How Has Your Church Responded to the COVID-19 Crisis?
How Has Your Church Responded to the COVID-19 Crisis?
A Collection of Ideas and Tools from Member Churches
We asked TCT Member Churches how they have adjusted their approach to care, fellowship, and outreach during this time, and collated some of their responses below. We share them here in hopes they will either benefit your local church directly, or you may be inspired to create your own resources. Have questions on how to create your own versions? Share those questions in TCT’s Slack space!
Children’s Scripture Memory Videos, “Sermons for Saplings” Bible Story Videos. See also the Sermon Playlist for an example of sharing pre-recorded video sermons.
Example of sharing pre-recorded audio sermons, and a regular church elder podcast for the congregation.
Sample Family Worship Liturgy provided to congregation
Example Gospel presentation to provide congregation to share with friends
Two helpful articles for pastoral care: One Thing Every Church Can Do about Suffering and What Not to Say to Those Who Are Suffering by Ed Welch, CCEF.org
The Details
More Ideas
Additional Resources
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act and Small Business Paycheck Protection Program
As part of the federal government’s response to COVID-19, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed to financially help small businesses, including churches and nonprofits by means of one year forgivable loans. See the various resources below for aiding your church in considering whether or not this program is a wise path in your particular situation as you seek to faithfully steward resources.
Overview of the Paycheck Protection Program, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Accessed April 8, 2020. For more detailed information, see Assistance for Small Businesses
Webinar-On-Demand: The CARES Act—Key Impacts on Churches and Nonprofits by Michael Batts, CPA, and Frank Sommerville, JD, CPA, hosted by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA)
The webinar is free to view if you register a free user account with the ECFA.
See the outline from the webinar here.
Religious Liberty Concerns Resolved for Churches to Receive CARES Act Stimulus Funds by George Schroeder and Jonathan Howe, posted April 2, 2020, Baptist Press
Do SBA-backed Loans Violate the Separation of Church and State? by Russell Moore, posted March 31, 2020, RussellMoore.com
Additional Resources
Tools for Aiding During Community Crisis
Video hosted at NAMB.net. What we’re seeing right now with COVID-19 is not the crisis—it’s only phase one. How can the Church be prepared for the coming phases of the COVID-19 pandemic? In this episode, Dhati Lewis interviews Ed Stetzer, executive director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College and an expert consultant on crisis management, about the Church’s response to COVID-19, the different phases we’ll experience and the hopeful new normal after the crisis subsides.
This Is Not The Crisis, But It Is Just A Few Weeks Away, by Ed Stetzer with Josh Laxton, ChristianityToday.com, The Exchange.
Ways Churches Are Stepping Up During the COVID-19 Crisis by Ed Stetzer, ChristianityToday.com, The Exchange.
Additional Resources
Tools for Live Streaming Counseling, Small Groups or Corporate Gatherings
You have likely heard about instances of “Zoom-bombing” or hijacking Zoom meetings occurring to such a frequency that the FBI has gotten involved. The danger is largely related to how Zoom is being used more so than the security of the software itself. If your church is sharing your meeting links publicly such as on a website, then you will need to take a greater level of precaution and apply meeting controls which will eliminate the ability of attendees to share their screen or take control of the meeting. If you are keeping your meetings private to small gatherings, less precaution is required.
See here for an informative article written April 1, 2020 by Mike Snider at USA Today. We have copied tips from the article for using Zoom at the bottom of this resource page as well.
How to Livestream Your Sermon this Sunday Webinar hosted by Send Network. Download the slides to the webinar here.
Christ Redeemer Church Sample Livestream Instructions to Congregation
Want personalized help setting up a Zoom account for your TCT church? Contact our Director of Operations, and he will share insights from TCT’s use of video conferencing over the past five years and also help you setup your own account.
How to Livestream Your Church Service: A Practical Guide by Phil Thompson, TheGospelCoalition.org
These brief video tutorials will help you understand how to use Zoom, a reliable, affordable video conferencing software.
How To Join a Meeting (the download portion will only be required the very first time you use Zoom)
Tips to control your Zoom meetings¹
Don't make meetings or classes public. You can require participants to use a password, or the meeting manager can make participants first appear in the waiting room and be admitted individually.
Invite with care. Do not share links to your meeting on social media. Email or text them directly to participants.
Limit screen sharing. Hosts can prevent others from posting video by changing the screen sharing options to “Host Only.”
Lock the door. You can close your meeting to newcomers once everyone has arrived. Hosts can click the Participants tab at the bottom of the Zoom window to get a pop-up menu, then choose the Lock Meeting option.
Use your silencer features. You can disable video for participants and mute an individual or all attendees.
Cut out the chatter. The host can disable the ability to text chat during the session to prevent the delivery of unwanted messages.
Boot the uninvited. Hosts can remove a participant by putting the mouse over that name and choosing the Remove option. Allen says you can block people from rejoining meetings if they were removed.
