Member Resources
Here, you will find resources for members of Ballard’s Bridge, including:
Online Church Directory
There’s no substitution for in-person fellowship, but we believe that online technology can help to complement our thriving community.
To stay connected, we have set up a directory with instantchurchdirectory.com.
You can sign in online or through the app in the Apple or Android store.
Instructions and Help
Phone or Tablet App Login
First Time Signing into Directory
1. Download the App from the App Store.
Search for “Instant Church Directory.”
2. Open the app and click on the Create Login button.
3. Enter your email address that is used in your church’s directory.
4. Create a password. The password must be 8 characters long and
must contain at least two of the following special characters: capital
letters, numbers or symbols.
5. Retype the password to confirm it and click Create Login.
6. Check your inbox for an email
from service@instantchurchdirectory.com.
7. To complete the sign-up process, you will need to verify your email
address by clicking on the link sent to you in that email.
8. Once you confirm your email, you may open the app and click Sign
In to log into your church's directory.
Your email with the password you created will work on all the Instant Church Directory apps on any device, as well as the member website at members.InstantChurchDirectory.com.
Previously Signed into the Directory
1. Open the app and click on the Sign In button.
2. Enter your email address that is used in your church’s directory and your personal member
password.
3. Click on the Sign In button.
If you do not remember your personal member password, click on the Forgot Password? link to receive a link to your email to reset your password.
Website Login
First time signing into the Online Directory
1. Go to members.InstantChurchDirectory.com
2. Click on the Create Login button under: First time
signing in?
3. Enter the email address as it is listed in the family
portion of the directory.
4. Create a password. The password must be 8 characters
long and contain at least two of the following special
characters: capital letters, numbers or symbols.
5. Retype the password to confirm it and click Request
Login.
6. Check your inbox for an email from service@instantchurchdirectory.com.
7. To complete the sign-up process, you will need to verify your email address by clicking on the link
sent to you in that email.
8. Once you confirm your email, you may sign at members.InstantChurchDirectory.com. Your email with the password you created will work on all the Instant Church Directory apps on any device
Already logged into the Online Church Directory?
1. Go to members.InstantChurchDirectory.com
2. Enter your email address listed in the directory and your unique member password.
3. Click Sign In.
Navigating the Directory
Click on any family name and you will see the Family Details page. The information you may find is the address, phone numbers, email addresses, birthdates, anniversaries and any Groups the family or individuals may be in.
You can view members, Staff, Groups, Birthdays and Anniversaries by clicking the links in the header.
Submit Updates
To submit updates for your family details, click the Edit My Family link at the top of the screen or look for the Edit button at the bottom of your Family Details page.
Enter the updates to your family and click the Submit Edits button.
How do I send a text message or call another member from my Instant Church Directory App?
While you cannot send mass text messages through the app to the entire congregation, you can send another member a personal text message from within the app.
For iOS, press and hold on the phone number of the member you wish to text. This will allow you to either or call text that number.
For Android devices, clicking the phone number normally will give you the option to either call or text message the number.
This will act as a regular text message, so standard text messaging costs will apply.
How do I email other members directly from the app?
Sending emails through the app is easy. First, open the app and click on ‘Families’ and select the family you wish to email. Click on the email address it will open a new email using your phone's default email program to that address.
If you press and hold either the email address or phone number, it will simply copy the email address/phone number to the clipboard on your phone.
We take Security Seriously
Your Instant Church Directory administrator account is protected by a username and password that only you should know. Using a strong and unique password (i.e. that is not used for other purposes) containing a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols can significantly reduce the chances of your account being compromised. It is essential to take the necessary steps to protect your username and password to ensure the safety and security of the personal information contained within your directory account.
We take your privacy and your church members' privacy very seriously. We are always ensuring our website and databases are up to date with the latest security patches to protect against any current and future security threats. To ensure your directories are safe, we only allow access to members who are entered in the directory by administrators, and directories are automatically "wiped" from devices if you remove a member from your directory.
Search engines do not crawl any of the directory data located within the password-protected portion.
Background Checks
After looking at the different companies that do background checks, I think the best option is to use the company Chowan Schools uses for their volunteers.
This ensures the most comprehensive search for the cheapest price I could find ($15 per person).
Each person would also be verified to volunteer with the local schools as well.
Background Check Process
The online process involves uploading a picture of your driver's license and yourself from your phone.
Then select “CLASSROOM VOLUNTEER” for the Background Screen Type.
When each person receives their report, they can print it or email it to me (josh@ballardsbridge.com) or text it to me to verify.
The cost is $15 per person; you can print out your receipt for a reimbursement.
Background Check Link: https://securevolunteer.com/EDENTON-CHOWAN-SCHOOLS/home
Children’s Ministry Policy
Children’s Ministry Policy
1. Who can serve in the children’s ministry — Only members of Ballard’s Bridge that have completed a background check and have been cleared. Members’ children grades 5th through the age of 18 may serve as well, as a student helper.
2. On parents coming to help their children ─ If a child is struggling to acclimate during Sunday morning Children’s Ministry, at first, we will ask the parent or guardian to come pick that child up for the morning. However, a parent or guardian is welcome to join their child to help them acclimate during Sunday morning Children's Ministry as soon as a background check has been completed and cleared. Parents can contact a member of the Children’s Ministry team to coordinate a background check. We are happy to make this exception when needed, but our hope is that this will only be a temporary solution to help each child transition into Children’s Ministry on their own.
