All clergy under appointment (including extension ministries), and those assigned (i.e. supply pastors, and approved certified lay ministers) are required to complete all three professional ethics trainings. To track your progress, we have created a system in Arena for you to upload your certificates of completion after each training.  Below are the instructions for uploading your documents:

Steps:

1. Upon completion of any of the Professional Ethics trainings, you will receive a certificate of completion via email.  When you receive a certificate, download and save it to your computer.

2. Go to https://member.gnjumc.org/
3. Log in using your Arena credentials. If you do not remember your login information click the “Forgot Login ID” or the “Forgot Password” buttons and follow the prompts to retrieve your information.
4. Once logged in, click at the top of the page where it says, “Professional Ethics Uploads”.
5. To upload a file, click “Change” next to the training file that you wish to upload. A box will pop up with options to drag a file over or click “Choose File” to add your certificate.
   1. Ignore the “Type” dropdown box. You do not need to select a file type.
   2. In the “Title” box you may type in a name for the file if you wish, but it is not necessary.
   3. Click “Save” to upload your document.
6. Type in the date that you completed the training in the “Completion Date” field. This is the information that we will use to alert you when you need to complete another training, so it is important that you type in the correct information.
7. Click “Save” at the bottom of the page.

For questions or assistance please email Resource Manager, Megan McKay (mmckay@gnjumc.org)

The Safe Sanctuaries training is offered through the provider Ministry Safe is accompanied by videos produced by Greater New Jersey on how to implement and abide by Safe Sanctuaries policies in your church, where appropriate. All clergy and assigned laity are required to take the Sexual Abuse Prevention Training through Ministry Safe.  This portion of the training is also recommended for any laity at the local church who are working with children, youth, and vulnerable adults.

The Ministry Safe course, Sexual Abuse Awareness Training, is an online, self-paced course and takes approximately 1.5 hours to complete and provides a certificate of completion. Learn more here (link to Safe Sanctuaries child page on the right-hand side)

If a clergy person or lay person is appointed to a local church or ministry context, they are also required to have a certified GNJ Safe Sanctuaries Policy and implement those policies and procedures in their local contexts.

Clergy and assigned laity are required to have background checks which are administered through Joanne Sullivan (jsullivan@gnjumc.org). You are contacted by Joanne when it is time for your background check renewal.

The course Understanding Clery Sexual Ethics is offered through Wesley Theological Seminary’s Lewis Center for Church Leadership, which is utilized by many annual conferences. It is a foundational, introductory course designed to help prevent clergy sexual misconduct by creating awareness of what constitutes misconduct and how issues of misconduct typically arise. It addresses the relational dynamics, internal motivations, and vulnerabilities that can lead to misconduct and the positive steps that can be taken to help prevent misconduct.  The goal is to help course participants develop a strong and reliable “internal compass” that will help them steer a safe course, even in confusing or difficult situations.

This course takes approximately five to eight hours to complete and provides .5 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and a certificate of completion. Learn more here.

The course Financial Ethics for Pastoral Leaders has been developed by Discipleship Ministries in partnership with Greater New Jersey. It is an online, self-paced, and interactive course. This course is designed to assist our leaders in ways that strengthen the financial practices of ministry and protect the church from the devastating harm of financial misconduct. It draws on guidelines in the Book of Discipline and tested “best practices.”

The Financial Ethics for Pastoral Leaders course is divided into six sessions.

1. The Pastor’s Role and Responsibility for Finance & Administration
2. Safeguards, Controls and Boundaries
3. Transparency, Trust, Integrity, and Access
4. Documentation in the Digital Age
5. Connectional Accountability
6. If Misconduct is Suspected

This course takes approximately five hours to complete and provides .5 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and a certificate of completion. Learn more here.

A complete rollout of the Professional Ethics Development Program will occur Fall 2023.  More details will be posted on this webpage and shared through conference communications as soon as they become available.