BCM is here to help you as your congregation considers both a regathering plan and a plan for vibrant hybrid ministry designed to reach members and participants whether they are online or on-site. Please email us at [email protected] for more information about how we can help you:
- create a process that creates a safe space for dialogue and involvement;
- develop a practical, clear plan of action;
- provide support for your staff & leadership throughout the process; and
- offer practical suggestions, ideas, and tools that will move you toward a new future.
Ministry leaders continue to make critical decisions about future worship and on-site gatherings at our physical locations. These decisions require much prayerful and practical discernment in a constantly evolving environment. These resources are designed to help you in that discernment.
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Click the links below to jump down to find additional resources on each topic:
- MCSP Communication and Resources
- Government Guidelines
- Singing
- PPE Supplies & Cleaning Equipment – Possible Sources
- Other Resources for Consideration
MCSP Communication and Resources
- COMING SOON: Additional practical tools for developing a hybrid ministry plan that can be customized for your congregational context.
- A Plan for Regathering: A Guide for Church Boards (May 20, 2020) – Board of Cooperative Ministries (PDF of plan & worksheets | Worksheets in Word format)
- How Will We Gather? Planning Exercise: Rooted Good offers an interactive and engaging exercise to help congregations or organizations have a good conversation and make decisions about how to gather given the current context.
- Hybrid Church: A Way Forward for Church Leaders This post by the Rev. Tim Schenck, provides some food for thought for congregational leaders as we navigate church beyond the pandemic.
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COVID-19 in 2021: What We Know Now Webinar (March 23, 2021)
Get an update on the virus, its new variants, and learn more about vaccines. Why we should trust the vaccine? What have we learned? What do we still need to learn? What will it take for us to physically re-gather?
Regathering Webinar (May 20, 2020)
During this workshop, we explored the latest information from church and government authorities, heard practical guidance from those already addressing these issues, and shared useful resources as we build our own bridge to the church of the future. One KEY question for congregations to consider: Is the quality of the on-site experience going to be better than the online or alternate experience?
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PEC COVID-19 Congregation Updates
- PEC Memo UPDATE: Revised Guidelines for Worship Gatherings, Meetings, and Church Offices
- PEC Memo UPDATE: Revised Guidelines for Worship Gatherings, Meetings, and Church Offices (May 6, 2021)
- PEC Memo UPDATE: Revised Guidelines for Worship Gatherings, Meetings, and Church Offices (April 9, 2021)
- PEC Memo UPDATE: Congregation Councils (March 12, 2021)
- PEC Memo UPDATE: Revised Guidelines for Worship Gatherings, Meetings, and Church Offices (March 1, 2021)
- PEC Memo UPDATE: COVID-19 North Carolina County Alert System (November 13, 2020)
- PEC Memo UPDATE: Revised Guidelines about Church Gatherings, Meetings, and Offices (November 11, 2020)
- PEC Memo UPDATE: On Reopening Activities (September 17, 2020) | On Screen and Notification (September 18, 2020)
- PEC Memo UPDATE: Reminder of Health and Safety Precautions for Church Offices and Gatherings (August 8, 2020)
- PEC Memo UPDATE: Health and Safety Precautions for Church Offices and Gatherings (June 17, 2020)
- PEC Memo UPDATE: on Worship Gatherings (May 28, 2020)
- PEC Memo UPDATE: Choirs, bands, and congregational singing (May 22, 2020)
- PEC Memo UPDATE: COVID-19 Precautions for Church Offices (May 13, 2020)
- PEC Memo UPDATE: Re-Opening Activities (May 8, 2020)
- PEC Memo: “Re-Opening” Church Activities and Events (April 27, 2020)
Government Guidelines
Nationwide
- CDC Interim Guidelines for Community Organizations and Gatherings
- CDC Interim Guidelines for Faith Communities
- CDC Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019
North Carolina Health and Human Services- NCHHS (Statewide)
- North Carolina Health and Human Services Department: COVID-19 Dashboard
- NC Executive Order # 204 (March 23, 2021) -Summary | (PDF)
- NCHHS Guidance for Community and Faith-Based Organizations
- NCHHS Guidance for Faith Leaders
Forsyth County (NC)
Please check with your local public health department or state government for specific information outside of North Carolina.
Singing
- International Coalition of Performing Arts | Study Highlights | Aerosol Study Round 2 Full Study (August 2020)
- Using a Small Ensemble for Your Online Worship May Not Be Safe
- Singing, the Church, and COVID-19: A Caution for Moving Forward in Our Current Pandemic
- The coronavirus pandemic and aerosols: Does COVID-19 transmit via expiratory particles?
