Centreville Baptist Church in Centreville, Virginia background checks every volunteer in its youth programs and has run those checks through Bchex for more than a decade. Jeff Thorpe, Director of Security and Safety, sends each volunteer a link and clears them to work with children once the check comes back.
The challenge
More than 200 children on campus every Sunday, and programs that run on volunteers.
The result
Every youth volunteer screened, including a criminal background check, for more than a decade.
About Centreville Baptist Church
Centreville Baptist Church sits just outside Washington, D.C., in Centreville, Virginia. Its large campus has 600 to 700 people in the building every Sunday morning, many of them young families. Jeff Thorpe is its Director of Security and Safety.
Success story snapshot
- 200+ children in the church’s programs every Sunday
- Every youth volunteer screened, including a criminal background check
- A link and a photo upload to get started
- 10+ years with Bchex
A campus full of children
Hundreds of children every week. More than 200 children are enrolled in the church’s programs, from nursery and preschool through high school, and they’re on campus every Sunday. Bible Study Fellowship and a homeschool co-op meet there during the week too.
Volunteers who are also parents. Those programs run on volunteers, and many are young parents with a child in one of the programs.
No exceptions. Every volunteer, in any role in the youth programs, is thoroughly vetted, including a criminal background check.
Every volunteer in any capacity in our youth programs are thoroughly vetted, including a criminal background check.
A link, a photo, and a clearance
Many times a week, Jeff is asked to background check a young parent who has a child in one of the programs. He sends them a link. They upload a picture with some information, and once the check comes back, Jeff can clear them to work in the children’s program.
It keeps the process timely, and the cost stays low. “It’s inexpensive,” Jeff says.
More than a decade in
The church has run its volunteer checks through Bchex for more than ten years. “We would be lost without it,” Jeff says.
For a church that counts protecting its congregation as part of its mission, screening is how it looks after the families who trust it with their children.
[Bchex] is an invaluable resource we use.
What other churches can take from this
- Screen every volunteer who serves children. At Centreville, any role in the youth programs means a criminal background check, with no exceptions.
- Make it easy for young parents. A link and a photo upload keeps the process timely, Jeff says.
- Treat screening as ministry. Jeff Thorpe calls it part of the church’s mission to protect its congregation.
* Some numbers come from customer quotes given in 2023. Today, about 85% of eligible Bchex searches come back within 24 hours.
Centreville Baptist Church and Bchex: quick answers
- How does a church background check its volunteers?
- At Centreville Baptist Church, every volunteer in the youth programs gets a criminal background check. Director of Security and Safety Jeff Thorpe sends each one a link, they upload a picture with some information, and once the check comes back, he can clear them to work in the children’s program.
- Why should a church background check volunteers who work with children?
- At Centreville Baptist Church, it’s part of the mission. Jeff Thorpe, Director of Security and Safety, says screening “helps us do our mission to protect our congregation,” including the more than 200 children in its programs every Sunday.
- How long has Centreville Baptist Church used Bchex?
- More than a decade. The church has run its volunteer background checks through Bchex for more than ten years, and Director of Security and Safety Jeff Thorpe says, “We would be lost without it.”
- Is volunteer screening expensive for a church?
- Not in Centreville Baptist Church’s experience. Jeff Thorpe calls Bchex “inexpensive,” and the church screens every volunteer in its youth programs, including a criminal background check.
- What background check does a church need for children’s ministry volunteers?
- At Centreville Baptist Church, every volunteer in any role in the youth programs, from nursery and preschool through high school, is thoroughly vetted, including a criminal background check. Bchex also offers SecureVolunteer, built for screening church and nonprofit volunteers.
- What should a church look for in a background check provider?
- For Centreville Baptist Church: a simple process for volunteers (a link and a photo upload), a low cost, and a provider it can rely on for years. The church has used Bchex for more than a decade. Bchex is PBSA-accredited and has run more than 40 million checks since 1995.
About Bchex
Bchex, formerly known as Background Investigation Bureau (BIB), is a PBSA-accredited, SOC 2 Type 2 certified background screening and workforce safety company founded in 1995 and based in Huntersville, North Carolina. It has run more than 40 million checks for 2,000+ organizations, including school districts, churches, nonprofits, staffing firms, and employers. The Bchex Safety Ecosystem covers background checks, volunteer screening with SecureVolunteer, ongoing monitoring with Chex365, and visitor check-in with Chexpass.