3. Check-in/Check-out Procedure — For children below fourth grade, a security check- in/check-out procedure will be followed. The parent or guardian will work with the assigned check-in person to sign in the child. Stickers will be printed, one to be worn by the child and the other to be held onto by the parent or guardian until check-out time. A child will not be released to the parent or guardian until they give their sticker to the teacher.
4. When to ask a parent to pick up their child ─ Parents should only be asked to come get their child as a last resort, after the child has been consistently aggressive towards other children, or is causing a major disruption for the rest of the group. Single instances of disruptive behavior generally do not justify notifying the parents, unless a child has been injured. If repeated efforts have been made to address disruptive or harmful behavior without any results, then the parents can be contacted to (1) come help address the behavior, or (2) remove the child from the children’s ministry for that day.
5. How to navigate discipline with parents ─ Occasional outbursts are normal for any kid. We should even expect some aggression and roughness from time to time. Both parents should at least be notified of any hitting, kicking, biting, pushing, hair-pulling, etc. that takes place. However, discipline needs to be escalated IF: (1) There is a mark or bleeding of any kind, or (2) A child’s aggression is a consistent and disruptive concern over the span of one month (4 consecutive weeks).
If either of these are the case:
a. Step 1: Fill out an incident report. Incident reports are designed to document the
issue, bring both sets of parents up to speed, and protect the church legally.
b. Step 2: Notify both sets of parents in person. Share the report, let them know
about the behavior, and encourage them to take the lead in addressing it with
their child. For one-time instances, steps 1 and 2 are sufficient.
c. Step 3: If aggressive or disruptive behavior is consistent over 4 consecutive
weeks, then the team leader should ask a parent to be present the following week
(and for as long as it takes) to address the concern with their child.
d. Step 4: If the parent is unwilling to help in person, or if their presence does not
resolve the issue, then a pastor should be included in the discussion. The parent will likely be asked to keep their child in service with them until they’re confident he/she has moved beyond that phase.
6. No unmonitored time with individual kids ─ All leaders must remain in view of another leader (who is not their spouse or significant other) at all times.
7. If family members serve on the same Sunday ─ They need to either 1) be accompanied by another unrelated adult volunteer or 2) serve in different classrooms. This is meant to protect both the church and the couple in the event of an abuse allegation.
8. No acts of physical affection ─ No kissing, hugging, intimate caressing, or inappropriate touching is allowed. Team members should avoid any physical touch that can be perceived as a show of personal affection between them and a specific child.
9. No gift-giving ─ Sexual predators often “groom” desired victims by giving gifts to gain the child’s approval and manipulate their trust (“Remember, I gave you that gift”). For that reason, no individual leader is allowed to give a personal gift to a child, whether during scheduled ministry or outside of the formal ministry setting, unless it is explicitly approved by their parent(s).
10. Bathroom Policy —
a. Diaper changing ─ Only women are allowed to change diapers. Statistics
consistently show that 85% of all convicted sexual abusers are men. Granted, this means that the other 15% are women, so we can’t just assume that all women are safe. However, by restricting men from child nudity during children’s ministry, we can significantly reduce the risk of abuse.
b. Bathroom assistance —
i. Toddler and Preschool — If a child needs assistance in the restroom, a
woman volunteer may accompany the child to help him or her, provided the door to the restroom is left open OR two volunteers may accompany the child to the restroom.
ii. Sunday School — Children 5 years and older must use the restroom unaccompanied. Volunteers must stand outside the bathroom while the child uses the restroom unassisted OR two volunteers may accompany the child to the restroom. If two volunteers are unable to accompany the child, a parent or security member must be contacted for assistance.
11. Mandatory reporting ─ If a team member is ever suspicious of abuse or neglect of any kind, they must report this clearly and thoroughly to their team leader. Team leaders are obligated to pass this information on to a pastor/elder. The pastor/elder is obligated to notify the Police. Our goal is to create a culture of openness and accountability in ministry. No secrets are allowed. We are all responsible for ensuring that the Police are notified if anyone is even suspicious of abuse or neglect. As soon as you either observe or hear about potentially-abusive behavior, you become responsible for ensuring that both church leadership and law enforcement are notified.
12. Cleaning and Hygiene — We will do our best to maintain a clean and healthy space for both the children and workers, and be good stewards of our building. Workers must wash or sanitize their hands when they first arrive to serve in the nursery (0-4 year olds). Workers and children must wash or sanitize hands before snack time. Workers must wash their hands after every diaper change and disinfect the changing table. At the end of the service, workers should disinfect toys and the tables.
13. Health and Illness — To protect the health of our other children and volunteers, a child or worker cannot be in the nursery if they have had a fever, vomiting or diarrhea within the past 24 hours. If a child develops any of these symptoms while in the nursery, workers must inform the child’s parent(s) and ask them to pick up the child. Additionally, if a child has a cough, a runny nose that’s not clear, been on antibiotics for less than 48 hours, eye infection or has an unexplainable rash, they should not check into the nursery that day. If a worker has any of the symptoms listed above, they should find someone to sub for them.
14. Ensuring classroom safety and security — Hall Monitors will be regularly patrolling the area to ensure the safety and security of our children. In the event of a fire, children will be escorted as a group to the large open yard behind the Family Life Center.
Parents should meet their child(ren) in the grassy area and not run to the classrooms to get them. In the event of a lockdown situation, the first door at the bottom of the stairs should be locked, lock and shut the classroom door, turn off the lights and encourage the kids to sit quietly. It’s important to make sure the kids are not in front of the wooden door. As many layers of hiddenness between the aggressor and the kids, the better. We will do our best to alert parents of the emergency and the safety precautions being taken in real time.
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All Rights Reserved.