It is over 3 months since we entered
lockdown, embarking on a new way of life, including for our churches. We have been moved and impressed by the
creative ministries of so many who have adapted through these times to
different expressions of Christian community, including worship, pastoral care
and community outreach. Some of our
churches have really struggled, and that is very understandable, others have
perhaps surprised themselves, finding that they are flourishing in new ways. Thank you for anything and everything that
you have been able to do in the service of God – we are truly
grateful to you.
We have travelled along a hard road
through the pandemic, and it is abundantly clear that the journey is not over
yet. If an effective vaccine can be developed,
it will still be many months before this is deployed in a sufficient proportion
of the population, and we must take extraordinary care over our part to prevent
further mass outbreaks. It is possible
that lockdown restrictions will be imposed again, either across the UK, or in
some of the countries and islands where the URC is present, or regionally or
even more locally.
Whilst the UK moved very much as a whole
into lockdown, it is apparent that the governments of the lands in which the
URC gather are making easing restrictions in different rates and at different
times.
If the regulation and guidance where you
live is more permissive in terms of easing restrictions that in other parts
where the URC operates, you should not feel obliged to move towards that more
permissive approach. There may be other
factors which lead the wise church to proceed with easing restrictions with
greater caution.
We have
produced “Emerging into the ‘New Normal’” to help your church community
consider your next steps. We want to
urge continuing caution. There is no
need to rush back into the familiar – the old patterns and habits – and there
is no race to see who will open first.
We hope that this document may help your church to take stock and to
re-focus on what matters most of God and to you (in that order!)
The Synod Moderators
Some relate most closely
to the Minister/Elder in Local Leadership (ELL)
Some questions relate to
the functions of the Elders’ Meeting (which includes your Minister/ELL).
Some
need the involvement of the whole Church Meeting.
Inevitably, in our conciliar governance,
there will be overlap in the consideration and in making decisions. Remember that you are not alone in this. Your Synod Officers are available to help
you.
This document updates and replace “Ready
for the New Normal.” It has been
prepared by the Synod Moderators to reflect the changes about to take place as
coronavirus lockdown restrictions are eased and it becomes possible for places
of worship to re-open. To do this, we
MUST plan our course of action.
Before any church may re-open for
private prayer, public worship and other activities, you MUST:
·
Carry
out a Covid-19 Risk Assessment (the URC have produced an updated template to
help you do this.)
·
Develop
cleaning, hand-washing and hygiene procedures
·
Maintain
appropriate physical distancing measures for the foreseeable future
·
Put
in place measures to manage virus transmission risks especially where 2 metre
distancing cannot be maintained, and where reduced distancing is allowed by
government regulation.
Take steps to show your duty of care to
ministers, elders, employees, volunteers, members, associates and members of
the wider public. We cannot police
everyone’s actions but we can take responsibility for our own. For those that remain at greater risk from
the virus, we will be acting lovingly if we remind them of the need for
continued caution, which may well include them taking personal medical advice
and acting upon it.
Just because we may soon open for
“business”, it does not mean that we should.
Consider everyone’s needs and open when it is right for your church.
The 1980s US police
drama “Hill Street Blues” started with the duty sergeant briefing officers
before they commenced their patrol, and he ended his briefing with these words:
“Let’s be careful out there!”
We know something now of the impact that
Coronavirus has had on our churches, that is the people who are our
churches. We know too that some have
been able to weather the storm better than others. Some congregations have been hit hard by the
loss of loved ones.
We have a significant proportion in our
fellowships who will need to exercise significant care against the virus for a
long time to come, because the risks they face if they were to become infected
are greater than for others who might catch the disease. Be careful to think about how our actions
might have a significant impact on those who are more vulnerable.
Almost all of our churches are anxious
about how they will continue to pay the bills, after many months of reduced
income from letting income and in many cases members’ giving.
Where key members of our fellowships
have died or will be unable to pick up the same level of involvement, we know
that a number of churches that were already feeling that they were at the edge
may find that they will have to face the reality of closing.
It is important that we acknowledge all
of these challenges and threats, and deal with them honestly. Many of these situations will bring us into
hard conversations that we would each rather avoid. Because the world has changed, we cannot
avoid them, and it is going to be healthier for everyone concerned to face up to
this. Do ask for help!
Your Synod officers may well be able to
help you with understanding your next steps and in thinking strategically about
where you are heading.
“Ready for the New Normal” encouraged
churches to ponder on and discuss some key questions. Some of those are repeated here, some are
replaced or updated, and some material is new to this document.
Approach the questions prayerfully and
in hope. Even those churches that are
finding their days of witness and service are drawing towards a close will
benefit from careful reflection.
Remember that God’s Church is not closing – God’s work continues even if
we are not called to serve in a different way.
Despite the pain caused by this global
crisis, and sometimes because of it, there have been good things that have
already emerged. The Church has
connected with new people and with people who had drifted away from church
involvement. We have learnt about
personal and corporate resilience. In
most places we have discovered how we can better share in the ministry of pastoral
care. We have seen how people have
responded with wonderful expressions of care for and service of others. There is much to be glad about in this new
landscape, as well as being honest about the challenges that lie ahead.
Spend time thinking and talking about
how you would answer these questions:
• What has been
good or valuable about lockdown that we would like to continue and develop in
the coming months?
• What has caused us
to think, ‘I wonder if we could try this…?’
• What have we
learned about ourselves, about our congregation, and about the world that must
shape what we do now?
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As
the lockdown phase eases to an end, we know that for some time yet social
distancing (or ‘physical distancing’ – we need our social contact) will
remain in place, even if the details also ease. We understand better the hygiene measures
that are required to make our buildings and our people as safe as we can
be. Before you resume
activities, you must have completed a written Risk Assessment and put in
place appropriate measures to reduce risks.
A template has been provided to help Elders’ Meetings with this, but
you must work carefully through the template to identify which risks are
applicable in your particular context, and whether your situation means there
are other risks to be assessed and addressed.
