Many states are beginning to lift their stay at home orders but that doesn’t necessarily mean we in the church should rush to open up our buildings.
We need to be very wise and intentional about our decisions because we can help our hurt our communities and their perception of the Church by what we do and how we do it.
Leaders need to consider many things before opening and it may be wise to be patient, look at setting up phases and then build a communication plan so that the community understands they Why, What and How of your plan to bring the faith community back together.
I am going to share some links that I have found as well as some blogs you should consider following that they will also be keeping leaders up to date with best practices.
My new friend, Greg Atkinson has a great blog, I must share about 10 Questions leaders to ask their congregation before they re-open. 10 Questions to Ask Your Congregation Before You Reopen
I think these are vital for the entire staff team to consider. We must exercise great patience when we consider the positive and negatives that our members will feel reopening as well as how the perceptions will be in the community we desire to reach.
When it comes to kidmin the challenge will be even greater. Seeing that most research shows children are carriers of the virus more than other age groups we must be careful we aren’t becoming ground zero for a second outbreak. That would truly be devastating to our witness.
The CDC has made some basic recommendations for churches and other organizations to follow and I encourage you to use these as guidelines as well.
So based on these things what steps would I encourage you to consider as a kidmin leader?
- Build a survey and ask your families what they are comfortable with when it comes to returning. You might also ask a few questions about how they are engaging spiritually with their children.
- Have some conversations with your volunteers as well and get input as to how they are feeling and thinking about serving.
- Consider your Check-in Setup. Have you the ability to do pre-check in or can you provide a safe and quick way for regular attenders as well as new families to check-in.
- Consider your room usage/space needs? What must you do based on your State and local requirements?
If you are going to a Family Based Service 9 all your families will worship together:
- How much space is required in your worship areas?
- Is your senior leader willing and prepared to talk to all ages in attendance?
- Is your team willing to have elements of worship and message that will engage children/students in worship and learning during the services?
- Would it be wise to start with multiple home groups where families could come together for a meal, to engage in worship live stream together followed by discussion and interaction with the message. (Meal could come after) This could then lead to coming back to the building later in stages or by groups.
These are just a few ideas and resources, If you subscribe to this blog, you won’t miss more as we continue to learn how to best serve the faith community.
I also encourage you to check out the Kids Ministry Collective Podcast for some great conversations with thought leaders. Here is a podcast link to the KMC Podcast episode referred to in this post: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kids-ministry-collective/id1092897117?i=1000474134784
If you or your church needs help or someone outside your area to help navigate these times, I would also recommend www.kmccoach.net We provide coaching and consulting for churches of all sizes so that you can build healthy and safe strategies.
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