- What Do Science and Data Say About the Near Term Future of Singing (Video)
- The Future of Singing Together
- Wisconsin Council of Churches: Info on Church Music
When Can We Sing? (May 8, 2020) | The Rev. Dr. Nola Knouse, Moravian Music Foundation
Can’t We Sing Yet? (Nov 7, 2020) | The Rev. Dr. Nola Knouse, Moravian Music Foundation
PPE Supplies & Cleaning Equipment – Possible Sources
- Outreach.com: Prepare Your Church For Reopening
- Indera Mills (Face Masks)
- Project Mask Winston-Salem (mask pattern; opportunity to sew masks)
- The Nightingale Face Mask (used for the Masks for All project)
- Mill-Chem (NC): OdoBan Virucide (disinfectant cleaner) by the gallon, touchless hand sanitizer dispensers, stands. See supply source PDF below for account rep and contact info.
- Look Our Way: Reusable, custom, and disposable masks. Discounts for larger quantities.
- Restaurant Depot: Possible source for gloves, cleaners, equipment. Free membership at warehouse stores for non-profits.
- Global Industrial: Disposable masks, face shields, infrared thermometers, other cleaning supplies,
- Amazon and other online retailers: Miscellaneous items such as gloves, reusable masks, mask supplies, sanitizer, hand pumps for gallon sanitizer, spray bottles, dispensers.
Supplies for reopening:
- Hand sanitizer, touchless dispensers, stands
- Disinfectant multi-purpose cleaner
- Gloves
- Masks (re-usable and disposable)
- Hanesbrands: Offering high quality and low-cost cloth face masks available in bulk quantities for organizations large or small.
- Signage
- Pastors Toolbox: Save A Seat
Optional:
- Floor stickers & decals, touch tools, individual hand sanitizers & wipes
- Electrostatic disinfectant applicator (sprayer)*
*A Word about Electrostatic Disinfectant Applicators: UCMC the Clorox Pro 360 applicator, which kills 99.9% of bacteria in 5 seconds, kills cold and flu viruses, MRSA and norovirus in 2 minutes or less. 65% less solution used than hand spraying and wiping, 75% faster (covers 18,000 square feet per hour). Less expensive than hand-spraying and wiping down all surfaces. We’ll use weekly (Fri/Sat) in preparation for Sunday. Allow at least 12 weeks for delivery. Learn about system efficiency and effectiveness in this video. Review supply source PDF below for source information.
Special thanks to Dan Johnson, Trustee chair, Union Cross Moravian Church for sharing their supply sources.
Other Resources for Consideration
- *NEW*- January 22, 2020: Regathering Congregations 2021 | FaithHealth Wake Forest Baptist Health
- Public Health Update with Public Health Professional (Sept 2020) | BCM & Wake Forest Baptist Hospital
- Safer Physical Re-gathering for your Congregation (July 2020) | Wake Forest Baptist Hospital
- How to Be as Safe as Possible in your House of Worship
- So Your Church is Opening Up . . . The Millennial Pastor (comprehensive PDF to a checklist of health & safety guidelines for churches)
- Religious Americans Agree on Limited In-Person Services, Split on Returning to Worship as Usual
- When Church Reopens, What Will Be Left and Who Will Still Come?
- Five Frequently Asked Questions about Online Church
- Churches Could Be the Deadliest Places in the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Churches Should Not Be the First to Reopen
- 10 Considerations for Reopening Church: Returning to Worship Cannot Mean Returning to Normal
- 6 Priorities Your Church Must Have in Place Before Gathering in Person Again
- 10 Questions to Ask Your Congregation Before You Reopen
- 24 Questions Your Church Should Answer Before People Return
- 4 BIG Questions To Help You Successfully Re-open Your Church
- How to Survey Your Congregation as You Build Your Reopening Plan
- The Risks – Know Them – Avoid Them
- ‘I would do anything for a do-over’: Calgary Church Hopes Others Learn From Their Tragic COVID-19 Experience
- Masks Help Stop the Spread of Coronavirus
- Amid the Coronavirus Crisis, A Regimen for Re-entry
- Wheaton Seminary- Preparing Your Church for the Coronavirus: A Plan (PDF)
- Back to Work Safely
- Barna Clergy Survey about Resuming Physical Worship
- Expert Weighs in on Public Mask Wearing
- Beyond ‘Plandemic’: A Christian Response to Conspiracies
- Memphis Faith Leaders Stand Together (video)
- When Your Church Reopens, Here’s How to Meet Safely: Christianity Today
- Returning to Church: Resources from the Wisconsin Council of Churches (helpful infographic summarizing this information)
- PCUSA Returning to Worship: Theological and Practical Considerations (PDF)
- Essential and Virtual: Updated Guidance for Gathering by the UUA
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA): Considerations for Returning to In-Person Worship (PDF)
- Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church: Embrace the Now, Prepare for the Next!
- Southern New England Conference UCC: Phasing Forward
- Southwest Conference UCC: Suggested Phased Plan for Resuming In-Person Gatherings (PDF)