Elders should minute their acceptance of the completed Risk Assessment
which shows the risks they have assessed and the steps they have taken to
mitigate and minimise those risks, and if their Synod Office asks for a copy
of the completed document to be sent to them, they must comply with that
request. Pay careful attention to
advice and instruction from Government, the denomination, and insurance
companies. Do not act against their
advice/regulation as this puts the Elders’ Meeting (or equivalent) in
significant jeopardy over liability. Nothing
in this paper can be taken to supersede official advice and policy, although
in assessing locally applicable risks, the Elders may choose to operate to a
higher standard than regulations require.
If your
church is in a Local Ecumenical Partnership, the ultimate decision on when to
re-open ought to lie with the denomination who are the Trustees of the
building, but we would expect the views of each partner to be honoured as far
as possible – it would be unhelpful to move faster than each partner
denomination is ready to move.
Nevertheless, it will be for each Elders’ Meeting (rather than
denominational officers) to decide when the local church may open their
buildings, subject to complying with government requirements. Where churches are in a group or share
ministry with others, it is likely that different congregations will be ready
to open at different times. There can
be no suggestion that, “because another church served by our minister is
re-opening, then so must (or may) we,” or “She has started doing services for
them so she can start them for us too.”
The risks and mitigations associated with each local church must be
assessed separately.
For some of
our number, any decision to delay re-opening will cause additional distress
and may have an adverse effect on their mental health. This will make them more vulnerable in
safeguarding terms, and Elders and others need to understand how to support
people in this position. It will help
to consult as widely as possible with your church community about a timetable
for re-opening safely so that you can understand the felt needs of everyone
and make an informed choice. Be
careful, though, not simply to listen to the loudest voices, whether they are
urging restraint or pushing for the earliest possible re-opening. Weigh the full range of opinion as you
evaluate risk and support. Pay
particular attention to the pastoral care of those who might be fearful or
unable to resume face-to-face gatherings, or who feel they are getting “left
behind” if the church starts to meet again without them.
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Since “New Normal” was
published, greater clarity has emerged about those who should be “shielded,”
and those who needed to be especially careful because they are at increased
risk from Coronavirus. Shielding
requirements will be eased for everyone in the coming weeks, but increases in
the infection rate (the “R-number” that has been widely reported) might mean
that the “Extremely Clinically Vulnerable” and the “Clinically Vulnerable”
groups need additional protection to be reinstated.
Be sure that you
understand the difference between the two groups. The “Extremely Clinically vulnerable” are
those with more serious health conditions, and should have had letters telling
them that their medical conditions meant that they should be shielded by
others. The “Clinically Vulnerable”
are those aged over 70 (who may be fit and well) and those with a number of
chronic health conditions which mean that they would typically by encouraged
to get an annual ‘flu jab. The NHS and
government web sites spell this out in greater detail, and this should be
your source for the most up-to-date advice about who can do what, with whom
and under what circumstances and restrictions. Both groups need to continue to exercise
caution about how they interact with others.
They must take responsibility for doing all that they can do
reasonably to keep themselves safe from Covid-19, but as church families we
also bear a responsibility to do our part in keeping them safe. How will your church ensure that any
shielding or other protective measures in place can be respected, so that
your more clinically vulnerable people are not unnecessarily exposed to the
risk of infection?
How and when will
you give notice to your wider community as well as your regular fellowship
that things are starting up at your church premises/usual meeting place? Are there those for whom current advice
means they should not be mixing in large groups? Do not encourage those to whom this
applies to return to church services and activities during this phase. The risk to those in your congregation
might well mean that you should not resume public worship for many months. This may also be true if your regular
worship leaders are at increased risk from catching the virus. Some local churches are opting not to
resume until everyone can safely resume – might this apply to you? Could delaying the resumption by even another
month mean that the risk of infection is measurably lower for everyone?
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What
additional/alternative worship provision can you make for those unable to
return to public worship immediately? What
about those with whom your church has had contact during lockdown whose
illness, disability, or other vulnerability means that they simply cannot get
to a physically-gathered church service or event? What about those who have been exploring
questions of faith, or who have been hurt by previous involvement in church
and don’t yet feel comfortable to join a physical gathering at church? Can you safely produce and distribute
service/notice sheets, sermon transcripts, or worship recordings to those
still at home? (Some research has
shown that Covid-19 can remain active on metal and plastic surfaces for up to
three days and on paper/cardboard for 24 hours.) Can you continue or start to provide
live-streamed worship from the church premises, and can your stay-at-home
members access it if you do?
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This question
might actually be framed as, ‘To what are we considering inviting people to
return?’
Some churches
may be keen to return to their former patterns of worship, although
regulations will prevent communal singing in most places initially. We have heard of other churches who are
looking at a phased path to resuming worship, which may include some variety:
·
Worship
of a traditional style (albeit without hymns being sung) – depending on the
capacity of the worship space, this may require for a period the same service
to be run twice (or more) to accommodate worshippers safely, but be aware of
the importance of cleaning between successive groups in order to minimise the
risk of virus transmission;
·
Worship
of a shorter duration – as the risk of infection increases with the length of
contact between people, consider whether you should offer shorter services;
·
For
those churches which offered worship online, you may wish to factor in
continuity of digital services, being particularly mindful of those who
cannot safely re-join physically-gathered services and those who chose to
access digital offerings but may not be ready to join a physical
congregation;
·
For
those with children and young people and who may struggle to provide a
separate children’s or youth programme, offer an all-age service as their new
standard format.
One church is
exploring the likelihood that the pre-recorded and streamed service will
remain the main act of worship, and those that wish to and are able to, will
be able to gather in the church building when they re-open and share in that
online service as a group.
Another church
has been able to provide low-cost computer tablets to a number of people who
do not have computers and broadband connection at home so that they can
access live-stream worship – is this something that might help your
fellowship?
It may be
that the best thing that your fellowship can do is NOT to resume gathered
worship yet, but to stay in touch with each other by telephone and letter,
and remind members where broadcast services are available. Can you encourage all members of the
fellowship to all tune into a particular service at the same time,
remembering in prayer the others that they might normally worship alongside?
