“Abstain from every form of evil.” ~1 Thessalonians 5:2

~I will never be alone with students of the opposite gender

~It’s never the wrong time for me to do the right thing.

~(Appropriate Touch) We value touch and the message of warmth it can bring with it. However, physical touch should be age and developmentally appropriately and is only appropriate when done publicly.

Below are the appropriate touch guidelines:

-When welcoming a student, we offer side hugs, fist bumps, or high fives.

-No creepy hugs.

-No extended hugging (creepy), tickling (just as creepy), or other prolonged physical contact of any kind (exceptionally creepy). 

-Lap sitting is not permitted.

-Never touch a student in an area that would be covered with a bathing suit.

-Never kiss a student or coax a student to kiss you.

-Never allow a student to touch you in a way that is inappropriate.

We believe in creating an environment of honor and respect. Students should understand what’s expected of them while at RSM.

-Respect each other 

-Respect your leaders

-Respect your Church 

You agree to honor Jesus with your social media. Everything we do and say is constantly pulling people toward Jesus or pushing them away, therefore you should use your social media to bring heaven down and not hell up.

When a student is being disrespectful, use the following steps to hold them accountable:

-1st Verbal Warning – every student gets a second chance

-2nd Warning – a disruptive student is temporarily removed from activity by an RSM leader

3rd Warning – An RSM volunteer should be notified. The disruptive student is then removed from environment and/or parents are notified.

Our desire is to love students with appropriate boundaries. We expect volunteers to be fair and consistent with communicating expectations and following through with discipline. We strongly believe in the power of  relationship, and expect that all discipline is done through loving conversation with the student and parents; speaking truth in love.

For a new or visiting student, check in volunteers will be the first point of contact. We hope to have a leader outside to introduce themselves and meet mom/dad upon first visit whether it be the beginning or end of the service. We want the handshake to happen immediately and begin to develop trust immediately. Help new or shy students acclimate quickly by engaging in conversation or activities, in order to distract them from feelings of discomfort; don’t simply hang and chat with other volunteer leaders, but build relationships with students.

Student ministry leaders are asked to arrive at least 30 minutes before students arrive and stay until the last student leaves. Team round-up will happen weekly before service to pray and walk through the plan for the night. Then, at the end you will assist with team cleanup.

If a student needs assistance, only enter the bathroom with another adult in the doorway watching you. Adult volunteers may be asked by the RSM Pastor to simply do a bathroom check or routine walk through to make sure the bathroom is being used appropriately or if we suspect a student is in need of help or supervision.

-Never be alone with a student. If a volunteer needs to leave his/her group of kids, an RSM volunteer should be notified so that kids and said volunteers aren’t put in a compromising situation. When a married couple is volunteering together, a third volunteer needs to be present, since a married couple is legally considered one person.

As a Church, we highly value students with special needs and their families. We realize that these students sometimes require different types of environments or attention, and thus have implemented a program specific to them. Frequently, the best way to love a child with special needs is to ask his/her parents what works best. When asking parents about their child with diagnosed or undiagnosed special needs, be extremely gentle. If a family is unwilling to disclose any information about a student’s special needs, please contact your student ministry Pastor  to follow up.

rest Church has a zero tolerance policy in regards to child abuse and neglect. The National Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse designed the definitions below.

~Physical Abuse: Physical abuse can be defined as a non-accidental injury, which may include beatings, violent shaking, human bites, strangulation, suffocation, poisoning, or burns. The results may be bruises and welts, broken bones, scars permanent disfigurement, long-lasting psychological damage, serious internal injuries, brain damage or death.

~Physical/EmotionalNeglect: Physical/Emotional neglect is the failure to provide a child with basic needs including food, clothing, education, shelter, and medical care; also abandonment and inadequate supervision.

~Sexual Abuse: Sexual abuse is constituted through the sexual exploitation of a child by an older person as in rape, incest, fondling of the genitals, exhibitionism or pornography. It may be done for the sexual gratification of the older person, out of a need for power or economic reasons (such as prostitution, etc.).

~Emotional Maltreatment: A pattern of behavior that attacks a child’s emotional development and a sense of self worth, such as constant criticizing, belittling, insulting, manipulation. It can also be defined as providing no love, support, or guidance for the child. It is against the law and against rest Church’s policy for any volunteer or employed staff, male or female, to physically, sexually, or mentally abuse or neglect any child.

