Jacksonville First United Methodist Church welcomes everyone and is committed to helping individuals and families grow in faith. Jacksonville First recognizes that Christian service is a necessary and fulfilling part of each person's faith journey and offers many different ministry opportunities. Among these are opportunities to serve with the children and youth of our church. As much as possible, we want everyone who feels called to be able to serve in ministry with our children and youth.  

We also recognize that the church is not immune from the painful reality of child abuse. We understand the devastating damage done to a child's growth when abused within a church setting. As a church, we must take intentional measures to protect our children.  

This policy is designed to provide safety and openness: to provide protection for our children while maintaining an atmosphere that welcomes all seekers. By providing many avenues of service with varying levels of supervisory responsibilities and screening requirements, we are striving to meet the spiritual needs of all congregational members. By developing and implementing safety procedures and precautions, we are trying to ensure that the spiritual growth and development of our children is not disrupted by the preventable evil of child abuse.