Zenas’ Brief
The purpose of Zenas’ Brief is to provide a short, monthly blurb on legal matters to help churches stay up to date on legal issues. Zenas was a lawyer and a first-century Christian that Paul mentioned by name in Titus 3:13.
A Legal Lesson from California
Recently, the staff of the California SBC described to us a new state law which mandates that leaders, workers, and volunteers of any organization serving children shall undergo a background check and complete training in child abuse, abuse identification, and abuse reporting. The organization shall also develop and implement relevant policies and procedures. Importantly, the law provides that an insurer may request information from the organization demonstrating compliance with the law. The implication, of course, is that the insurer may decline coverage.
We recommend that each church have, and regularly review, its policies, procedures, background checks, and training. We also recommend that each church contact its insurer to review its insurance coverage. The church should provide the insurer with copies of the church’s policies and procedures and discuss how the church complies with legal standards regarding children. In addition, the church should request guidelines or relevant materials available through the insurer.
Visit the UISBC website at https://uisbc.org/legal for resources, samples on these topics, and to contact your UISBC Legal Team for help.
