The recent scandal over Dr. John MacArthur’s church in Los Angeles has caused several churches to pick a side on whether to reopen or not. Faith-based organizations for example have a lot of safety and health concerns to consider. The very nature of most faith based organizations make it very difficult to ensure social distancing and practice safety measures like keeping high-touch surfaces clean. If you’re still on the fence, here’s a few categorical tips for you to consider on how to make it possible for your community to meet and worship safely. 

Note:  Additional guidelines may be mandated depending on location. 

Staff and Volunteer Health and Safety 

Ensure that your volunteers and church staff are aware of the new organizational changes and safety measures taken before they can come back to the location. 

• Send an email or hold meetings to discuss the steps being taken to prevent the spread of the virus with the volunteers and members. 

• Ensure that there is enough hand sanitizer or paper towels (and no-touch  trash bins to dispose of them) soap and water to ensure they have the means to safe hand hygiene 

• Educate them about the symptoms of the virus and tell them to stay home if any of these symptoms are found. 

• Train them to:

1. Put on, use, remove and store personal protective equipment (PPE)

2. Maintain proper hand hygiene and follow proper sneeze and cough etiquette.

3. Maintain social distancing guidelines.

4. Clean and disinfect the surface and items.

5. Enforce health and safety requirements with the members of the congregation.

6. Recognize behaviours that may lead to the spread of the virus and how to report these concerns. 

• Start a process of reviewing the employees and volunteers organizational health and safety concerns. 

Cleaning and Disinfecting Practices 

As the establishment has a wide range of surfaces that are frequently touched by employees, volunteers and members of the congregation, it is vital to ensure that proper cleaning and disinfecting practices are taught and followed. A few ways to do so are as followed: 

• Do not permit sharing any organizational items or equipment and if they need to, ensure that they are cleaned and disinfected properly before and after use. 

• Increase the cleaning and disinfecting in areas that are high risk like restrooms, stage, seating arrangement like benches, common area etc. 

• Provide paper towels for drying their hands and adequate trash bins. Do not allow the use of air dryers. 

• Ensure proper air ventilation in the establishment. 

Congregation Health and Safety

To ensure the safety and health of your congregation, steps must be taken to reduce the spread of contagious diseases. These steps can be followed to ensure the same:  

• Consider offering services outdoors instead of indoors as there will be proper ventilation- if feasible. Also consider online options so viewers can watch from home and stay safe. 

• Limit physical contact between members by:

• Limiting the number of people permitted to sit on each bench 

• Prohibiting physically touching (handshaking, hugging, kissing etc) 

• Temporarily holding off ceremonies that require physical touch like baptisms, confirmation, communions etc 

• Consider altering traditions that may lead to spreading via droplets, like singing or speaking for long amounts of time. 

By following these basic hygiene protocols, your church can embody the spirit of grace, truth, and faith - and what better way to do so than by encouraging your community and overcoming fear. Providing successful in-person services while being safe and healthy isn’t a far stretch. All it takes is a little extra foresight that will certainly go the distance.

For more resources on how your insurance provider can best service you during these uncertain times, be sure to visit Carriage Trade Insurance.