COVID-19 has forced major changes in the ways churches interact. We all agree that some new ways will remain even after the pandemic and that the church community is eager to reunite on campuses nationwide. Prepare to reopen the church after COVID-19 with a thorough assessment of sanitation, sound and security.
You want your church to reopen with the best possible experience. People will feel safe, secure and at home.
Sanitation, Sound and Security
- Sanitation: Now is the perfect time to get your church completely sanitized before the doors open. The pandemic has heightened everyone’s awareness of contact with surfaces, with each other and with the spread of germs. Full sanitation goes above and beyond the routine weekly cleaning. A thorough sanitizing will include cleaning of the pews, carpet and bare floors (hardwood, tile), area rugs and ductwork.
Our recommendation is Special Touch Restoration for professional sanitation. From small to large projects, we have worked with them for over ten years on church floods, sewage spills, baptismal floods, fires and more. Their clients include Olive Baptist Church and Friendship Baptist Church. Contact Kyle Hayes at 251-809-5485 for more information and visit their website here.
- Sound: Prepare to reopen after COVID-19 with a professional sound system consultation. Church campuses being closed for several weeks means that some sound equipment may have not been used. Reopen with confidence. Have an on-site consultation to make any repairs to sound equipment and finalize live streaming systems.
Our recommendation for a free on-site consultation is Blues Angel Music. Their Audio, Video, & Lighting Installation division has combined experience of over 125 years and has done free on-site consultations to churches in the Florida Panhandle for nearly a decade.
Blues Angel Music services literally hundreds of churches in Northwest Florida and is the local leader in COVID-19-related church live streaming, service overflow and sound systems. Some of their clients include First Baptist Church of Pensacola and Greater Union Baptist Church. To schedule your on-site consultation now, contact Stephen Olsen at 850-207-2049 and visit their website here to learn more about their work with churches in our area.
- Security: The church’s internet presence skyrocketed to meet the need during the pandemic. But during this time, internet security was not top of mind. From small churches to the already tech-savvy campuses, the digital footprint has expanded.
A new age of hacking
As our January blog covered, churches are vulnerable to hackers. This could get even worse. Why? Because churches are targets for hackers anyway; with an increase in church internet use, these sophisticated hackers know some new online systems will go unchecked. With that, lock down your new internet security protocols.
Did your church do any of the following?
- Church social media: Has your church hosted Facebook or Instagram events? Utilized YouTube or Vimeo more often?
- Live streaming: Live streaming of church services, Sunday school classes and more.
- Giving portals: Your church ramped up the online giving efforts or set up new giving portals.
- Remote work: To observe social distancing, many employees grabbed a portable device with church login credentials in hand and set up a workspace at home.
- Membership directories: Your paper-bound membership directory was uploaded to a digital format in order to keep closer contact with your congregation.
As a result, review your church’s internet security now. Secure all passwords. Additionally, shut down portals and platforms that will not be used once you reopen. Protect digital membership directories with passwords or cloud-based access only.
True Story: One church’s digital membership directory was hacked and all of the members were sent a donation solicitation email from a hacker posing as the Pastor.
Finally, if the worst happens make sure you are covered. Let Beacon Insurance provide your church with a complementary review of your current cybersecurity policy or provide you with a quote for a new policy.
