Guidance for churches and more information on COVID-19 (Coronavirus) in Virginia:
Interim Guidance: Community- and Faith- Based Organizations Considerations, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
COVID-19: Recommended Preventative Practices and FAQs for Faith-based and Community Leaders from the Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives
COVID-19 in Virginia
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Online Service, Giving, and Outreach Resources
Protecting Your Zoom Calls from Trolls
From ABC 13 – WSET
Stop Your Zoom Call from Being Hacked
After Utah children ‘Zoom-bombed’ with porn during an elementary school meeting, here’s how to secure your Zoom meetings.
From the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Harden Your Zoom Settings to Protect Your Privacy and Avoid Trolls
Whether you are on Zoom for church staff meetings or your small groups are using it to meet, people have rushed to the video chat platform in the wake of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders — and journalists, researchers, and regulators have noticed its many security and privacy problems.
Caring for Your Neighbors During Crisis
If there was ever a time we needed to pray for our neighbors and to offer them the hope of Jesus, it is now in the midst of this pandemic. Steve Bradshaw shares how the Bless Every Home tool can help you care for your neighbors while practicing social distancing. To access the resources he’s talking about, visit sbcv.org/blesseveryhome.
2 – MONTH FREE COUPON CODE
The coupon code you can put on your website for your churches to receive 2 months of the Bless Partner Church is SBCVBEHPARTNER2M. This coupon can be applied up through July 31 and will give the church 2 months free from whatever date they submit the coupon, without having to put in a credit card.
We’ve created a customizable contact card to help you reach out to those nearby. Simply download the card, input your family’s contact information, print on your home printer, and pass out to your community.
Worship Resources for Your Church
Pre-Recorded Worship Sets
Hundreds of churches do not have worship staff and use tracks or videos for their worship sets. Now, it’s even more difficult with COVID-19 restrictions limiting in-person services.
That’s why Charles Billingsley and the worship team at Thomas Road Baptist Church have pre-recorded worship songs for churches who may need help with their online Sunday services and do not have worship teams.
If your church needs a worship leader to lead your congregation in their living rooms, consider this useful tool.
DISCLAIMER: We have received a number of questions regarding licensing. In order to broadcast these worship sets, churches will need a CCLI broadcast license. For more information on a CCLI license, visit us.ccli.com/copyright-license.
Doxology Matters Podcast
The hosts at Doxology Matters Podcast desire to help Christians think deeply about God’s Word as we praise Him. This resource comes from Bethel Baptist Church, Yorktown and is for worship teams and leaders.
Providing Online Resources
Providing Online Worship Services, Teaching, and Encouragement
Offer an online presence Sunday mornings, even if it is a brief teaching time. People need the spiritual encouragement. Also consider offering an online presence other times of the week (like Wednesday evenings) and also one or two other times a week. Consider offering On-Demand resources. People will need to fill the void with online content as people seek to fill extra time they now will have at home.
You can use social media platforms like Facebook or free church online platforms like Church Online Platform
How to Live Stream Your Worship Service Webinar
Take Your Church Online in 24 Hours with Faithlife
This webinar covers everything to get your church online.
If you need more assistance, please contact a regional catalyst or church planting strategist and they can work to answer your questions, connect you with a partner church that has capabilities, or connect you with our media team for assistance/guidance on filming and recording your sermon. For general questions regarding online giving, missionary care, family resources, legal concerns, or others, please email notalone@sbcv.org.
Giving and Stewardship as a Church
Assistance Setting-Up Online Giving
We recommend that churches set up online giving (online, mobile app, give-by-text)
- They should look and see if online giving is a part of the church management system. (this is a module in many systems, and you may be paying for it already)
- The vendor will need a proof of 501-C-3 from the church. The SBCV can provide this for you. Please contact HR@SBCV.org and ask for the 501-C-3 letter.
- Some online giving platforms churches may want to consider:
- Generosity by LifeWay – during this unique and challenging season brought on by COVID-19, Generosity by LifeWay is opening its digital giving platform to all churches immediately.
- Easy Tithe – has specials and some free services to help churches now.
- Tithe.ly
- Faithlife – Take your church online in 24 hours. Watch the free webinar they provided to our churches.
Share in many ways, how people can give and make it easy. Including simple links in emails/Facebook/Twitter.
Assign someone older/non-techy members can call for help with giving online.
For some churches mailing a letter addressing needs and include a return envelope(s) for their gifts.