Take time and
care to consider the worship pattern that may help all those who are part of
your existing community, and those who have joined through these lockdown
days, to worship God and know spiritual nurture. In developing any new worship pattern, make
sure that it doesn’t become a burden for a minister or a few worship leaders,
but is reasonable and sustainable for some period.
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Be aware that
some of our Ministers, Elders and other office-holders will feel some
pressure to resume their duties before medical advice permits or recommends,
or before they feel safe to do this. Shield
them from that pressure as well as coronavirus. Do not allow that pressure to be exerted
upon anyone, even if it means that there won’t be an organist or preacher
available on particular Sundays. To do
otherwise is abusive. You will need to
alter plans to allow for key people not being available for an extended
period. Different people have
experienced the pandemic in different ways and some will have been made more
vulnerable that others because of stress and circumstance. The URC have published a very helpful
leaflet, “Covid-19 and Safeguarding” to help you understand the
safeguarding implications for those whose vulnerability has been increased by
the pandemic and who are now adults or children at risk.
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We have become used to
the distancing measures requiring us to remain at least 2m apart from others
not in our own household. These
requirements are starting to change, although the recommendation remains that
people should keep a physical distance from others to reduce the risk of
virus transmission. If the 2m rule
still applies, what is the new capacity of your worship area? If and when that requirement is reduced,
will you provide a safer space by retaining the rule? Just because it may be permissible to
reduce distancing to 1m, does not mean it is wise. If people are going to be relatively close
to each other for sustained period of time, then retaining a greater distance
is likely to be safer. It is perfectly
acceptable for a church, as they make their assessment of risk, to decide to act
more cautiously than government minimum requirements. How will you communicate and enforce the
capacity limits and distancing requirements?
How will you respond when visitors/potential new worshippers arrive
without notice that takes you over your calculated capacity – are there
people who are briefed on how to respond?
Should you make distancing marks on floors and forecourts for those
arriving, and avoid congestion in entrance foyers? How will you close off pews/remove chairs
to keep distancing in place? If you
have chairs that are moveable, where will you safely stack/store excess
chairs so that they don’t create a hazard?
Do narrow aisle and doorways mean you should implement a one-way
system through the building? Prepare
clear signage for your building that will be easy for everyone to read and
understand quickly.
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Many churches will
have had members die during the lockdown phase – from Coronavirus or from other
causes. Many members will have had
family members or close friends die in this period. Some will have had funerals take place that
were far from normal, or will have been prevented from attending the funeral. Others will still be waiting for
arrangements to be made. How will you
corporately acknowledge and remember the dead, lamenting their loss? How will you acknowledge that the Body has
been damaged by these deaths and, where appropriate, help others to pick up
responsibilities and positions left open by these deaths? Will it be appropriate to have a joint
memorial service for loved ones, or to hold a series of these services for
each bereaved family? When will you be
able to do this safely? Be aware that
some will have become vulnerable during the weeks of lockdown, for reason of
poorer mental health, finance, strained relationships or abuse. Some will be deeply disturbed by the
unfamiliar arrangements in much loved churches. Some will be anxious about the future of
their fellowship, or feel guilt over the church closing “on their
watch.” Some will have been deeply
disturbed by the lack of physical and emotional contact through the months of
lockdown. Some others will be worried
by the prospect of a possible second wave and having to go through all of
this again. Ensure that key people are
alert to the signs of distress, abuse and neglect and know how to respond
appropriately to any safeguarding issues that are presented. Be cautious about expressing thanksgiving
that we can return to our buildings, when some will be acutely aware of loss
and want to mourn those who cannot be there.
Be aware that
relationships will have been altered and broken, whether by bereavement,
enduring separation, or even disagreement on the way to proceed. Give attention to this and seek healing for
all who are hurting, and reconciliation wherever that is possible. Be conscious that different people will
need different approaches and take different amounts of time to begin to move
on from the trauma they have experienced.
The Revd Carla
A. Grosch-Miller and her colleagues in the Tragedy and Christian
Congregations project have researched and written about congregational
trauma. Their web site at https://tragedyandcongregations.org.uk/ offers a wealth of theological and
practical resource and is well worth accessing.
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This section is
primarily for individuals concerned with managing church buildings, but the
whole Elders’ Meeting will need to be aware of the contents and help with
planning appropriate action.
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Take a walk
around the building and make sure that it all still looks secure. If there is evidence of a break-in,
exercise caution and consider whether the police should be called. In any case, notify your insurance company
and Trust Officer.
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Once you are
happy to go back into the buildings, walk through each room in turn looking
for any hazards. This should be a part
of your regular monitoring of the building anyway, but this is an ideal time
to take stock. Record anything of
concern and what steps you take to mitigate or remove the risk. Is everything in good order? Is there unnecessary clutter which might
prove an obstacle during emergency evacuation or present a fire hazard? Do the electrics look to be in good order
(no broken plug sockets/switches, etc.)?
Are the doors and windows sound?
Is there evidence of a failing roof/water ingress? Is any emergency lighting working properly?
What do you need to do next to resolve any issues found? A detailed Risk Assessment template
and worked example of how you might compete the template are available on the
Coronavirus Advice page of the URC web site.
Resources such as floor tape, banners, and badges to remind people
about distancing are available at www.urcshop.co.uk/coronavirus and some free posters, “please do not sit here” seat cards, etc.
are available to download at https://urc.org.uk/coronavirus-resources.
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If your water
supply has not been drained down during the lockdown, you will need to make
sure that every tap is run for a minimum of 20 minutes. Instant hot water systems need to be set to
60oC to kill off the legionella bacterium. Fuller advice is available from your Synod
office.
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If nobody has
been accessing your building for some weeks then the virus will not have
survived on any hard surfaces. Even if
it has only been visited for security or a single person livestreaming
worship, clean every surface that might have been touched within the last
week. Remember pews/chairs, tables,
microphones, pulpit/lectern, door handles, etc. This is also an ideal time to clean
children’s toys, books, and shelves that they can reach – regardless of any
worries about coronavirus we have a responsibility to maintain a safe and
healthy environment. Don’t assume your
usual anti-bacterial cleaners will be effective unless they have also been
tested on viruses to an appropriate British Standard. Soap and water are still the best defence
against the fatty layer around the virus.
