June 1, 2018
The National Safety Council has designated June as National Safety Month, so we want to make sure your ministry is doing everything it can to protect its people, property, and programs. Each week in June, we’ll tackle a different topic. Up this week: Emergency Preparedness.
Preparing your ministry for an emergency is more important than ever in today’s world. Consider whether your ministry has a plan for the following scenarios.
1. A Natural Disaster
First, prioritize which natural disaster presents the biggest threat to your church. The vast expansion of communities into previously underdeveloped forests and wildlands in Colorado has created a greater threat of wildfires that could significantly damage your ministry’s property. The Colorado Department of Public Safety’s Division of Fire Prevention and Control recommends contacting your local fire department to determine the potential risk to your property due to wildfires. Next, ask local experts what to consider when constructing a natural disaster plan. Finally, decide what items to in your emergency inventory.
To assure your church’s preparedness, run through drills with staff and volunteers who will help guide people in case of an emergency, and keep a list of members designated to respond to an emergency.
2. Medical Emergency
Accidents or medical emergencies during church and ministry activities are not uncommon. Assembling a medical response team and establishing guidelines for dealing with these incidents can help ensure quick and consistent aid for the injured, and can reduce the risk of future legal problems for your church or ministry.
Brotherhood Mutual’s article “Creating a Medical Emergency Response Team” has more helpful information about how to prepare for a medical emergency.
3. A Violent Attack
Violent attacks at schools and churches are becoming increasingly common. Is your ministry prepared to respond should it become a target? If you don’t have one already, consider putting together a Safety and Security Team for your ministry. Then, equip them with the knowledge skills and practice they need to respond should a violent attack or other safety incident occur.
Brotherhood Mutual’s most recent issue of The Deacon’s Bench expands on this and other topics related to the security of your ministry.
We pray that your ministry never has to face any of these scenarios. By planning ahead, you can help your congregation prepare for the unknown. Check out the Safety and Security page on our website for more helpful resources for your ministry.
There are a lot of hats worn in any growing ministry – and we want to serve every one of them.
With the holiday season right around the corner, it’s wise for ministries to evaluate their fire safety plan. Whether your ministry is hosting a holiday party, prepping treats for charity, or running a community kitchen, make sure you’re well-prepared with these tips.
The holidays present unique opportunities and challenges for churches that aren’t typical during other times of the year. A lot of the ministries that I work with are seeing steady increases in attendance and are praying for a significant jump in Christmas service participation this year.
In this article, Brad Brown from Plan A Wealth Management gives a wonderful insight into why ministries might consider choosing a 403(B)(9) retirement plan.
As school is back in session, it’s important to make sure your school is equipped with the correct safety procedures. Thinking about your school’s physical security as a series of layers can help you find gaps in your plan. Transportation and volunteers are just two important aspects of your school safety plan to think about.
If there is one thing I have learned over the last decade while working private security and as a sworn peace officer, the more critical the incident, the more likely change will come out of it. Much like a pendulum, an incident occurs, and everyone cries for change.
Updating the lighting in your worship center with LED can offer significant energy savings while improving overall lighting performance.
We are so excited to welcome the newest member of the American Church Group of Colorado team, Lyndsie Glowinski.
Churches are increasingly becoming targets for cyber criminals. The most common attack is by sending “phishing” emails where the perpetrator poses as someone familiar to the ministry staff (like a senior pastor, deacon, elder, or someone trustworthy) and requests some sort of response.
Anyone who turns on the news, flips through a magazine, or browses the web can see that American society and culture are experiencing rapid transitions. Some ministries have valid concerns that issues surrounding societal shifts may expose them to negative publicity, governmental scrutiny, or litigation.
The questions become: when and how can ministries operate within their deeply held religious beliefs when they may conflict with others’ rights?