Churches should check their insurance polices to see if the have a rider for closure of the church. Please contact your insurance agency.
If you have additional questions, please contact our chief financial officer for assistance. Eddie Urbine at eurbine@sbcv.org or notalone@sbcv.org
Keep casting vision for ministry and missions.
Share real life stories of ministry and missions and invitation to give online more than once a week.
Pastor Josh Daffern of Centreville Baptist shares his approach:
“Basically it’s a 60 second real-life story of a life being changed through the church ministry, and we make the connection that lives are being changed because people give. In this shutdown time, we’re expanding our giving moments to four times a week (online). We’ll continue to share one on Sunday mornings, and I’ll share one when I livestream our Wednesday night Bible studies (as well as providing our online giving link). Then twice a week, I’ll go live, preferably on location where we’re making a difference during this shutdown time. For instance, on Thursday I’m going to go live on Facebook outside of Deer Park Elementary School and share how they are providing meals for at risk kids and how we’ve partnered with them as a church. More than just asking for money, we need to provide them a compelling reason to give. We need to show how their continued support, even when church is “taking a break,” is changing lives.”
Free Training and Checklists to Help Your Church during the COVID-19 (Coronavirus):
MinistryGrid: Training Made Simple
A Conversation with…GuideStone
David Spika, Chief Strategic Investment Officer at GuideStone Resources, joins Jonathan Howe of the SBC Executive Committee.
Spiritual Care weblink that will connect people to a disaster relief chaplain and local pastor:
Disaster Relief Spiritual Care
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Additional Resources for You and Your Church
Outreach During COVID-19 by David Wheeler
In the midst of COVID-19 and our current situation, we want to provide you with some ideas for Servant Evangelism. These are not the only things you can do but are good starting points and ideas. We can still serve people during this time and show them the love of Christ!
Help During Coronavirus Pandemic: Five Places Pastors Should Go
Help During Coronavirus Pandemic: Five Places Pastors Should Go
The COVID-19 pandemic, and its subsequent government-sanctioned quarantine, has caused significant challenges for our churches. In the months ahead, many churches can expect a considerable decrease in giving, resulting in large churches, small churches and church plants struggling to make ends meet. So where can pastors and church planters find help? Here are five places to consider amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
Ministry During Pandemic: From Awareness to Implementation
Ministry During Pandemic: From Awareness to Implementation
“What do you know about pandemics? Some people do not believe it is a real threat. Others believe it will be Armageddon,” says Dr. Naomi Paget, B.C.C., B.C.E.T.S., a fellow at the National Center for Crisis Management. Dr. Paget is one of the primary authors of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Chaplaincy materials. She wrote Ministry During Pandemic: From Awareness to Implementation to help chaplains and ministers be aware and understand the threats, needs, and spiritual issues related to a pandemic.
What the CARES Act Means for Your Church
North American Mission Board
Link to the NAMB Webinar on CARES Act Thursday, April 2 at noon.
GuideStone Financial Resources
Guidestone questions and answers about the CARES Act.
Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA)
Watch a recorded webinar on the CARES Act by the ECFA. You will need to register for a free account.
Download notes from the March 30, 2020 ECFA webinar on the CARES Act.
Do SBA-backed loans violate the separation of church and state?
by Russell Moore, president of The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission
Over the past week, several pastors have asked me the same question: namely, is a church or ministry taking advantage of newly approved government-backed Small Business Administration (SBA) loans wrong to do so? Would such a church be now a government-funded enterprise? I do not think so, and here’s why.
LifeWay Kids at Home
LifeWay offers free at-home supplement for churches impacted by COVID-19:
Using Facebook Groups
Ways to use Facebook groups to bridge the gap when social distancing:
Free Coloring Pages for Your Children
This website is home to 400+ original Bible coloring pages. They are all free to download and print in PDF format.
Church Legal Update
With the ever evolving and changing situation with COVID-19, Reynolds Law Group has been receiving a lot of calls from churches asking questions.
Some of those questions include:
- Does our church have liability if we have services or events that do not comply with governmental advice regarding COVID-19.
- Our church was supposed to have our annual business meeting next week to elect new officers and directors, what do we do now?
- Does our insurance cover any of our lost revenue?
- Can we require our employees to work from home?
- Are there any limitations on what we can broadcast online?
They wanted to take a minute to share some of these questions and answer them for you.