Where applicable refer to specialist advice on cleaning historic
surfaces in listed buildings. Cleaning
as you go/immediately after use is far more effective than a weekly (or less
often) deep clean.
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Each of the
governments and devolved administrations are moving to the point where places
of worship can resume public worship.
Distancing measures are expected to be required for many months beyond
the end of the lockdown period, and you must ensure that you comply with the
regulation and guidance in place from time-to-time. Do you need to think about moving chairs
further apart so that only household groups sit together, or closing off some
pews to enforce distancing? Don’t
stack surplus chairs in an unsafe manner, or in places that will cause
evacuation obstacles. Be ready for the
“that’s my seat” protests, but don’t accept them! We have a responsibility to our members and
wider society to continue to do our part in minimising virus spread, and that
will mean ongoing inconvenience for us all.
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Consider who will be
available to take part and lead worship, and who will be available to form
the congregation. Is resuming
physically-gathered public worship safe and viable yet? Do not be afraid to say, “this is not yet
the right time to resume.” Leadership
means taking the right decisions, even when they are difficult. If it is safe and practical
to resume public worship in the church building ensure that practical
arrangements for social distancing are in place. Is your risk assessment in a form that can
be shared with visiting worship leaders so that they can make a judgement
about whether it is safe for them to lead your worship? Consider your order
of service – both the content and duration of the service. There is some scientific evidence that the
deeper breathing associated with singing can project water droplets, and thus
coronavirus, far beyond the 2m required for social distancing. It is possible therefore that communal hymn
singing will still be restricted long after churches may resume their
meetings for worship. Do not act
against official guidance and restrictions.
Have you got the means to play music as an aid to reflection (rather
than singing)? Will you offer purely a
service of Word and prayer? Will it be
“Quaker-style,” meeting largely in silence?
For some, not being able to sing hymns will be as or even more
unsettling as not meeting at all for worship – be aware of this dynamic, and
also the change in “feel” that sitting so far apart will create. Would your church, in fact, be better
continuing to use alternative means of worshipping for a longer period –
distributed printed material, online worship or the services broadcast on
television and radio?
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For the foreseeable
future, assume that a friendly handshake (and much less a hug and/or kiss!)
is NOT appropriate as you welcome people to worship and other
activities. Make sure your
welcomers/stewards know this and follow good practice. How will you handle the tendency for people
to gather in foyers/at the back of church for a chat with friends they
haven’t seen for a while – will this break distancing guidelines and cause
congestion that makes it difficult for more people to enter the building? What do you need to do with signage and
explanation to ensure people will move quickly to seats and maintain
appropriate distancing throughout their time in the building?
What
provision will you make for either liquid soap and running water (with paper
towels) or hand sanitiser with at least 60% alcohol, and how will you ensure
that everyone arriving for worship cleans their hands? In England the “1 metre plus” rule is being
introduced, whereby people are still advised to maintain a distance of 2m
where possible, but where that is not possible people may reduce distancing
to no less than 1m if appropriate mitigation is in place. That mitigation may include wearing face
coverings – check for local and current guidance. If that guidance allows reduced distances,
what are the appropriate mitigation measures for your context – should
greeters all wear face coverings and should you require worshippers to do the
same? Who is responsible for providing
coverings – should you have a stock of disposable face masks for those who
don’t arrive with something suitable?
How will you communicate the need and provision? The UK Government advice remains that 2m
distancing is still greatly preferred, even when regulations are
relaxed. Different jurisdictions may
provide different requirements.
Familiarise
yourselves with current advice on recording names and contact details for
those entering the building to allow contacts to be tracked and traced. Different jurisdictions are putting
forwards different expectations. If
personal contacts details are collected, understand that religious
affiliation is special category data.
You must have a lawful basis for collecting that information. You must not retain this data longer than
is necessary, and 3-4 weeks is likely to be sufficient, and it must be held
securely throughout that period and only disclosed to the relevant
authorities. It must be destroyed at
the end of the retention period.
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What will be
your new routine for the end of worship?
The preacher should not, for the foreseeable future, shake hands at
the door with those leaving, yet surely some important pastoral contact takes
place then. The preacher might
consider wearing a face covering, but that does not protect them if anyone
else comes too close who has the virus.
How will you handle tea and coffee after worship? Should it be resumed immediately? Think about physical distancing and the
hygiene of cups, spoons, biscuits, etc.
Handing someone a cup risks transferring viruses (remember you can be
infected or carry coronavirus without necessarily showing symptoms). Similarly, collecting cups after use and
washing them – can you issue gloves (disposable or “marigolds”) for washing
up? Don’t put biscuits on a plate for
a succession of fingers to touch, and definitely don’t put them back into a
tin for next week! Think about how you
will wipe down tables and serving surfaces after use.
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At the time
of publication, regulation in England means that corporate singing in worship
is not yet allowed. Regulation for
other jurisdictions will vary.
Although there is a mix of evidence and scientific opinion, the
balance comes down on the side of corporate singing putting people at
increased risk, so even when regulations are relaxed, churches are asked to
exercise caution and pay close attention to updated guidance. Whilst congregational singing is not
allowed, there is the possibility of a soloist singing, although the singer
should be well away from the congregation and ideally behind a plastic screen
and/or facing away from the congregation to minimise the spread of
aerosolised virus particles. Detailed
regulation concerning soloists was not available at the time of writing, so
check the current position within your jurisdiction.
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The purpose
of face coverings is primarily to reduce the risk of the wearer passing on
infection, rather than to protect the wearer, although there is some degree
of protection afforded to the wearer as well.
There is a danger that people will wear a face covering and forget
other good practice – maintaining hand hygiene, touching their face, ignoring
distancing guidance, etc. Face
coverings can also be a significant barrier to anyone who relies on lip
reading or seeing facial expression, and can make understanding very
difficult for those with hearing loss and those with dementia. Where worn, face coverings should be
replaced or thoroughly washed regularly.
