{"id":11793,"date":"2014-03-31T21:09:30","date_gmt":"2014-04-01T04:09:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sharefaithblog.wpengine.com\/?p=11793"},"modified":"2017-10-18T16:18:32","modified_gmt":"2017-10-18T23:18:32","slug":"6-tips-managing-church-facilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/2014\/03\/6-tips-managing-church-facilities\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Tips for Managing Church Facilities"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Managing a church facility is very similar to managing any other type of building or campus. The only difference being churches often use\u00a0volunteer labor<\/a>\u00a0to help get the job done.\u00a0This approach provides volunteers with opportunities to give back to the ministry and allows the church to maintain its campus with a limited\u00a0church budget<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Churches can be very busy campuses with activities going on almost daily. \u00a0Whether it is Sunday morning services, Wednesday night bible studies or a Saturday afternoon wedding \u2013 there is always something going on.\u00a0This constant use of facilities requires coordination, planning and scheduling to ensure all responsibilities are taken care of.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

6 Tips For Managing Church Facilities<\/strong><\/h2>\n

1. Church Events Calendar<\/h3>\n

Churches are very active places so having a central calendar that lists all events is one of the first steps in good\u00a0facilities management<\/a>. \u00a0It is difficult to schedule a cleaning crew to clean up after an event if the event is not listed on the main calendar.<\/p>\n

There are many electronic calendars available that can help facilitate scheduling of campus space and some can also be uploaded to the\u00a0church website<\/a>\u00a0for viewing by congregants. \u00a0I\u2019m familiar with\u00a0ServiceU<\/a>, but other options are\u00a0My Church Events<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0The Calendar Planner<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Contact the vendor and ask for a demo and determine if it is compatible with your other church software.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2. Cleaning Schedule<\/h3>\n

Congregants like to attend a church that is neat, clean and orderly, so having scheduled cleaning times that coincide with the church
\ncalendar is important.\u00a0For example, after a Saturday afternoon wedding, it is important to have a cleaning crew clean up and prepare the building for Sunday morning services.<\/p>\n

Without a calendar, it would not be possible to schedule and coordinate this function. \u00a0There also needs to be a weekly, monthly or annual schedule for detail cleaning like dusting blinds, cleaning air ducts, cleaning light fixtures, wiping down cabinets, etc. \u00a0Not everything needs to be cleaned daily but having a schedule for routine deep cleaning is\u00a0important\u00a0for keeping a facility fresh!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

3. Maintenance Schedule<\/h3>\n

All buildings need to be maintained on a regular basis and having a maintenance schedule helps to ensure routine maintenance is done consistently.<\/p>\n

Whether it is changing the air filters in the HVAC units, painting high traffic areas or sealing the parking lot, a schedule helps to ensure things get done.\u00a0To do this, take a few people and walk the church campus and make a list of all maintenance projects. \u00a0Put the list in an excel spreadsheet and sort by frequency of maintenance.<\/p>\n

For example, sealing the parking lot may need to be done annually, painting high traffic areas quarterly and changing air filters monthly \u2013 regardless, map out the frequency and then schedule dates for<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

4. Volunteer Work Days<\/h3>\n

A great way to get the congregation involved is to schedule volunteer work days a couple times a year. This is a great way to get skilled people in to help with projects and it helps get a lot of work done very quickly.<\/p>\n

This can be done by making a list of projects that need to be done \u2013 changing light bulbs, cleaning windows, power-washing sidewalks, raking out flowerbeds, etc. and making task lists with needed supplies to get the job done.<\/p>\n

Add a fellowship lunch afterwards and it is a great opportunity for people to get to know each other and get a lot accomplished very quickly.\u00a0Organized and intentional\u00a0event planning<\/a>\u00a0is the key, but if done well, it can be a\u00a0great experience for volunteers\u00a0<\/a>and can help get a lot of projects off the maintenance task list.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

5. Safety Training<\/h3>\n

\"Church<\/a>Whether it is church employees or volunteers helping with maintenance tasks, safety training is important. \u00a0Training on simple things like proper usage of cleaning chemicals, ladders or power-equipment is essential to ensuring a safe event that is free from injuries.<\/p>\n

We often make assumptions that people know how to use equipment or power tools safely and in doing so, we put them at risk of injury by not providing the proper training. \u00a0Identify experts and ask them to help with training to ensure a pleasant, safe experience for employees and volunteers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

6. Landscape Maintenance<\/h3>\n

Most churches have some sort of outdoor landscaping so having a plan to groom the exterior by cutting grass, trimming bushes and cleaning out flower beds is an important part of keeping a campus sculpted and appealing. \u00a0Volunteers may be available to help with a lot of the projects that need to be done on the outside of a building. \u00a0Use the lady\u2019s group to plant flowers in the spring and volunteer workdays to trim bushes and clean out flowerbeds. \u00a0This can provide great volunteer opportunities while keeping the campus looking great.<\/p>\n

Keeping church buildings and campuses neat, orderly and maintained is one way to show\u00a0excellence in the church<\/a>. \u00a0Planning, scheduling and coordinating of routine tasks simplifies the process and gets others involved in helping to maintain the church campus.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What are some creative things you do to maintain your campus?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Managing a church facility is very similar to managing any other type of building or campus. The only difference being churches often use\u00a0volunteer labor\u00a0to help get the job done.\u00a0This approach provides volunteers with opportunities to give back to the ministry and allows the church to maintain its campus with a limited\u00a0church budget. Churches can be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3562,"featured_media":11798,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[4154,4135,4141],"tags":[2009,1915],"class_list":{"0":"post-11793","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-church-resources-church-resources","8":"category-church-leadership","9":"category-church-ministry","10":"tag-church-facilities","11":"tag-church-management"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogrouting.sharefaith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/BlankThree.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n6 Tips for Managing Church Facilities - Sharefaith Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sharefaithblog.wpengine.com\/2014\/03\/6-tips-managing-church-facilities\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"6 Tips for Managing Church Facilities - Sharefaith Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Managing a church facility is very similar to managing any other type of building or campus. The only difference being churches often use\u00a0volunteer labor\u00a0to help get the job done.\u00a0This approach provides volunteers with opportunities to give back to the ministry and allows the church to maintain its campus with a limited\u00a0church budget. 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