Safer Recruitment for a Prophetic Ministry Team (UK)

A church office desk with a printed role description, a pen, a lanyard and an open Bible, set out for recruiting a prophetic ministry team

A volunteer who has been in the church for three weeks offers to join the prophetic team. She is warm, she is keen, and nobody knows her yet.

Yes, a prophetic ministry team needs safer recruitment, the same as any team that works closely with people in a church. In England and Wales, good practice, and what most denominations and insurers expect, means a written role description, an application or self-declaration, references, a conversation, a DBS check only where the role is legally eligible for one, safeguarding training, a supervised trial and a review. People who prophesy influence other people's choices, so a church chooses them carefully and tests them before it sends them. This guide gives the steps, a role description you can adapt, and the working practices that keep the team safe once it is serving.

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Does a prophetic ministry team need safer recruitment?

Scripture calls the church to welcome the gift and to weigh it: "Do not extinguish the Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 5:19) and "test all things" (1 Thessalonians 5:21). The church honours the gift by choosing carefully the people who exercise it, and by guarding the people who receive it.

The early church did this when it chose servants. The apostles said, "select from among you seven men confirmed to be full of the Spirit and wisdom" (Acts 6:3). Paul said of deacons, "they must first be tested" (1 Timothy 3:10). Confirmed, then tested, then appointed to serve. The apostles and Paul set that order long before any safeguarding policy did.

We have written on how to start a prophetic ministry team and on safeguarding prophetic ministry. Between starting a team and safeguarding it sits recruitment: deciding who joins and how that decision is made and recorded.

Is a prophetic or prayer ministry volunteer eligible for a DBS check?

It depends on the role: who it serves, where, and how often. In England and Wales, GOV.UK says a Standard or Enhanced DBS check is available only when the role falls within specific legislation, and that organisations break the law if they submit an application for a check the role is not eligible for. A Basic check is available to anyone.

Regulated activity with children is the clearest route to an enhanced check with a barred list check; some supervised roles with children qualify for an enhanced check without it. A team member who prays with children on a regular basis may be eligible. Prayer or prophetic ministry offered to adults in a Sunday service is usually a different case, and many such roles will not be eligible for an enhanced check. Eligibility turns on who the role works with, where, what activities are involved and how often. So never ask for a higher level of check than the role allows, and never assume a check on file means the person is safe.

Use these before you apply:

The GOV.UK DBS eligibility guidance and eligibility tool, which separate roles with children, roles with adults and other roles.
Your denomination's or diocese's safeguarding officer, who knows how your tradition applies the rules.
thirtyone:eight, the independent safeguarding charity for faith organisations, for advice on your particular roles.

Scotland uses Disclosure Scotland and the PVG scheme, and Northern Ireland uses AccessNI. If you are outside England and Wales, confirm the rules with those bodies. A DBS check is one safeguard among several; references, conversation and supervision carry equal weight.

What should a prophetic ministry team role description include?

A good role description states the purpose, who the person ministers to, the setting, who supervises them, the guidelines they agree to, the training they complete and when the role is reviewed. It sets the expectations before anyone is asked to commit.

Here is a short template you can paste into a handbook and adapt:

Role description: Prophetic ministry team member, [Church name]

Purpose. To encourage people by sharing what they sense God may be saying, in a way that is weighed, recorded and always subject to Scripture and church leadership.

Who you minister to. Adults in [service / prayer time / small group]. Ministry to anyone under 18 happens only as set out in our children and young people policy.

Setting. Visible spaces, in pairs, at agreed times. No ministry in private homes or closed rooms.

Accountable to. [Named team leader], who reports to [elder / pastor] and our safeguarding lead.

Team guidelines you agree to. Offer what you sense tentatively and let the person weigh it. Give no directive prophecy about marriage, divorce, moving, money, health treatment or personal submission. Ask consent before any touch. Record what was said, as set out in our prophecy policy.

Training. Safeguarding training at the level our denomination requires, and our team induction, before serving unsupervised.

Review. A supervised trial of [three] months, then a review conversation, then yearly.

The template reflects the principle Paul gave, "Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said" (1 Corinthians 14:29). Weighing is part of the job from the first day.

Do positions of trust laws cover religious leaders?

Yes, when they regularly teach, train, supervise or instruct someone under 18 in a religion. Since 28 June 2022, a person who coaches, teaches, trains, supervises or instructs another person on a regular basis in a religion can hold a position of trust under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 inserted section 22A into the Act to extend the position of trust offences to sport and religion. The offences in sections 16 to 19 concern people under 18, which is why this matters for sixteen and seventeen year olds, who are over the age of consent but still protected.