Preparation. Make sure participants have the latest version of Zoom's software, which was updated in January. That update added meeting passwords by default and disabled a feature allowing users to randomly scan for meetings to join.
¹ Snider, Mike. “Zoom Issues: People Hijacking Streams, Possible Security Flaws.” USA Today, April 1, 2020. https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2020/04/01/zoom-demand-zooms-but-problems-coronavirus-drives-stay-home-video-chats-zoom-has-issues-beyond-deman/5102150002/.
Additional Resources
Letters to Congregations
The following letters were sent by some of our network churches to their members. We are sharing them here to be a help for other teams of pastors as they communicate care and leadership to their flocks.
The following letters were sent by some of our network churches to their members. We are sharing them here to be a help for other teams of pastors as they communicate care and leadership to their flocks.
Treasuring Christ Church
Raleigh, NC
March 18, 2020
Christ Redeemer Church
Woodbury, MN
March 14, 2020
Grace Church
Memphis, TN
March 19, 2020
Kaleo Church
El Cajon, CA
March 13 & 19, 2020
Covenant Life Church
Tampa, FL
March 18, 2020
Additional Resources
4 Steps to Help Small Churches Implement Online Giving
4 Steps to Help Small Churches Implement Online Giving
Author: Ed Marino
Published: March 23, 2020 at The Gospel Coalition.
Additional Resources
Payroll and Accounting Services By Hewn Group
The accounting firm Hewn Group has offered the following discounted services to TCT Member Churches and Planters. Contact Hewn Group for more information and mention that your church is part of the Treasuring Christ Together Network.
Hewn Group
(919) 335-5254
Online Contact Form
Payroll Services
Service is a holistic payroll solution. TCTN church would provide salary, housing payments, and benefits as well as submit hours and reimbursement amounts if applicable; Hewn Group would administrate all other payroll tasks.
Includes:
1. direct deposit with pay stubs emailed to each employee
2. new hire reporting if required
3. Form 941 quarterly (Federal payroll tax return form)
4. quarterly or monthly state payroll tax return forms
5. quarterly or monthly state tax deposits
6. state annual reconciliation form for payroll tax deposits
7. W-2 sent to each employee via email as well as W-3 to IRS
8. state unemployment quarterly filing if required
Bookkeeping Services
Service is a monthly after-the-fact bookkeeping. This means that Hewn Group would be using bank/credit card statements in conjunction with cash receipts to do the books.
Includes:
1. restricted funds reporting and allocations
2. budget tracking: Hewn Group would input a church’s yearly/monthly budget and be able to provide monthly statements that show progress against the budget
3. monthly financial statements delivered by 20th of following month that includes
- statement of activities (this is known as a profit and loss statement in the for-profit world)
- statement of financial position (this is known as a balance sheet in the for-profit world)
- functional expenses statement (this report shows expenses in the fundraising, general & administrative, and program expenses
- updated budget statement
The Message of the Bible
The Message of the Bible:
A brief, 6-week overview of the plan of redemption for unbelievers or new believers. Studies include: Creation, the Fall, God’s Promise of a Deliverer, Jesus and New Birth, the Death of Jesus, and the Resurrection.
Author: Coty Pinckney
Life-Changing Doctrines
Life-Changing Doctrines: A 10 Week Study
For new believers, or those who would like a better grounding in the basic tenets of the faith.
Author: Coty Pinckney
The Gospel of Mark
The Gospel of Mark: A 10-Week Study
Short study questions for a low-key, 10-week study of the entire gospel of Mark for small groups.
Author: Coty Pinckney
The Purifying Power of Living by Faith in Future Grace
The Purifying Power of Living by Faith in Future Grace: A 6-Month Study
A Six-Month Bible Study Based on the Book by John Piper. Also available in Word format.
Author: Coty Pinckney
The Pleasures of God
The Pleasures of God: A 12-Week Study
A 12-week study of the character of God, focusing on what gives Him pleasure. Each week, participants study a passage of Scripture and read a chapter from John Piper’s book by this name.
Author: Coty Pinckney
The Greatest Chapter in the Bible?
The Greatest Chapter in the Bible?
A 12 to 16 week study of Romans 8.
Author: Coty Pinckney
Study Guide to Revelation (Abridged)
Study Guide to Revelation (Abridged)
Description: Twenty-seven weekly studies covering the entire book.
Author: Coty Pinckney
Study Guide To Revelation (Detailed Version)
Study Guide To Revelation (Detailed Version)
This version is aimed at those who know a bit of Greek, and goes into somewhat more depth than the abridged version. Posted as a Microsoft Word document containing all 27 lessons.
Author: Coty Pinckney
Truth that Matters: A Scripture-based Introduction to Systematic Theology
Truth that Matters: A Scripture-based introduction to systematic theology
This class will present an organized overview of the fundamental truths of our faith, enabling us to think clearly about these issues and to identify the centuries-old challenges to the gospel message. We will also apply these truths to our lives, developing an understanding of how our attitudes and actions as Christians flow out of the truths of the faith.
Author: Coty Pinckney