Church Facility Management 101: Guidelines, Best Practices, Checklists, & Templates
If your church facility management skills consist of duct tape and a fervent prayer life, this article is for you. I've served in churches my whole life as both a volunteer and paid staff - and I get it. It often falls to you to:
- Fix the broken stuff (doors, lights, plumbing, etc)
- Solve scheduling conflicts (which happen a lot)
- Clean up after events (youth group sleepover... ugh. I still shudder)
And all while on a too-small budget... All that being said, managing church facilities is an important job. Done well, the result is a welcoming, safe, and workable environment where church community happens.
Now, the job of managing church facilities gets significantly easier when you're using good tools. To that end, my team and I have exhaustively researched, compared, and ranked the best church management software tools on the market (looking for free ChMS tool rankings? We've got 'em). In this guide, however, we'll explore the guidelines, best practices, and checklists that every church leader needs.
In this article, I will talk about:
- What Is Church Facility Management?
- What Do Church Facility Managers Do?
- Church Facility Management Guidelines & Tips
- Church Facility Management Software
What Is Church Facility Management?
In the simplest terms, church facility management is the act of keeping the church building properly maintained both with regular day to day maintenance and when the church is being rented or used for community events or other large or small groups. Church property management is similar, but a slightly different approach to this topic.
It's about being proactive and regularly maintaining the safety of a building as well as the custodial needs.
What Do Church Facility Managers Do?
A church facility manager, or a director of facilities, is an extremely important job. The church facilities manager is a very visible part of the church body. Granted, the job description may vary, depending on the size of the staff and congregation. Generally, it involves planning and organizing maintenance schedules, vetting and hiring contractors, and having backup plans in place for things like power outages.
The facility manager should be a good “people person”. Whether it's delegating responsibilities to a church volunteer, working with hired contractors in the community, or working with those who have rented the building, they must be able to clearly communicate and develop a good rapport.
They must be able to provide good communication around church management projects or figuring out deadlines. The facilities manager will be involved in crafting a budget from which to maintain the facilities and any facility use. They are also expected to keep accurate, well-managed church records of expenses and maintenance.
Church Facility Management Guidelines & Tips
Church facility managers should all have detailed guidelines and checklists for all facility needs. This will help organize and simplify the process. Here are some quick tips for effective facility management.
Re: Community Rentals (w/Free Agreement Template)
The church facility is not only used for the church community, and is often rented out for community events and celebrations. This is why it's important that when the church building is being rented out facility rental agreements are in place.
The agreement outlines the expectations of property owners (the church), and the organization renting the building. It should clarify the rules, cleaning expectations, and any other duties that should be done when renting the building.
Here is a great source for seeing what legalities should be included in rental agreements as well. This should not be taken as legal advice; always make sure to consult with a lawyer before using any legal documents or agreements.
Re: Church Cleaning & Maintenance Checklists
Church buildings are often high-traffic areas with many people coming through, even during the week. This is why it is so important to keep the building clean. This is also a great way to honor your congregation. You want to be able to provide them a safe and healthy building that they can enjoy every week.
A church maintenance checklist is a great way to provide an outline for your facilities manager. It will provide guidance on areas to cover and accountability on the frequency of checking the building.
Having an effective cleaning and maintenance schedule will not only help keep your church looking good but will help you address all the building needs in a timely manner. Making sure nothing is missed.
Re: Preventative Measures
A lot of church maintenance costs can come from the unexpected: a roof leak, the HVAC system breaking, or a family of raccoons taking residence in the roof. These are things that can greatly disrupt the church when they break down. Regularly inspecting the systems of the church building and having plans for replacement will help alleviate the surprise costs.
Re: Volunteers
Give volunteers the opportunity to serve! Let's be honest, one of the greatest things about church communities is having an active community! Church members love to serve, and managing church volunteers to help with cleaning or landscaping will give them a greater sense of purpose and involvement.
Maybe you plan a big church clean up 2-3 times a year where you tackle the landscaping, and parking lot, and a huge deep clean of the building. I have many fond memories of the big church clean-up days. Food and coffee were brought in and it really strengthened the sense of community and family.
Church Facility Management Software
Like most software, software for facility management is meant to increase efficiency and effectiveness for your team. Think of it like a helping friend or an ally. It can help with work order management, scheduling preventive maintenance tasks, creating a maintenance plan, and tracking the costs of labor or inventory!
If you don't know where to start, take a look at this article on the 10 best church facility management software.
Final Thoughts On Facility Managers
If the idea of having a facility maintenance manager seems foreign to you, you are not alone. The reality is, a lot of churches either rely on volunteers or a facilities team to help with building maintenance and cleaning, and I have also seen it being part of the job description of the church administrator.
An excellent church facility manager understands that they steward a lot of assets; they are an incredibly valuable position, and critical to your ministry. Value them as such!
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