Ready for A Crisis

How prepared are you for a bomb threat, fire, or scandal?

By Mike Bayer

Scene 1: It's Sunday morning and the worship service is in progress when someone walks up to the pastor and hands him a piece of paper. The note says, "We've just received a bomb threat."

Scene 2: Arriving at the church office one morning, you are greeted by two detectives from the local police department. One tells you, "Pastor, we've just arrested your associate pastor on a child molestation charge."

Scene 3: On Saturday morning, you're drinking a cup of coffee and scanning the newspaper when you notice your church's name in a story. To your dismay, the headline reads: "Food Poisoning Breaks Out After Church Potluck."

If you're saying that couldn't happen to your church, think again. These are all accounts of what really happened to churches. And to their chagrin, those churches and their pastoral staffs were caught unprepared.

What to Do with a Bomb Threat
Terry White was the church administrator at Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, when that church got a bomb threat. "We had to evacuate the church building," White says. "I quickly discovered that we had no idea of how to do it in an orderly way."

In the aftermath of the bomb scare, White, who is now vice president of communications for Prison Fellowship Ministries, wrote an emergency plan for the church. The document begins, "When the alarm goes off—," then proceeds with these instructions:

1. The pastor tells the congregation which exits to use, then gives instructions to parents with children in classes on how they should proceed.

2. Specified people are told to evacuate elderly or wheelchair-bound members.

3. Certain people are instructed to check all restrooms and classrooms to make sure everyone is out of the church facility.

4. The congregation is given instructions about fire alarms, the fire-control panel, and other fire-related devices. Specified people are also given appropriate steps to shut down any air-handling systems, such as heating and air conditioning.

5. Teachers and child-care workers are given instructions on how to evacuate their classrooms and where to go.

Wooddale Church's emergency plan was written for a fire or bomb threat, but it also includes instructions on what the congregation should do in case of a tornado.

Test the Plan
Writing a plan isn't enough. People also have to practice carrying it out. "You have to test it," White says. One of the best ways to do that, he suggests, is to do an emergency evacuation drill during or immediately after a morning service. "You might want to do this during National Fire Prevention Week, usually in October," White says.

Many churches, such as Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, recognize the need for giving their members advance instructions on how to proceed in case of an emergency. Every hymn rack at Calvary Church includes a brochure titled "What To Do," covering dangerous weather situations, natural disasters, and fire alarms.

Anticipate Crises
A church may face other disasters that can be just as scary as fire or a bomb threat. According to Mark DeMoss, president of the DeMoss Group, a Duluth, Georgia-based public relations firm that works with churches and Christian organizations, here are some crises your church might want to prepare for:

1. Death, disability, or chronic illness of the pastor.

2. A major lawsuit against the church, such as a legal challenge of a bequest or donation. A claim against the church resulting from a church bus accident or the use of another church-owned vehicle.

3. Public controversy involving the church, including demonstrations against the church, interruption of church services, harassment of members or staff, and resulting media attention.

4. Perceived or real departure from orthodoxy.

5. Financial or general mismanagement, including the misuse of church funds, food poisoning, or negligence resulting in injury or death.

6. Charges of racial prejudice, sexual harassment, or criminal activity involving the church or church staff.

To prepare for such emergencies, a church board should meet at least once a year for discussion and planning, DeMoss says. He suggests that the board list all possible crises that might hit the church, then rank them in order of probability. They ought to discuss factors such as the age and health of the pastor, sensitive issues that the church or pastor are involved in, location of the church, and legal exposure of the church.

The key here is to plan before a crisis happens—not after. Jack Buttram, who heads his own Greenville, South Carolina-based public affairs consulting firm for churches, can't stress that enough. "Until you've been through it, you cannot believe how difficult it is to make up your plan while things are coming apart at the seams," Buttram says.

A Plan for Any Emergency
Regardless of the nature of the crisis, a church must respond quickly. Some of the first steps a church should take when faced with just about any emergency are to:

1. Convene a meeting of key church staff and other leaders to discuss the situation.

2. Quickly gather all information available from reliable sources; don't get involved with rumors.

3. Determine the scope of the crisis. Will it last one day, one week, or longer? Will it have local, regional, national, denominational impact? Who will be most affected? Who must be notified first?

4. Make some hard decisions on what to say about the situation. Prepare an official statement for the press or community people who want to know what's going on.

5. Make use of an internal prayer line or church hot line to inform church members of the crisis. You don't want them to hear about it from the press or a next-door neighbor.

Know What to Say to the Media
A good crisis plan will include a section on how to deal with the media. Nothing can be potentially more destructive than an onslaught of unfavorable news stories. This type of media exposure can influence community opinion of your church for a long time and interfere with your mission.

Mark DeMoss advises churches to head off damaging stories by responding quickly to the media about a crisis. "Depending on the nature of the crisis or impending crisis, you may only have a brief time to get control of the situation," he says. "The first 24 hours are critical. You must reassure the public and the congregation, and restore trust in the church and its staff."

Since most pastors and congregations are not accustomed to dealing with the media, they should get some training in how to do that. "If you can only do one thing, get some media training for your spokesperson," says Jack Buttram, a professional news person who formerly served on the White House staff. "Churches should give some consideration to training someone in addition to the pastor."

DeMoss recommends that smaller churches enlist the help of church members or friends who are human resource, media, or public relations professionals. "Having a fresh set of eyes look over your plan and play the role of a hostile reporter can be very useful," Buttram says. Larger churches might consider hiring a public affairs or public relations firm to write a crisis plan and provide media training for its spokespersons.

A crisis plan should also include instructions on how to communicate information to church members and others who may be involved. Since the church office is what most people will call for information, the plan should include instructions for anyone who answers the church phone.

Do It Now
Discussing and planning for all the possible crises that could happen in your church may not be pleasant. However, being prepared for a crisis may enable you to prevent one from actually occurring. At the very least, it will help minimize its potentially damaging effects.

Mike Bayer is senior pastor of South Coast Christian Assembly Church and president of Mike Bayer Public Relations in Laguna Beach, California.

Copyright © 1998 by the author or Christianity Today International/Your Church. For reprint information call 630-260-6200 or e-mail yceditor@yourchurch.net.
May/June 1998, Vol.44, No. 3, Page 70

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