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Church Business Continuity
As the Corona Virus continues to spread, and fear along with it, our hope remains in Jesus. The Psalmist reminds: “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalms 139:16 NIV
We can be confident that God has this even in the midst of our inability to fully understand. Having said that, please pay attention to directives by Federal Authorities, as well as local authorities (police, mayor, etc.)
Only you know whether you should gather on a Sunday morning. If you are in fear, stay home. If people with compromised immune systems or other concerns, comprise your congregation, don’t hesitate to protect them. Use wisdom and judgment, with compassion and genuine concern. Above all, please take every precaution, clean thoroughly, avoid touching your face, be wise with coughs, sneezes, etc., and wash hands often! Thanks for your partnership and know that our united prayers are heard by our gracious God!
If it should become necessary to close your church building, what is your capacity for continuing to manage business? Have you prepared plans to address Business Continuity in the event that you must close the office for a period of time? Some recommendations:
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Communicate with your congregation, school families and community.
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Gather with small group leaders and work through your action plans, especially if you are asked to cancel or limit worship, close school or your early childhood center.
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Finally, consider your neighbor and how the Lord might be leading you to reach out with acts of compassion and care.
If you have a plan in place, now is a good time to review it. If not, staff and leadership should begin work to put one together. Consider elements such as ability for staff and others to work from home, banking needs, managing payroll, receiving/forwarding/transferring phone calls to the church, main points of contact, check-in meetings, critical daily operations, alternate mail delivery, informing vendors and others, etc.
You may want to create and keep a list of those who are most vulnerable for respiratory illness. Identify a team of caregivers who will regularly check in with them during in time of heightened awareness.
If it should become necessary to close your school:
Please see the School Resource page for detailed information.
While the immediate health risk is low for the average American, the recent global pandemic declaration could shift the forecast. In that event, one option school leaders could consider is to engage e-learning technology that enables students to stay home and complete work online. The key to a successful e-learning experience is to prepare teachers and students prior to the need to engage in it. Practice with it during the school day, so it will feel more “normal” if the time comes to utilize it. To help with this, Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor are holding a Zoom Event “Zoom Into Online Teaching” on March 16 at 4:30 pm CST. Here is the link to participate.
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