~Reporting Suspected Child Abuse: Familiarize yourself with the definitions and descriptions of child abuse listed above. If you suspect that a child involved in any of the programs of rest Church has been abused, the following procedure should be followed: 

-Report the suspected abuse to a Pastor.

-Do not interview the child regarding the suspected abuse. This could be considered leading the child.

-Do not discuss the suspected abuse with other volunteers, parents, or anyone else.

-All information regarding the child should be kept confidential with your ministry leader and the proper authorities.

-You may be asked to complete a Suspected Child Abuse Report. Reporting child abuse is completely confidential. We are legally obligated to protect the children in our care, which means we are also legally obligated to report symptoms that indicate potential abuse. As a volunteer, this legal responsibility is shared with you – please make your team aware of any observations within 24 hours.

The Three Hurts – Your RSM pastor must be notified if one or more of the following has happened:

~A student is being hurt by someone else

~A student is hurting someone else.

~A student is hurting himself or herself. In any of these three cases, you must break confidentiality with your student so that a rest Church staff member can walk through the situation with you. The staff member will discuss with the volunteer/leader how to best inform the parents and discuss the situation with the appropriate people involved.

There is nothing more important to us than the safety and security of the students who are entrusted to our care. We have thus implemented a strategic safety and security system throughout RSM. Volunteer Identification All volunteers should check in at the front desk or at a self check-in station before service starts each week. A visiting student or first-time guest should be properly introduced to the student Pastor immediately after check-in, and also introduced to some students in their respective grade.

Approved Visitor Identification Very infrequently, members of another Church or other interested parties will visit RSM during services to see how our ministry is run. These individuals need to be given “Approved Visitor” name tags. They are only permitted to observe; approved visitors may not interact with students in any way.

Stranger in the Building Twenty minutes after each service begins, only approved adults and students with  are permitted to be inside the building on the bottom floor. All other individuals should be asked to leave this area.

Child Custody Issue If a parent mentions a custody issue restricting someone from picking up or interacting with their student, please direct them to a Pastor immediately.

General threats If there is a perceived or general threat, never broadcast it in any way to students. Handle the situation appropriately, quickly and quietly.

Location of First Aid Kits In case of emergency, you will have access to two first aid kits. One in the café behind the welcome center. One in check-in area on the 2nd floor.

Administering Medication We are not authorized to administer any over-the-counter or prescription medications. If a student asks for medication of any kind, call his/her parents immediately. (The only exception is an EpiPen if pre-approved by parent for use in the case of an emergency.)

Emergency Procedures  Room Evacuation 1. Count the number of students in your group and instruct them to form a single file line, leading them along the designated evacuation route. 2. Stay with your group and count the number of kids in your group multiple times along the way. Do not leave your group for any reason. 3. Pastor’s and volunteers will sweep the building after students have been evacuated to find any stragglers. Do not re-enter the building for any reason. 4. Do not allow parents to take their child from your care in the process of evacuation—inform parents that they may walk with you, but that you cannot yet release their child. Once you have been cleared to release students to their parents. If any child is injured in the process of evacuation and needs first aid, please alert another volunteer leader immediately, but stay with your group. First aid will be brought to you. Injuries In the event of an adult or child being injured, alert a volunteer leader immediately. Below is the procedure for an injured child: 1. Remain calm. If the child is seriously injured, move other children away from the injured individual and assess the situation. Alert another leader so they can assist the student and notify parents or medical staff if necessary. 2. Keep the injured individual comfortable. This may mean laying him/her down, pouring a drink of water, or applying a bandage. 3. While the leader attends to the injured student, you may be asked to help complete an Incident Report. This report will outline what happened to the student, as well as any sustained injuries. 4. Once the parent has arrived, the volunteer leader will explain the situation gently and ask the parent to sign the incident report. They will ensure the volunteer signs it as well. In the event of a body fluid spill (due to a cut, nosebleed, vomit, etc.), latex gloves should be worn (located in First Aid kit). In the event of a serious injury such as a broken bone, convulsion, fainting spell, or falling unconscious, follow the procedure below:

• Remain calm and divert kids away from the emergency.

• Do not move or leave the injured child.

• Send another volunteer to alert another leader for assitance.

