Ever thought that guidance on open churches was written by people who’d never set foot in an urban area?
This guide is aimed specifically at answering the questions often asked by London parishes looking to open their buildings.
While there’s plenty of guidance literature on open churches, a lot of it has been developed for predominantly rural dioceses. Opening a church in an urban or suburban area can sometimes feel a bit daunting because a lot of the advice doesn’t apply and a lot of questions get left unanswered.
The aim of this guide was to plug that gap. It sets out what parishes opening their church buildings in urban areas need to know. It explains how to work through the implications for security and building management. It suggests how you can assess and improve the visitor experience and shows how you can do more with your church building outside service times.
If you’re worried about what might happen if you leave your church open then you can find out here how to reduce the risks – there’s a whole section on the subject. If up until now you’ve thought that there was no point in opening your church outside service times this guide will get you thinking again.
While opening churches is a big subject, there’s absolutely no need to try and digest all of this guide in one go. Use the headings to get an overview – you can then home in on topics that are particularly relevant. This toolkit is intended to be a ‘one stop shop’, but if you want to read further there are links to external websites where you can find extra information about all sorts of related subjects.
