Essential good practice guidelines

This area provides the latest information and advice for churches.

At the beginning of the year, as Covid-19 cases rose significantly and we entered national lockdown, we recommended to our churches not to open their buildings for in-person meetings.  In the light of the Welsh Government announcement on Friday 19 February and the UK Government announcement on Monday 22 February, which started the process of easing lockdown, we have concluded that it is now appropriate to withdraw this recommendation. 
 
We encourage churches to consider their own plans for re-opening and take the decisions that are appropriate for their own local circumstances.   Reflecting the still significant levels of cases and risk posed to the community, and given that the general ‘Stay at Home’ rule remains in place in England until 29 March and has no current end date in Wales, it is reasonable for churches to choose to stay closed at this stage. Equally we recognise this is a decision for the local church, and the value of churches meeting together will mean that you may choose to re-open for in-person worship.
 
As we have done throughout the pandemic, we will continue to update our specific guidance for Baptist churches on what needs to be done to reflect the developments in the law and government guidance.  There is a range of resources below to help churches practically and spiritually during these uncertain times.
 

Coronavirus - essential advice for churches (updated 25 February) Links to all our guidance information More ... Coronavirus: Guidance on re-opening Baptist church buildings (updated 25 February) Updated to reflect the introduction of National Lockdowns in England and Wales More ... Coronavirus: Guidance on church worship (updated 25 February) Guidance for churches following the Government's latest announcements More ... Coronavirus advice: Children’s, youth and families ministry (25 February) The UK Government published guidance on Protective Measures for Out-of-School Settings on 1 July. More ... Advice for ministers – pastoral visiting (25 February) The latest guidance for ministers More ... Guideline Leaflet L18: Covid-19 Coronavirus Legal Issues (updated 25 February) Guidance from our Legal Team on various legal and regulatory issues More ... Risk Assessment Template prior to re-opening church buildings (updated 4 February) Your key legal requirement prior to re-opening is to carry out a risk assessment More ... Coronavirus: closing church buildings (5 January) Advising churches to close when we are (in England) legally permitted to worship is a strong, even controversial, line for the Specialist Teams to take. More ... Update for churches as employers - 4 December New furlough scheme rules and removal of retention bonus More ... Sample Posters for Baptist Churches (9 September) Posters to download and print out to use around your church building, to help keep people safe More ... Coronavirus: sample posters (10 July) Posters to download and print out to use around your church building, to help keep people safe More ... Coronavirus: A guide for churches as employers (Updated 29 June) New provisions in place to offer employers financial support in relation to employment costs during the coronavirus pandemic More ... Finance letter to churches We are all aware that we are in extremely unusual times and there is much uncertainty about the future. The closing of our church buildings has had a major impact on our life together and presented challenges to how we operate as a church. More ... Advice on pre-schools (15 May) Actions for educational and childcare settings to prepare for wider opening from 1 June 2020 More ... Guidance for Independent Examination (14 May) The Charity Commission has published guidance on the independent examination of charity accounts during the pandemic More ... Advice for churches regarding the use of buildings The Government has published guidance and a FAQs document to provide information on the Government’s roadmap for how and when the UK will adjust its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. More ... Covid -19 testing for ministers and other church workers (4 May) Ministers and other church workers who are showing symptoms can now be tested for Covid-19 More ... Pre-schools and Nurseries - 21 April A message from our Treasurer John Levick, for churches which run their own, or let their premises for, pre-school and nursery provision More ... Job Retention Scheme – update on furlough payments Three important updates about the Job Retention Scheme, including the opening of the HMRC portal for making grant claims. More ... Counselling Support (updated 11 May) Information for churches, ministers and their families about counselling which is available to them More ... Empty buildings checklist (7 April) Information for churches which have their own building More ... Safeguarding: Volunteer Support Services (6 April) Two new guidance notes for churches offering volunteer support services to their local communities More ... Update on DBS ID checks (30 March) New alternatives to face-to-face document checking More ... Coronavirus - advice from Anthony Collins solicitors (updated 26 May) A briefing at this challenging time for churches who will be supporting members of their church and its community More ... Guidance for foodbanks (24 March) We are aware that a number of our churches host foodbanks or other services for vulnerable people. More ... Coronavirus – Using social media with young people (updated 23 March) The National Safeguarding Team have produced a new safeguarding guideline 'Using social media to engage and communicate with young people within the church'. More ... Coronavirus – financial response - delaying payments to HMRC We have received information from our auditor at the Baptist Union regarding the potential to delay payments to HMRC to alleviate cashflow problems from the current unprecedented situations. More ... Coronavirus – safeguarding considerations for Baptist churches (updated 25 March) The months ahead bring all sorts of challenges, and it is important that we don’t overlook the specific needs of those who are vulnerable More ... Coronavirus – further financial response - lettings Following my letters last week giving some guidance on how to deal with you finances now we are not meeting in our church buildings it has become clear that we need to update our guidance particularly around Pre-Schools. More ... Coronavirus – financial response for churches The following is a letter being sent to all Baptists Together Churches by Baptist Union Treasurer John Levick More ...