• The leader will call the parents, as well as follow our Emergency Contact Procedures, as listed below.

• If a child must be transported to the hospital and parents cannot be located, a staff member will accompany the child.

• All volunteers and staff involved in the incident will write a report of what happened immediately following the emergency.

• A staff member will follow up with the parent as deemed appropriate and necessary.

Emergency Contact Policy In the event of an emergency, please notify the RSM Pastor on duty so they can radio the appropriate authorities. If they are unable to help you, please call 911 immediately.

All RSM volunteers must attend culture day training or watch the culture day training video, submit a signed RSM Volunteer Covenant (link below), complete a criminal background check (18 years and older), love languages assessment (link below), and spiritual gifts assessment (link below). Some roles may require an additional interview as well.

Volunteer roles within Student Ministry require a one-year, every week commitment. Volunteers unable to serve in this capacity have the option of serving in a Flex Team role. Any individual who has not undergone the above process cannot volunteer in any capacity within RSM. This includes family and friends of approved volunteers.

Age-Specific Responsibility Adult Volunteer (adults aged 18 and older) Volunteers aged 18 and older carry full responsibility. This means maintaining supervision over a specific group of students, monitoring use of the bathrooms, communicating with parents, and more.

Junior Volunteer (kids and students aged 17 or younger) Volunteers under the age of 18 do not carry the same responsibilities as adult volunteers. Junior volunteers are not to run check-in. Junior volunteers are to be partnered with an adult volunteer when assisting in leading in any way. Middle School students may serve in Elementary. High School students may serve in Middle School after their Freshman year. Expectations The middle school and high school student holds incredible potential for spiritual and relational influence. What students learn about God and others will develop the foundation they build on for the rest of their lives. Because of this huge responsibility, we have outlined our expectations of you as a volunteer:

1. Arrive On Time (30 minutes prior to service time) All RSM volunteers are expected to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to gather for a short devotional/prayer time, prepare for the service, and greet the students and parents as they arrive. 

2. Be Prepared Arrive on Wednesday fully prepared and ready to serve. This means having reviewed the curriculum, small group questions if applicable, and the win for the week. You can find the flow on service on PCO.

3. Communicate Your ministry leader will frequently communicate with you via the rest Church app. We ask that you return the favor by communicating with us. This means letting us know well in advance when you’ll be out of town, texting or emailing us on Wednesday morning if an emergency arises, or requesting more supplies if you run out. We love to hear from you! Additionally, we desire to have a community of transparency and honesty. If something isn’t working, you are not overstepping your boundaries by bringing it to light. We highly value your constructive criticism and feedback.

4. Develop We recognize that every volunteer is at a different place on his or her spiritual journey. We ask that you would continue to grow in your faith as you serve. The best environment we can create for students is one where they see a living and active faith in the adults and teens who lead them. Here are some tangible ways you can develop as you serve:

a. Attend a Service Serving RSM should not take the place of attending a service in the sanctuary on Sunday’s. If you come to a place where you can only serve or attend a service, we ask that you step out of your volunteer role in order to continue attending service.

b. Live Connected Life change happens best in the context of relationships. We ask that you join a rest group or dGroup, connect in a  relationship where someone else knows you and is helping you move forward in your faith.

c. Contribute We are so thankful that you’re contributing your time and talents for students at rest. It would be impossible to support the amazing ministries our church offers without the generous financial support of the rest Church family. As a volunteer, you have a vested interest in seeing the ministry to students excel. Your financial commitment to rest Church through tithes and offerings resource many life-changing ministries. Together, we can make a massive impact that we could never make alone. Did you know you can give online and sign up for regular monthly giving? This is the easiest way to give.

Appearance and Presentation We hope to inspire confidence in parents as they leave their students in our care for the hour they attend a service. This means maintaining a clean, neat appearance with both our environments and volunteers. Please take initiative to ensure your area is clean and safe as students arrive. As a volunteer, it is your responsibility to arrive in appropriate clothing, clean, and fully alert. Because rest is a “come as you are” culture, we encourage you to dress casually, but please ensure that your dress is modest as well as functional for your role. The ideal outfit may include jeans and a RSM shirt we provide for you. Any volunteer who is suspected of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol will be promptly escorted off rest’s campus. This will be followed up with a meeting or phone call to discuss next steps from one of our rest Pastors.