If you want to know what considerations you need to have in place when reopening your church, watch this replay of a webinar we hosted in July to help you navigate the government guidelines.
Much of the government guidance was put together based on more conservative strands of Christianity, so in this webinar we discuss specific considerations that more charismatic strands of the church need to consider.
You’ll also hear in-depth insights from Bishop Mark Nicholson, a prominent church leader and GoodtoGive client, who shared what a socially distanced church looks like for his congregation and how him and his leadership team have been able to grow their church significantly during this pandemic.
In this webinar replay you’ll find out:
What should be included in the risk assessment?
In your risk assessment for Covid-19 you need to include:
Risk assessment templates and examples can be found here
2. How often should you do deep cleaning?
There are no hard and fast rules on how often you should deep clean but we highly recommend a deep cleaning before re-opening your building and government guidance is that a decision should be made locally on how frequently cleaning should take place based on an assessment of risk and use of the building. Here are some general guidelines from the government on cleaning and hygiene:
More details can be found in the government guidance information referenced at the end of this page ‘COVID-19: guidance for the safe use of places of worship during the pandemic’
3. Can we get funds for Covid-19 compliance?
Possibly, please complete our Funding survey and our Head of Finance, Dominic Pinnock will be in touch to discuss the funding options available for Covid-19 related projects.
4. How best can the Children’s ministry be run?
5. What options are available for Water Baptism?
Where full immersion in water is necessary, this should be very carefully planned following the rules below.
6. Can we sing in church yet?
What the leader(s) can do
What the congregation can do
7. Is there a limit on attendees to services?
There is no official limit but a risk assessment should be carried out to determine how many people you can accommodate in your building while complying with social distancing guidelines.
8. What should you do if you reach maximum capacity?
Do need exceed capacity and consider splitting service times. For example instead of having just one service which is likely to exceed capacity, have two and limit numbers for each.
9. How can we improve income during this time?
Book a consultation with one of our Charity Advisers who can explain how you can maximise your income through Gift Aid and also accept online donations with ease.
10. Do you have an update serving refreshments?
Hospitality spaces within a place of worship, such as cafes, are permitted to open but should be limited to table-service, social distancing should be observed, and with minimal staff and customer/congregant contact when serving refreshments or food and beverage of any kind.
11. Is online church more about a show, a performance rather than preaching the Gospel and the harvesting of souls? How many souls have come to Faith through online services and how can we ensure follow-up?
Based on what we have seen from our clients and the wider church community, church leaders are equally as focused on the Word and good quality preaching as they were prior to the lockdown. The only thing that has changed is the format. Instead of preaching in front of pews, they are preaching in front of cameras and reaching many more people online than they ever could in a church building. We know of churches that have had people who would never otherwise visit a church, direct message them on social media to ask for prayer and support after watching an online service. Bishop Mark Nicholson testified on our recent webinar that the impact his church is having through online church is far-reaching. Follow-up is indeed needed and it’s important that churches merge online and offline methods for this. For example, if a person makes a commitment to Christ via an online service, they could be followed up in person. As we know there are some elements of building relationships that can not be replicated online and face-to-face human connection is vitally important.
Sign-up for our webinar discussion on 7th September where we will have a comprehensive panel discussion on this topic, register here.
If you are reading this after the 7th September the replay of this webinar will be on our YouTube channel, please subscribe here.