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For Communion, think about how the elements will be
distributed to prevent cross-contamination, and how the elements will be
served maintaining a suitable distance between the person serving and the
person receiving. Will you be able to
safely resume Communion services, and if not, how will you help people to
deal with that emotionally and spiritually?
Assume that the Common Cup is not appropriate; neither is passing a
plate and tray of glasses from hand to hand with everyone serving themselves
or their neighbour. Ensure that the
President and serving Elders wash/sanitise their hands before distribution. Ensure that the vessels and cloths are
properly cleaned with soap and water after use. For churches that practice communicants
coming forwards to receive the elements, how will you remind them to practice
social distancing as they are waiting in line and as they are served?
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For Baptism (infant or believers), the risk of
virus spreading is currently too high for the same water to be used for
successive candidates. Think about how
you will keep the baptismal candidate and those not in their immediate
household at an appropriate distance from you and from each other. This may well mean delaying baptism, and,
particularly for infants, offering an alternative rite such as a thanksgiving
or dedication service with the possibility of baptism to follow at a later
date if desired.
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Because of the risk of
virus transmission, passing the plate along rows cannot be your practice for
the foreseeable future. Encourage bank
standing orders/transfers. Consider a
basket at the back of church for people to leave their gifts as they enter
(but be mindful of security.) Consider
investing in a contactless machine for giving by card. Anyone handling cash should wear gloves for
counting and banking. Remember to
include those gifts offered through bank transfers in the prayer of
dedication. See the guidance leaflet “Online
and Contactless Giving at Local Churches” from URC Communications for
greater detail.
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For churches blessed
with children amongst their number, don’t assume that your leaders/workers
will be ready to resume their previous activities. How will you protect both child and adult
from transmitting the virus? Is the
room large enough to allow appropriate distancing? Are the children of an age where they won’t
need to be in close contact with leaders?
Would it be better to offer good quality all-age/intergenerational
worship instead of “sending children out”?
Are your current worship leaders equipped to lead all-age worship
(which is NOT the same as children’s worship)? What additional training, support and
resources are needed to offer quality worship that is genuinely accessible
and meaningful to all? Do other people
need to join or replace those who would normally lead your worship? Be aware that younger children particularly
are less likely to understand things such as hand hygiene, the important of
not sharing food and drink, or maintaining appropriate physical
distancing. Parents/carers must take
responsibility for supervision of their children.
|
|
|
The current
position in England, Scotland and Wales is that the number of people allowed
to gather outside is significantly restricted and so only the smallest of
congregations could lawfully gather outside.
When that position is altered by further relaxation of regulations,
churches are still strongly advised to maintain appropriate distancing, hand
hygiene and cough/sneeze etiquette.
Hymnbooks and Bibles should not be shared, although single-use service
sheets may be produced, or projection could be used if electrical safety can
be maintained. The same regulations on
singing will apply as to worship conducted inside a building. Be aware additionally that anyone
leading/contributing to worship who needs to raise their voice to project
their voice so as to be heard by everyone will be exposing everyone to the
same risks as with singing – public address/sound reinforcement equipment
must be used if the congregation will not be able to hear at a normal
speaking level. Be mindful that
children and young people are generally very positive about outdoor
activities – outdoor prayer stations and prayer labyrinths could be used to
good effect, as well as outdoor games, nature art projects, etc.
|
|
|
|
|
Follow all of the same
advice as for public worship regarding greeting, social activities, cleaning,
etc. Consider if the rooms you
normally use for midweek meetings (prayer, Bible study, fellowship groups,
children’s’ activities, cafes, lunch clubs, etc.) are of sufficient size to
accommodate group sizes – might you need to move to a different room, limit
numbers, or split into more than one group?
How will you communicate this?
Do you need to safely recruit new group leaders (remembering your
safeguarding policy)? How soon can you
restart groups that include people vulnerable by age and health
condition? If you are increasing the
number of groups, do you need additional support with cleaning,
caretaking/furniture arrangement?
|
|
|
|
|
How will you agree
with hosted congregations their responsibilities to maintain appropriate good
practice on distancing, cleaning routines, etc.? Will times of their services need to be
altered to allow for cleaning between worship services/other lettings? Whilst we will want to offer good
hospitality, this is an opportunity to address any areas of tension that
existed with the hosted congregation.
|
|
|
Many of the same
questions as above apply – is the room adequate, can you safely accommodate
the numbers required, are there any additional cleaning and caretaking
requirements? Will it be the church or
the external organisation who is responsible for cleaning facilities they use
(rooms and toilets) before and after sessions – that needs to be agreed in
writing with the organisation. Ask for
their written Risk Assessment to show they understand how to manage
coronavirus-related risks. Ensure
there is clear agreement about how hand hygiene and distancing is to be
managed on arriving at the building and during the period of their use. Church buildings are primarily for the work
of building the Kingdom of God, for delivering Christian mission. External lettings are allowable when the
Church does not need the use of the space for church-related activities. Resumption from lockdown provides an
excellent opportunity for Elders’ meetings (and LEP equivalents) to
re-evaluate priorities. If available
space is at a premium, are there some groups that fit the mission priorities
of the church more closely, and if so, should they be given precedence if
rooms or times need to be adjusted? Is
there an up-to-date written letting agreement in place? What re-structuring of your budget is
necessary to accommodate any reduced income from lettings? Or do you need to increase your letting
fees to help to balance any lost bookings?
If user groups have exclusive use of space in the premises (which
includes exclusive use of any storage space) they should be occupying under a
licence, which needs the involvement of the building trustees and legal
advice (usually this is administered by the Synod Trust company.) Similarly, any variation of licence terms
(space that may be used, rental terms, etc.) should be agreed through the
building trustees, not the Elders’ Meeting.
|
|
|
The Basis of Union
requires the Church Meeting to meet “at least once per quarter” (Basis
2.(1)). However, the charity
regulators (Charity Commission in England and Wales, OSCR in Scotland and
equivalents in the island jurisdictions), and the URC, accept that during the
pandemic members’ meetings like this cannot take place. Follow guidance in place from time-to-time
in deciding when to fix meeting dates.