For a prophetic ministry team, the practical point is regular instruction or supervision. A team member who mentors a youth group or runs a regular session for teenagers needs to understand that the law may treat them as holding a position of trust, and that sexual activity with a young person in that setting can be a criminal offence even where the young person is 16 or 17 and appears to consent. Your safeguarding lead should confirm who in your church this covers. If you are unsure whether a role meets the regular-basis test, take advice from your safeguarding officer or thirtyone:eight instead of guessing.

What are the safer recruitment steps for a prophetic ministry team?

There are eight steps, and they run in order. Each one gives the church a chance to see the person and the person a chance to see the church.

Write the role description. Use the template above, so every candidate sees the same expectations.
Take an application or self-declaration. A short form covering their church involvement, previous roles with children or adults, and any reason they believe they should not serve. Say clearly that you will ask for references.
Take references. Ask for at least two, one from church leadership where possible, and contact them directly. Ask whether they would trust this person with vulnerable people.
Hold a conversation. Two leaders meet the candidate. Ask how they handle correction, what they do when they sense something about a person's marriage or money, and how they respond when a prophecy is weighed and found wanting.
Check DBS where eligible. Apply for the level the role is entitled to, through your denomination's or an umbrella body's process, and record the outcome. Never exceed the eligibility.
Complete safeguarding training. At the level your denomination or insurer requires, before unsupervised service.
Run a supervised trial. A fixed period, such as three months, serving alongside an experienced team member. Paul's instruction to Timothy fits here: "they must first be tested" (1 Timothy 3:10).
Review. Meet at the end of the trial, then at least yearly. Renew training and checks on the schedule your safeguarding body sets.

What safer working practices should the team follow once recruited?

Work in pairs, in a visible space, with consent for any touch, and with a record of what was shared. Recruitment gets the right people in. Practice keeps everyone safe, including the team member, because a pair and a record protect against both harm and false accusation.

Two people. Personal prophecy is given by two team members together, or in a visible part of the room with others present. Avoid one to one ministry behind a closed door.
A visible space. Use the open area at the back of the room, a room with a window in the door, or a public part of the building.
Consent before touch. Ask first, in plain words, before laying on hands, and accept a refusal gracefully. Never touch the head, face or any intimate area, and never continue after someone says no.
No directive prophecy. The team never tells a person to marry, divorce, move, give money, change job, stop treatment or submit to the person who ministered. Such decisions rest on Scripture, prayer, time and wise counsel. Paul's rule for the gathering applies: "everything must be done in a proper and orderly manner" (1 Corinthians 14:40).
A written record. Write down what was said, to whom, and when, as soon as the session ends, and store it securely. The recording and consent guidance covers UK GDPR.
A way to raise a concern. Every team member and recipient knows who the safeguarding lead is and how to reach them. A concern about a team member's conduct goes to the safeguarding lead, never first to the member concerned. If a child or adult may be at immediate risk, contact the police.

"For He spoke, and it came to be" (Psalms 33:9). A church that has heard Him speak chooses, tests, trains and watches the people it sends to share what they sense from Him. The volunteer from the opening, three weeks in, may turn out to be exactly who He sends. The church finds that out together with her, over a supervised trial, and the voice she hears still belongs to Him.

FAQ

Does every volunteer on a prophetic ministry team need a DBS check?

No. A DBS check is available only where the role is eligible under the legislation, and organisations break the law if they apply for a check the role is not eligible for. Roles involving regular regulated activity with children may be eligible for an enhanced check. Many roles offering prayer to adults only are not. Ask your denominational safeguarding officer to confirm each role.

What is a position of trust for a church leader?

A position of trust arises when someone regularly coaches, teaches, trains, supervises or instructs a person under 18 in a religion, under section 22A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, in force since 28 June 2022. Sexual activity with a 16 or 17 year old in that setting can be an offence even if the young person consents. Your safeguarding lead can confirm who is covered.

Should prophetic ministry always be done by two people?

Yes, as a rule. Two people, in a visible space, protect the recipient and the minister, and give a witness to what was said. Ministry to a child or an adult at risk should always have a second suitably checked adult present, and should never happen behind a closed door.

How long should the trial period for a new team member last?

Choose a fixed period that fits your church, commonly around three months, serving alongside an experienced member, followed by a review. The law sets no number. What matters is that the person is tested before serving alone, as Paul wrote of deacons in 1 Timothy 3:10.

Keep Reading

Doxa for churches helps a team keep the record of what was shared and weighed, free to start. A free Church Prophecy Policy template is available too. See how Doxa works for churches.

Garth Watson

October 25, 2026 Test

Download Doxa, the app for recording, weighing and remembering prophetic encouragement.