Yesterday we went to a local retail hobby store, and there was a “now hiring” stand with lots of employment applications folded like brochures stuck in it. Out of curiosity, The Wild One picked one up.
The amount of red tape required just to get employed at this store was daunting. Drug/alcohol testing, background checks, aptitude tests (none of which I am opposed to, BTW)…but then there were literally two pages of fine print about an “arbitration agreement”, where anyone who wanted to be employed there must sign a binding agreement to resolves disputes through arbitration (read: you can’t sue us). NO ONE gets employed unless they sign the agreement. I know; it says so about four different times on the application.
Now, bear in mind that none of this is inherently wrong. But this wasn’t an application to work at a law firm, or a coal mine, or a nuclear power plant, or to be an astrophysicist, or to work at Area 51. This was for a retail store. I moonlight in retail; I deliver flowers. I didn’t need to fill out more than a couple of pages to apply, and I didn’t need to agree to arbitration. At one flower shop, I called and said, “You guys need any help?” And they called back and said, “Yep. Come on in.” That was it; no butt-covering, no positioning, no self-protection.
Yet everything–everything–about this retail store’s application was designed to cover the company’s @$$. It was all about self-protection, like every potential applicant was poised to screw them over or something.
This is the part of the rant where I tell you that this is a Christian company–a large retail chain owned by a nationally known Christian businessman. They play instrumental hymns on the store soundtrack and are closed on Sundays. This businessman also recently made news when he effectively “rescued” a major Christian university in our town that had been rocked with scandal; he did this by donating millions of dollars and offering to reorganize the board.
The whole thing reminds me of someone else I know, who at one time attended a local mega-church. She asked someone about volunteering in the church in some capacity; she was handed an application to volunteer, requiring all kinds of information, including submitting to a background check. I’m surprised they didn’t draw blood right there on the spot.
Now, in some ways–and to be merciful–I can understand why this particular mega-church was so cautious. They had recently suffered scandal when one of the teachers in their school was found to be a pedophile and went to prison, and they were getting sued by multiple families for it. So obviously they wanted to be very careful about who was helping out.
Believe it or not, I can also understand why a Christian business wants to protect itself–because it seems like when you call yourself a Christian and you own a facility that’s open to the public, there are always some folks who want to hold you to a higher standard than the rest of the world, or who might sue you just because they figure you’re a Christian and won’t fight back.
But I guess for me, this begs the question: Is this need for self-protection just a by-product of our culture…or is it that we’ve created too much that needs protecting? Could it be that the very institutions we have built in the name of promoting the gospel–whether it be church organizations or businesses–are now getting in our own way?
Is it really our job to set up church buildings and label our businesses “Christian” and then set up huge amounts of red tape to make sure the wrong people don’t cause us damage? Is our number one priority in the world to make sure we don’t get hurt or stolen from? Or is it to engage the world with the love of Christ? It’s as if we are extending one hand to the world while using the other hand to block any punches we might receive. Can the world really take that love seriously if we are in such a defensive posture?
When Jesus sent out His disciples, He said He was sending them as sheep in the midst of wolves, and that they should be wise as serpents, but harmless as doves. Then He did something interesting: He told them not to carry extra clothes or money bags. Now, I’m not about to interpret that as a policy of poverty, as some have done; but I do think there’s an interesting principle here to uncover. Why would Jesus tell them that? I can think of two possible reasons. One is so that they would be inter-dependent with the communities that they were going to–that they would have to engage people and allow their needs to be met that way. The other possible reason, and the one I’m chewing on right now…is that by traveling light, they wouldn’t have anything to protect. They would be free to be “sheep among wolves” without worrying about what they had to lose.
I think that’s the opposite of what we have in our world today. Creating massive institutions and labeling them “Christian” has given us huge amounts to lose. We’re so busy trying to avoid exploitation that we cannot be nearly as effective. These institutions are essentially fortresses that we have built. Do these fortresses really keep us “safe”–or have they just become something we must defend? When you really think about it–which is protecting which?
I cannot help but think that this is just another way in which we’ve missed the point. I can’t help but think there must be a better way to engage our world. I can’t help but think that the church, while using buildings from time to time, was never meant to be contained in them. And I’m certainly not opposed to Christians owning and running successful businesses; but I can’t help but wonder if affixing the Christian label (instead of just being Christians) is doing us more harm than good.
Maybe we should take a cue from the disciples. Maybe there’s a better way. Maybe we could learn how to stop worrying about how we might get hurt by the wolves. Maybe we would worry less if we learned how to travel light.
Wayward Son
Musician. Composer. Recovering perfectionist. Minister-in-transition. Lover of puns. Hijacker of rock song references. Questioner of the status quo.
I'm not really a rebel. Just a sincere Christ-follower with a thirst for significance that gets me into trouble. My quest has taken me over the fence of institutional Christianity. Here are some of my random thoughts along the way. Read along, join in the conversation. Just be nice.