Mission Council will take place instead of General Assembly this year
and will be considering alternate Standing Orders to allow the councils of
the church to meet online (including the use of telephone conferencing if
video conferencing is not available or practical.) Consider how you will manage social
distancing during a face-to-face meeting.
Consider which of your members is at increased risk from the virus and
whether it is safe for them to attend meetings, and use that to inform your
decision as to whether or not it is safe to resume. Meeting online may empower some to “attend”
the meeting but disenfranchise others – how will you weigh between those
groups? Whilst face-to-face Church
Meetings are unable to take place, postpone non-urgent and controversial
business, and make use of Elders’ meetings to deal with urgent business,
making a careful minute of why the Elders are considering matters that would
normally be referred to Church Meeting.
|
|
|
Remember the Plan for
Partnership requires that payment into the Ministry & Mission Fund is,
“the first charge on local church’s income” – it has a higher priority than
any other expense a church will incur.
(In the case of LEPs, we expect that your contribution to other
denominational costs would be treated equally with M&M contributions –
that is, equally, but without one denomination or another taking a higher
priority: that is what it means to be in partnership.) Some of your members will be in
considerably reduced financial circumstances and may not be able to resume
giving at their previous level. Communicate
the financial need to all members without putting any pressure on anyone, or
making anyone feel guilty. Look at
your budget – are there areas of expenditure that can be reduced or delayed
without causing bigger problems further down the line? Speak to Synod officers for advice – don’t
get into the position where choices are taken away because advice is not
sought soon enough.
|
We have missed being able
to meet together for worship, fellowship and service. Undoubtedly, a number of our members will
have missed meeting together in the church building. But we have survived outside the building,
albeit because we had to and at the expense of suspending a number of
activities. Yet before we fall back into
routine and habit, take some time to explore whether you still need a church
building – or at least a building of the size or in the location that you
currently have one. Would there be a
freedom from letting go of the current buildings and meeting in community space
(or even, for smaller churches, in somebody’s home)? Would being freed of the expense and
complication of managing a building give new energy to engage in mission in the
community? Would it just make the church
a happier place? Would it mean that you
could re-locate to somewhere that would make it easier to reach the people you
want to reach? Is this the moment to ask
the questions that seemed impossible before lockdown? This is a big decision that must not be
rushed, but it might just be the right time to start a conversation on the
subject amongst the Elders before bringing the Church Meeting into the
conversation.
Worship services will not look “normal” from
the first Sunday after the lockdown phase ends.
Prepare for the fact that a significant number of your congregation will
still be vulnerable to serious illness if they become infected, and so may not
be willing to, or should not, resume physical attendance. A number of people that would normally be
present and taking an active role may not be there. In response we can encourage, or press,
others to take on those “jobs,” or we can seek to be more creative.
Most significantly
for our Reformed expectations of worship, corporate singing will not be
permitted in most jurisdictions. How
will that affect the “diet” of worship that will be offered? What will you do in place of singing? Will it simply feel wrong to gather for
worship without singing, and so you decide to delay the resumption of
physically-gathered worship?
We know that
even before coronavirus, numbers attending worship were steadily falling in
almost all of our churches. We don’t
assume that there was anything that you were doing that was putting people off,
but might the opposite be true: if you do things differently, you might start
to attract others who were not previously attending worship? Anecdotally, a number of Ministers have
reported many people joining online worship services that would not or could
not attend physically in the past. Might
streaming our worship online be part of the “new normal”? URC Communications has published a series of
guides on using Zoom, social media, livestreaming and licensing which will
benefit those who read them.
We might need
to identify which things we should give up permanently – or at least for
another season – in order to create space, time and energy to do new things, or
to do some of our old things differently.
There is a suggestion that the style of online worship during lockdown, which
is much more about the minister and others talking to camera, is a very different
experience to simply streaming our “standard” services with viewers/participants
at a distance from the “action”. Might
we then need to evolve two styles of service – one that might be recorded and
then streamed (or distributed by other means such as DVDs or USB memory
sticks), as well as the more recognisable worship offering? Many churches, pre-pandemic, had stopped
their evening service – might an online or recorded service come to take its
place? Or should it be vice versa – if
you are getting a larger congregation online, should your morning act of
worship be that, and then physically gather in the afternoon or evening? Remember too that there is nothing that says
our main act of worship must be on a Sunday (though many good reasons why this
should also be retained as a day for worship.)
Why not think about gathering in person for teaching, prayer and fellowship
on Sunday mornings, but have afternoon or evening services streamed which
include singing?
Be aware that
Ministers and worship leaders will be expecting a significant number of
memorial and thanksgiving services post-pandemic, as the restrictions placed on
funerals meant that many were unable to grieve well or fully. They will need a good deal of time for an
extended period to prepare well and lead them.
Do not immediately re-fill diaries with the “same old” – keep plenty of
time available for this vital aspect of ministry.
Many churches
have climbed a steep learning curve on using technology in worship, both from
the “provider’s” point of view and that of the participant. It would seem a shame to lose that newly
gained ground. So how will your church
continue in this rich vein? If we are
now able to record (video or audio-only) our services, how will we share
them? Some are using established hosting
platforms (Church Online, YouTube, Facebook); some have provided some degree of
interaction in online worship, for example through Zoom; some are putting
recordings on their own web site or sharing them as podcasts. Others are sharing audio-recordings on USB
memory sticks (which seems to be the normal distribution method for Talking
Newspapers now). Others still are emailing
transcripts of devotional material, or hand-delivering or posting printed
matter to those who cannot access more technical routes. As they put in the extra effort to do this,
more people are being included in our corporate devotional life – for example, those
who were “shut-ins” but still part of our established fellowships, and those
who are being reached for the first time.
We are two decades into the 21st Century, and surely it is
time for our devotional life to start to catch up, without losing the richness
of our heritage?
