Anon-e-Mouse
Member
- Jurisdiction
- Wisconsin
This is about an application for a volunteer position at my church.
Things have really changed! Seems like just a few years ago if they said they needed volunteers & you said, "I can do that," everybody applauded & praised God & you got handed the work.
Recently they asked me to volunteer to facilitate an on-line Bible study group for adults, not children. I said I'd volunteer & they sent me to an on-line application website that was worse than anything I've ever had to fill out to apply for a paying job!
I had to really dig for old addresses where I lived as a child, names of neighbors & whatnot from decades ago, etc. Basically it seemed to be trying to determine whether I'd ever been accused (not convicted, but accused) of sexual harassment (I haven't - that I know of - but can I prove it? Yikes.)
It also asked some very personal questions, including whether I'm addicted to drugs or porn (I'm not). It also asks whether I was ever sexually abused as a child. I was - decades ago - by an elderly alcoholic relative who tried to fondle me inappropriately several times when he was drunk. I reported that to my Aunt who I was living with at the time. She told me never to say anything about it again, so I didn't.
Can my church really require me to disclose this kind of personal info in order to serve as a volunteer?
Things have really changed! Seems like just a few years ago if they said they needed volunteers & you said, "I can do that," everybody applauded & praised God & you got handed the work.
Recently they asked me to volunteer to facilitate an on-line Bible study group for adults, not children. I said I'd volunteer & they sent me to an on-line application website that was worse than anything I've ever had to fill out to apply for a paying job!
I had to really dig for old addresses where I lived as a child, names of neighbors & whatnot from decades ago, etc. Basically it seemed to be trying to determine whether I'd ever been accused (not convicted, but accused) of sexual harassment (I haven't - that I know of - but can I prove it? Yikes.)
It also asked some very personal questions, including whether I'm addicted to drugs or porn (I'm not). It also asks whether I was ever sexually abused as a child. I was - decades ago - by an elderly alcoholic relative who tried to fondle me inappropriately several times when he was drunk. I reported that to my Aunt who I was living with at the time. She told me never to say anything about it again, so I didn't.
Can my church really require me to disclose this kind of personal info in order to serve as a volunteer?