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I go to a small church (< 130 people), and we are required by liability insurance to perform background checks, primarily because of the reason you list (pedophiles).
And yes, Christians businessman/churches/etc are defending their butts by adding all the legalese and arbitration agreements. But I think it’s more in reaction to litigious culture we live in. For example, say our church had little or no possessions; without the insurance and the corporate set-up we have, someone could go after the Pastor, Deacons and maybe even some members.
Is it aggravating? Is it a shame we have to resort to this?
Absolutely…and I think it’s more than just “guarding my stuff.”
Back to arbitration…wouldn’t it be more shameful for an employee to drag a “Christian” organization into a public lawsuit where some press entities may choose to capitalize on gory details that may or may not be true. Wouldn’t that be essentially dragging the name of Christ thru the mud?
All that said, yes it is very bad that we now have to devote such an effort to make sure we don’t screwed.
Thanks for chiming in, Adam. Great thoughts to add to the discussion–and you’ve stirred my thinking.
It sounds like you’re basically saying, “Yes, it’s bad, yes, it’s awful, but we *have* to do it this way.”
I restate my question: “Is this need for self-protection just a by-product of our culture…or is it that we’ve created too much that needs protecting?” It sounds like you have answered to the former. I would lean toward the latter. I think it’s more likely that we have created too much that needs protecting. The reason I say this is that I view the church of Scripture as having nothing to do with the organizatons, entities, buildings, and structures we see today. That is a form we’ve taken over the centuries, and I think that form has become burdensome.
“…wouldn’t it be more shameful for an employee to drag a “Christian” organization into a public lawsuit where some press entities may choose to capitalize on gory details that may or may not be true. Wouldn’t that be essentially dragging the name of Christ thru the mud?” This is a very thoughtful question. And I would respond that we are not responsible to defend the name of Christ. Jesus is fully able to defend His own name as He chooses. If someone wrongfully accuses us (as Scripture says WILL happen), WE are not doing the damage. To me, it is a worse representation of Christ to come at the world from a posture of defense. And the truth is, too many people are using the excuse of protecting the name of Christ when actually it’s their own name they are worried about.
I know it seems a bit strong to say this…but I am coming to believe that we are not given the option between fulfilling the Great Commission and protecting church assets. If the current situation we find ourselves in prevents us from reaching out, we need to re-think it. And that’s why I’ve raised the questions with this posting. With respect, I understand why churches and business do this stuff. I just question why it HAS to be this way. It might take some effort on our parts, but I do think there is a better approach, if we’ll think outside the box.
Fascinating stuff. It not only covers our… ummm… rear ends, but it also means that if we do something really wrong, we cannot be sued for it without a whole lot of red tape.
I have a long story about this sort of thing that happened with a “christian” adoption agency who did some really unethical things that they refused to fix, and yet the clients had signed a mediation agreement so there was nobody to ‘make’ them fix the problem.
I’m not saying I believe in lawsuits. But sometimes “covering our butt” really means, “I can screw you over big time and not be in trouble for it.” I don’t believe I would sign an agreement like that after seeing how it can be misused. And I wouldn’t go with a “Christian” organization again without knowing that they actually try to behave like Christians. I’d rather use the more ethical ‘secular’ organization.
It is sad that churches and Christian schools have to do background checks, but that is one instance (pedophiles) that we have a LOT to lose… our children’s innocence.
Heidi,
You make a very good point, and one that deserves clarification.
In no way would we ever want to jeopardize the innocence of our children. They are always our first mission field. So I can completely understand doing a background check on someone who is going to work with children, especially unsupervised, and I don’t think that’s butt-covering. In the instance I mentioned, however, this person wasn’t volunteering for anything having to do with working with children, or with finances, or anything needing protection.
Good post, and great use of rule #7! 😛
Sarah,
Thanks, dag-nabit.
I worked for “say” mega church mention here and not only did they start doing background checks but they finger printed us, employees. I feel we have lost something along the way with the mega church. The word says to know those who labor among you and background check nor finger printing gets to know me. Spend time with me, visit me, talk to me, and then you will know me. Listen to your spirit. THIS NEEDS TO BE SAID The person who abuse the kids if they had done a background check or finger print on him it would have came up clean. So finger printing nor background check would have protected the children but LISTENING TO THE HOLY SPIRIT WOULD HAVE and looking at all the red flags that WHERE there. Ok Thanks for letting be vent.
“and they were getting sued by multiple families for it”
I think you hit the nail on the head here. The church has placed themselves in a position where they invite lawsuits by not being small enough to know the people who attend.
If Walmart hurts my kid, I’m suing them. But if I have a friend, someone I have taken the time to know personally, watches my child and something bad happens, accidentally or on purpose, I’m going to go to them and see if things can be worked out without all the red tape.
Mega churches are businesses, pure and simple. And they suck . . .