How did
the restrictions affect your engagement with the community around us? What was
the story for your buildings and was there a different story for the engagement
of members with neighbours and those in need? What have you learned about the
way you connect with people who didn’t come to your building or activities
before the pandemic? What have you learned about the needs of those around your
buildings or where you live? What can you do differently to express more fully
God’s love in word and action? URC
Communications have published the booklet “New reality, same mission” to
help churches work through connecting with their communities in a new way.
One of the beneficial
aspects of the lockdown was that intentional pastoral care increased almost
everywhere. People were regularly in
touch with others to ask how they were, whether or not they were doing so
“officially” as Elders holding a pastoral care list. The situation we found ourselves thrust into
meant that Ministers and others found they had time as well as the incentive to
prioritise pastoral care. This begs two vital
questions: firstly, how can we stop filling our diaries with the same old
things to leave space for high quality continuing pastoral care? Secondly, how can we maintain momentum so
that pastoral care properly belongs to the whole Body of Christ, not only to
those who occupy certain offices?
There is no
suggestion that we were doing the wrong things pre-pandemic, and certainly not
that anyone was either under-working or shirking responsibility. Rather, as we start to plan for our “new
normal”, the challenge is to identify things that we have recently stopped
doing so that we can engage in pastoral care at (or even above) the lockdown
levels. This might be done through
simply not re-starting some of the tasks that took so much time previously, or
it might be through finding others to share the burden of those activities that
are resuming, and also to share in the ministry of pastoral care.
If (as in many
places) pastoral care previously, “didn’t count unless it was the Minister,” is
there now a greater openness to receiving care from a variety of others? How will you communicate to the church that
pastoral care matters but that it is a whole-Body responsibility? Should this be for the Minister’s pastoral
letter in a monthly magazine, through a more personal letter, through teaching
and preaching in church, or (almost certainly) a mixture of this and other
means? What matters now is how to
re-shape our churches, to re-set expectations, and to live in the way that we
intend to live, all in a sustainable manner.
What we don’t need (with very few exceptions) is Ministers working harder:
most do too much and more than they ought.
We need a balance in our ministries that will last beyond a few weeks or
months of post-pandemic recovery.
Another positive outcome
of the lockdown was the improvements in our environment as traffic reduced
dramatically. With hindsight, will we
see this just as a blip – an interruption to business as normal that we are
longing to get past? Or might we find
ways to tread more lightly on God’s earth?
Zoom and other video-conferencing platforms surely cannot replace
face-to-face meetings forever. The
non-verbal clues are often missing and the free-flow exchange of ideas is more
difficult in online encounters. As so
many have learned how to meet online, though, we should be looking for
opportunities to avoid the greenhouse gas emissions and congestion of physical
travel, as well as the costliness in time.
In terms of good governance, if we want to use video conferencing in the
councils of our church then we must ensure that all participants can see and
hear each other. The challenge of
holding a Church Meeting by Zoom, for example, is therefore immediately
obvious. But it may be possible to use
technology to facilitate Elders’ meetings in some places, or committee and task
groups. If a number of people are able
to physically gather and some participants join the meeting, we can still make
a measurable difference to our collective carbon footprint.
Alongside
returning to physical meetings, there will be some conversations that can
properly and helpfully take place through other means – phone calls and email,
for instance, rather than returning to crowded agenda for our meetings. We need to be clear about how we will take
decisions well and about agreeing schemes of delegated authority – and record
what we agree – but much business that doesn’t require decision-making can
easily move to a different forum for discussion, reporting progress back to the
councils of the church as necessary.
Many churches rely
heavily on lettings income to balance their budget (or at least reduce their
annual deficit!) Buildings held under
the United Reformed Church Acts may use spare capacity in their buildings to
let to outside organisations and individuals.
However, we must remember that however community-focussed your church
is, we do not keep church buildings simply to provide space for external
organisations, even if we have come to rely on lettings income. Our buildings are places for the Church to
gather for worship and discipleship and as tools for mission. It is NOT Christian mission to let space to a
slimming club or animal charity jumble sale with no interaction other than
collecting the “rent”; it MAY be mission if there is some value added by the
church through Christian hospitality (thus showing love in action other than
through being “landlord”), through befriending group leaders and members, or
genuinely being in partnership with the letting organisation in serving the
neighbourhood. Where does the balance
lie for your church? Does this
re-set/resumption moment provide an opportunity to do things differently and
intentionally make your lettings about mission?
We know that many user groups have been invited to church events and
ignored or declined the invitation in the past.
We cannot assume that the old order applies any longer. We can find ways to do things
differently. It obviously takes a
regular commitment for a church member to open doors to let tenants in, but it
does provide better security rather than issuing keys to outside bodies, as
well as giving opportunities to strengthen relationships, develop communication
and build community. If that isn’t the
right way forwards for your church, is there something you can do to improve
the welcome that user groups experience, rather than cold rooms and a set of
colder notices about stacking chairs, turning lights off and leaving the room
clean? How will you support and value
the groups coming into your building, rather than simply collecting money from
them? You might even have church members
that would like to join the user groups for exercise, education or friendship –
when was the last time that was discussed in your church meeting or notice
sheet?
Recognising the
financial dependence on letting income, are there user groups that have been
problematic and for whom this provides an opportunity to end or re-negotiate
their use? Have you got an up-to-date
written agreement, with clear terms and conditions of use for every user group? Do not simply re-admit all previous users
into the building without checking with the Synod Office for an appropriate
standardised form of agreement that give the local church and the trustees of
the building an appropriate level of protection. Are there issues of physical security and
safeguarding that need to be reviewed and updated? Do the user groups carry their own public
liability as they should? Do they
operate their own health and safety and safeguarding policies, or are they
aware of, and compliant with, the church’s policies? Our new normal must be built around doing
things well. That does not mean that we
submerge ourselves in an avalanche of bureaucracy. It does mean that we do all
things to the glory of God, and that means cutting corners must not be part of
our new way of working.
We would be most unwise to look to get
back to “how we always do things.” This
is, we pray, a once-in-a-lifetime chance to do things better. Some things, like meeting together, we will
be glad to do after the Covid-19 lockdown is lifted, but let us be wise as to
when and how and for what purposes we start to meet together again.
