible.

Thanks to our new partnership with MinistrySafe, your church can set up a free account that is usually $400 annually. This provides access to boundary training for session members and others for whom your congregation requires it, background checks, and tracking all participants.

Through this arrangement the account is free, however the cost of training and background checks will be borne by the church or anyone to whom the costs are assigned: a church can pay for the trainings or ask the person taking the training to pay for it. The expense of the background checks is comparable to the current system.

For Members of Session

For the sexual misconduct, and child sexual abuse policy (two trainings, at two hours and $10):

Sexual Abuse Awareness Training

Peer-to-Peer Sexual Abuse Training

For the anti-harassment policy:

Sexual Harassment Training: Supervisors (28 minutes and $5)

The account comes with a control panel that tracks who has been trained and tested, as well as anyone for whom background checks are conducted. Not only can you now provide training to your session members, but also anyone who works or volunteers with your congregation. And you only have to look in one place to see who has fulfilled your requirements.

The Presbytery will still handle all background checks and boundary training for its minister members and all others for whom it has responsibility according to the Book of Order.

Attached is the Step-by-Step Guide to set up your account. It’s quite user-friendly, but if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Presbytery Office. Also attached is a guide regarding background checks.

We would like you to have all your ruling elders on session complete the boundary training by the end of 2024 (a worthwhile and achievable goal). However, if that is not possible you will not receive an exception to your 2024 minutes. This will, however, be a mandatory requirement beginning with the 2025 minutes and no exceptions will be allowed. Clerks of Session will be informed of new requirements for their minutes.

This partnership with MinistrySafe includes all of the churches of Highlands Presbytery, regardless of whether you are insured by Brown & Brown and GuideOne. If your church would prefer to conduct its boundary training for elders through another provider, it may do so, but you’ll want to contact Stated Clerk Steve Shussett for questions to ask and points of interest.

Step-by-Step Guide to Account Set-up

Background Check Information