Bus Ministry Permission Slips & Medical Release Forms
August 24, 2008
We are often asked about permission slips and medical release forms:
- Should you use them?
- Which ones are best?
- Are they worth the trouble?
- What can we to do to get people to return them to the church?
These are the questions we are most asked at our training events and by email. Here are the answers we usually give.
Should you use them? Your church will have to decide this one. Many Bus Ministry churches would never let a child on their bus or van without a completed permission form. By the same token, some of the largest Bus Ministry churches have never used permission slips and have never had any problems. Our suggestion is that your church talk to a lawyer, get his advice and then follow it.
Which ones are best? The churches that use permission slips and medical release forms use all sorts of documents written all sorts of ways. We have some general forms that you can view as PDF files by clicking the link below. You will want to personalize them for your church and we have highlighted the areas of the forms where you will want to use your own information.
permission-slip-and-medical-release-form
Are they worth the trouble? Ask any lawyer and you get, “Yes and no,” for the answer. “Yes,” they help protect you and your riders, and, “no,” they won’t keep you from getting sued. If a child gets sick or hurt at your church, the medical release form can allow you to get treatment at the local emergency room, and a permission slip will show “due diligence” should you ever have to go to court. But just because a parent signed a form that says, “I will not hold First Church or any of it members responsible for any injury my child should receive while in their care,” doesn’t mean they will not sue your church. (You will notice that our sample forms do not include this phrase.)
What can we to do to get people to return them to the church?Most churches have their workers get the information and parent’s signatures when they enlist or follow up on new riders. Robby Greene, the Children’s Pastor at Lavon Drive Baptist Church in Garland, TX, has one of the largest Bus Ministries in the country. He shared with the group at a recent IBMA Retreat that once a year his church has a special month in which any rider that returns an updated form gets a special treat. He says it works well and helps keep their riders records up-to-date.
Keeping good up-to-date records, getting permission slips and medical forms from parents are difficult tasks but most churches using these forms believe it is worth the effort. Just do not fall into the trap of “living in fear.” Some churches have stopped their buses or vans simply because they are worried about law suits. They get so concerned about the possibly of getting sued, they figure that using buses or vans is not worth the risk. That is faulty thinking and a church that is constantly afraid will never be able to minister as it should.
Whatever your church decides about permission slips and medical release forms, just be sure to get the best information you can as you make those decisions. We hope we have helped you do just that - that is what the Bring Them In Ministry is all about - helping you and your church successfully reach boys and girls and their families for Christ.
Bus Ministry Books and Resources
God’s Top Ten Lessons
August 19, 2008
It is only 15 verses taken from the Old Testament, but these 15 verses have had more impact on the way the world lives today than all the other volumes of literature combined. These 15 verses are the foundation for all the laws of Western Civilization and millions of people have endeavored to pattern their lives after these 15 verses for the past 25 centuries.
These 15 simple verses are what we call the Ten Commandments; written by God and given to His people as the measure of conduct in our dealings with Him and our fellow man.
Bring Them In is proud to present a new set of lessons on the Ten Commandments - a 13 week study entitled, God’s Top Ten. These lessons are written by Larry Hipps and, like all BTI curriculum, it is grounded in the scripture, affordable, and easy-to-use. Each of the 13 lessons has three parts: the two charts with the commandments and paraphrases, the God’s Top Ten lessons, and the review activity.
With this lesson package, you get:
The Lesson Book-click the link below to view a sample lessons.
Two Charts-one with the commandments and one with a paraphrase of the commandments designed to help the children understand the commandments in terms they can grasp and relate to in their world.
36 “I Learned the Ten Commandments” Award Certificates-a great incentive to encourage the children to learn the Ten Commandments.
120 Ten Commandment Stickers-use these with the Review Activity or however you wish.
36 Ten Commandment Bookmarks-use as a kickoff gift when you begin the lessons, as a reward for bringing a visitor, etc.
To order the God’s Top Ten lesson package, use the link below to go to our catalog section.
New BTI Children’s Ministry Conference Coming in 2009
August 4, 2008
We have a new BTI Conference coming in 2009 - check back often to get complete information!