There are some things that we should be
glad that we don’t have to start again, or at least start them again the way that
we used to do things – things that, “we’ve always done this way,” when nobody
really remembers or understands why. The
particular areas for which this applies will depend on your local context and
according to your local means.
Getting
on with this conversation and discernment should be a priority.
If you rush back to the, “old ways,” you could miss the single opportunity
to find a new way of doing things.
For other matters, more careful
reflection and careful planning will be needed, but this is the right time to
start the conversation, rather than continuing as you were without evaluating
previous assumptions.
Your Synod officers will be glad to be
involved in these discussions with you, and if it would help to seek external
facilitators to help the discussion move forwards.
We can have a new vision of what we want
our churches to be like – what they might become rather than what they have
been. There are so many things that we
have been doing that were and are the right things, and we don’t need to throw
them away. But nothing should
unthinkingly be carried forwards.
The
world has changed. It cannot go back to
how it was,
and in many, many ways, neither should it seek so to do.
The Synod Moderators, 26 June 2020.
As a community
of Christian disciples, we are concerned about the safety of all those who
contribute and take part in our shared life. Some are employed or paid stipends
as office holders, many are volunteers, more are participants. We are expected
to have particular responsibilities towards those we pay, but others may also
value guidance about the choices involved in returning to activities in church
buildings.
We are familiar with risks that have
been around for a while, but COVID-19 is a new risk and we are still learning
about who may be affected most. Already we know that certain groups of people
are at greater risk than others. The Government has categorised some people
into groups:
·
the
clinically extremely vulnerable. The guidance for people who fall into
this group may be different in Wales and Scotland and other jurisdictions, but the
serious consequences of catching COVID-19 are the same. We assume they will
still be cautious about gathering indoors with people from a number of
households.
·
the
clinically vulnerable, which includes all people over 70 and
those with underlying health conditions.
Other groups
have also been identified as more evidence about the effects of the virus is gathered.
We may not know which individuals will catch COVID-19, but we can use some of
the information about the risk of complications to help with the conversations
people will have about returning to gatherings.
At the time of writing it is not clear whether surviving the virus gives
immunity or for how long such immunity might last.
As well as
trying to assess the risks of catching the virus and the appropriate action to
take, we recognise that our attitude to risk varies: the risk that one person
may be willing to take is too much for another. Living with someone who is at
higher risk, affects the risks other household members are willing to take.
When we are talking about gathering together, we need to be sensitive to these
variations. When we are coping with new risks we may also be more sensitised to
them in comparison to risks that we have coped with for many years. However,
government policy is related to the general risk for the population which goes
down as the number of the people with the virus goes down, whilst the potential
impact of catching the virus for a vulnerable individual remains the same until
there are additional treatments and a vaccine.
When the
lockdown restrictions were imposed, ministers were designated as key workers
because of the fears of COVID-19 resulting in many more funerals. Some churches
have also helped with essential food distribution or other essential services
and ministers and volunteers have been involved in this work. The URC so far
has echoed Government advice that ministers should work from home where
possible. As restrictions change, it is time for ministers, volunteers and
participants to consider their risks.
Catching the
virus depends on the amount of virus you are exposed and for how long, and the
risk of that happening during any activity depends on the circumstances. There
is evidence about which groups are at risk of more serious consequences if they
do have COVID-19 disease.
The assessment
‘tool’ below helps you to see how different risk factors may combine to give
serious health complications should you catch the COVID-19 virus. It does not
include the factors that may make you clinically extremely vulnerable, where
you should be following the guidance for those who are ‘shielding’. It includes
the factors where there is significant statistical evidence but does not
include any rarer conditions which you may have, so this only offers a starting
point. You may want to discuss the results with your doctor or with those who
have expectations about your involvement with church life.
This should be
read alongside the URC’s “Emerging into the ‘New Normal’” which includes
guidance about minimising risks in the church context, and other government or
local advice about staying safe. We are not claiming medical expertise in
sharing this way of scoring your risk but giving a way to show how serious
catching the virus may be for you.
Circle the
score next to each one that applies to you and add up your score.
|
Risk Factor
|
Score
|
|
Age
|
50-59
|
1
|
|
60-69
|
2
|
|
70-79
|
4
|
|
80 and over
|
6
|
|
Sex at birth
|
Male
|
1
|
|
Ethnicity
|
Caucasian
Black African Descent
Indian Asian Descent
Filipino Descent
Other (including mixed race) Descent
|
0
2
1
1
1
|
|
Diabetes & Obesity
|
Type 1 & 2
Diabetes Type 1 & 2 with presence of
microvascular complications or HbA1c≥64mmol/mol
Body Mass Index greater than or equal to 35
kg/m2
|
1
2
1
|
|
Cardiovascular disease
|
Angina, previous heart attack, stroke or
cardiac intervention
Heart Failure
|
1
2
|
|
Pulmonary (lung) disease
|
Asthma
Non-asthma chronic pulmonary disease
Either of the above requiring oral
corticosteroids in the last year
|
1
2
1
|
|
Malignant neoplasm (cancer)
|
Active malignancy
Malignancy in remission
|
3
1
|
|
Rheumatological conditions
|
Active treated conditions
|
2
|
|
Immuno-suppressant therapies
|
Any indication
|
2
|
|
Total
Score
|
|
A
score of under 3 indicates a lower risk, but you should still be
following the guidance for staying safe.
A
score of 3-5 suggests a greater risk and you should consider ways of
reducing your risk by taking additional precautions or avoiding some activities
A
score of 6 or more suggests a high risk and indicates that you should
continue to work or participate in church life from your home.
The scoring is based on an article from the British Medical
Association
website:.“Risk Stratification tool for
Healthcare workers during the CoViD-19 Pandemic” using published data on
demographics, co-morbid disease and clinical domain in order to assign
biological risk.” David Strain, Janusz Jankowski, Angharad Davies, Peter English, Ellis Friedman, Helena McKeown, Su Sethi, Mala Rao. medRxiv 2020.05.05.20091967; doi:https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.05.20091967
The
current version of this document is available to download from the URC website.
