Local churches may restart in-person worship
Apply for Micro Matching Grant for Online Worship
A Word From Bishop Holston
Recognizing that churches are in different places in their planning to resume worship and other in-person gatherings – allowed to resume in the South Carolina Conference starting June 14 – Bishop Holston affirms these Best Practices compiled by a team of pastors and laity to complement our original Reset | Restart | Renew resources. We will be adding more resources to this page.
Questions or suggestions about restarting? Email restart@umcsc.org
New, detailed guidance on what a local church should do upon learning of a confirmed case of COVID-19 in your congregation. Updated June 23
New, detailed guidance on an array of procedures and practices to help churches safely resume in-person worship – keeping clergy, staff and volunteers safe; communion, baptisms, weddings and funerals; Sunday school, small groups, children’s ministry and weekday preschool; cleaning, seating, traffic and recording attendance. Updated June 11
This checklist is designed to help church leaders re-initiate in-person worship onsite – a step-by-step guide for churches at the beginning of their planning or a good review to enhance the work of churches that are well into that process. Updated June 7
Checking the pulse of your congregation can provide insight as you plan to responsibly return to in-person worship amid an ongoing pandemic. Often, pastors and church leaders will hear from their most vocal members, but we shouldn’t assume that they always represent all perspectives within a congregation.
Cleaning Parsonages Between Appointments
In addition to spreading person-to-person, the COVID-19 virus can spread through contaminated surfaces (especially stainless steel and plastic), where it can survive up to three days. This makes the proper cleaning of a parsonage when a change of appointment takes place even more important.
