Ministry Basics: Attendance & Permission

3/04/23

The new year is well underway, your leadership teams are in place, kids and youth have settled into their groups, and you finally have some space to step back and breathe. This is a great time to take a moment to pause and check that your ministry admin is in good shape for the year. There’s a whole lot of information that needs to be collected from parents and leaders of the ministry – so how do you effectively keep track of what needs to be collected, and how often?

As you evaluate the needs of your church’s ministries, you might consider some of these common questions…

Do we need to keep a record of attendance?

Yes. You are required to keep a record of the names of anyone under 18 who attends any of your ministries, as well as emergency contact details for that person. This includes keeping a record of which children and youth, as well as which leaders, have attended each time a ministry has run.

(Faithfulness In Service – items 5.49 and 5.50)

Are we required to have a sign-in / sign-out system?

You will need to consider how best to collect attendance data in your own ministry context. Some churches will use a sign-in / sign-out system for some ministries, whilst others will have a ministry co-ordinator or groups of leaders collecting attendance information as young people arrive.

It is worth considering what system will be both efficient and clear as to who is responsible for each child at any one time. Sign-in/ sign-out systems do make the start and end of the leader’s responsibilities very clear but there may be other ways to do that in your context. It’s always helpful to think about what you are communicating to parents and caregivers at the beginning and end. Is it all about records, or welcoming and ensuring safety?

 What registration information should we collect?

Beyond the minimum requirements of names and emergency contacts, most churches will want to collect some additional information. This may include such information as age, school grade, allergies, medical conditions, and other information that is helpful for ministry leaders to best care for and provide pastoral ministry to children and youth. In some contexts, it may also be necessary to ask who has permission to collect or sign a child out of your program.

It’s also good practice to share with parents and carers why you are collecting this information and how it is used (by whom and for what purposes). It is helpful for them to also know how to update this information if something changes.

How often should we collect this information?

Generally, it is easiest to collect this information from parents/carers when a young person first attends a ministry. It is not necessary to re-collect this information at the start of each year if there have been no changes to the details. One option is asking parents to confirm that no updates are required. It is a lot easier to get a yes/no answer!

 When do we need to use permission forms?

Whenever ministry is conducted away from the church premises, permission must be obtained from a parent / carer of each young person attending. This includes (but is not limited to) outings and camps.

(Faithfulness In Service – items 5.31 and 5.32)

Do we need permission to take photos and videos?

Yes. We are required to obtain permission from parents / carers where photographs or video may be taken of young people within a ministry setting.

(Faithfulness In Service – items 5.47)

It’s also helpful to share with parents and carers why you want to take photos or videos. What is the intended use?

Can we use an enduring permission form?

Whilst event-specific permission forms will be required at times for outings and camps (and this should inform parents of the place and timing of the event as well as contact details for the head ministry leader), there are a range of activities where a generic, enduring permission form may be suitable. For example, an enduring permission form can be helpful for consent for photographs and video of young people. Enduring permission can also be helpful if your group regularly uses a local park near your church’s property.

Can we combine registration and enduring permission onto one form?

Yes, however you may want to consider whether this is a helpful volume of information to collect at the one time from a family who is newly attending your ministry.

Are there templates for these forms that we can use?

Yes. The Safe Ministry website provides a variety of helpful form templates on the Resource Documents page. This includes a sample Generic Ministry Permission Form as well as a sample Enduring Permission Form. To access these templates, choose the ‘Good Leadership Forms & Documents’ option in the left sidebar.

How long do we need to keep all this information?

All Safe Ministry records, including attendance data and permission forms must be kept securely and indefinitely. This means that this information must not be deleted or thrown away. Your Safe Ministry Rep is likely to have a system set up for this purpose, so speak to them about how best to manage this.

(List of Parish Safe Ministry Records)

How am I going to manage all this?

It does seem a lot, but our aim is to ensure all young people are well-cared for and safe in our ministry programs. It may take time to develop good systems for collecting and storing all this information but it is worth working towards something that best fits you and your context. Discuss the best options with your staff team. Talk it through with your Youth or Children’s Ministry Advisor. Speak to your Safe Ministry Rep or ask someone gifted with administration skills to help you.

As you make sure your admin is in good shape for the year, be reminded that Christian ministry is both a great privilege and a solemn responsibility. Our attention to admin serves to ensure that our ministries are places where the love of Christ can clearly be shown.

This article was reviewed by the Safe Ministry Training Consultant in the Office of the Director of Safe Ministry (ODSM).