How to Manage and Maintain Your Church Building
Churches have played a pivotal part in people’s lives for thousands of years and require facilities to continue doing so. Therefore, maintaining and managing a church building is essential.
Why is Maintaining a Church Building Important?
Churches play a significant role in serving as venues for weddings, baptisms, bible study groups, etc. The church facility management ensures a safe and welcoming environment for worship. Regular upkeep also sends a positive message to visitors and members regarding the state of the church. Some churches appoint facility managers to ensure the churches arewell-maintained, while others rely on volunteers. Nevertheless, maintaining a church building is essential.
Managing and Maintaining a Church Building
There are numerous ways to maintain a church building efficiently.
Foster Community Involvement
Churches, by their inherent nature, have an active community. Many churches enlist help from volunteers to keep the church building maintained while reducing labor costs.
Preventative Maintenance
A preventative approach to maintenance can help prevent significant problems from occurring down the line. Church roofs, plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems should undergo regular inspection and maintenance.
Most church buildings are old, and their roofs require regular upkeep. Develop a maintenance schedule focused on a proactive approach. For instance if your church has a flat roof, it should be inspected annually by a licensed roofer. One of the most common denied claims is related to a flat roof, as they are not property maintained.
Taking Care of the Exterior
The church’s exterior is the first thing people see. Developing a regular landscaping and janitorial cleaning schedule can ensure the exterior is kept clean. Make sure to mow the grass and remove weeds in the churchyard to make it look more presentable.
If you are hiring an outside company to maintain your lawns and janitorial services, please ensure you obtain proof of general liability and workers’ compensation insurance. These outside organization should be naming your church on their policies as an additional insured.
Upgrading Wood Pieces
Traditional wooden furniture in churches, including pews, tables, and doors, can rot or break very easily. Upgrading the furniture makes the church more welcoming for its members. Churches can find volunteers for the job or get discounts from local businesses to replace their wood furniture.
Prolonging Floor Life
Churches experience heavy foot traffic, which can impact the flooring. Floors get worn out from all the foot traffic, and maintenance is critical for this purpose. Damaged carpet and/or tile can create a trip hazard for people who come to your church.
Outside Playground Equipment
Inspecting your outside playground equipment and ground surfaces annually is another important maintenance item. The ground that surrounds the playground equipment needs to have a minimum of 9 to 12 inches of wood chips, mulch, sand, or pea gravel. Nearly 70 percent of injuries on a playground are the result of a fall with inadequate ground protection.
Why is Church Insurance Important?
A place of worship is not exempt from liability lawsuits. Workers, employed or volunteering, can get injured on duty and potentially sue the church. Similarly, accidents may occur during a large gathering and result in injuries.Having church insurance protects the church in such cases.
Many churches also operate a fleet of buses and 15 passenger vans to transport the homeless, elderly, and children from bible study sessions and other events. These buses could end up in an accident, and it’s vital to protect your church from any potential lawsuits that may occur.
Protect Your Church Building with Church Insurance
Integrity Now Insurance Brokers is one of the top church property insurance companies in California. As your church insurance brokers we provide comprehensive church insurance coverage at competitive prices. We can help protect your church from liability by offering Church Property Insurance, Church General Liability Insurance, Ministry Insurance, and Worker’s compensation insurance for churches. Contact us today to take care of all your insurance needs.
