Creating A Singular And Welcoming Entrance
A familiar issue amongst some older churches and their facility is their main entrance or lack thereof.
Not only does this create a difficult greeting set-up but, it also creates a significant security risk. This post will look at ways to improve what you have in place, strategically and practically for both greeting and security in mind.
As churches get older, they tend to have multiple additions added onto the original building as the congregation grows or goes through different life stages. Now with each addition, entrances/exits are created in order to meet fire code, and these exits are hugely important in evacuations. However, it is these doors that add extra complexity to a security plan. Especially older churches that have been around for a few decades, because in years past, security wasn’t looked in nearly the same scope as it is now. In years past, having all the doors unlocked and no one at them was a no brainer, no one would’ve thought of that as a bad idea. Today, however, if the door is unlocked it is best practice to have someone at that door watching all that come through it. But, the more doors you have unlocked the more people and man-hours it takes to man and maintain. So as we look at creating a main entrance, it is both functional and a safety precaution.
However, it is these doors that add extra complexity to a security plan.
In any church building where there are multiple entrances, it will be key for you to develop a main entrance. This ensures guests will have a clear understanding of where they need to go through, as well as ensuring all your members are greeted and welcomed. This will also ensure that you can concentrate all your resources onto a singular focus make the best use of what you have.
We are going to break this into steps to help you think through this better.
1. The first thing that needs to be done is for you to pick an entrance that will function as the main entrance.
1. We would suggest the one that is the most prominent and closest to the main parking lot.
2. This step will ruffle a few feathers, but, you will need to lock as many of the side doors as possible, this will ensure that no one will be entering the building without being seen and greeted.
1. This will create an inconvenience for some members as routines will be disturbed, so it will take some leadership effort to smooth over the issues.
3. Look for ways to distinguish the main entrance, some buildings have this already included through the architecture and design of the building, others will need to get creative.
1. We would suggest a custom pop-up tent that you would see at a tailgate. You can have your logo placed on it and even have ‘Welcome’ printed on it.
2. You can get some tall flags and place them next to the entrance.
3. Balloons every week around the door, as a temporary solution.
4. Perhaps even working on some signage for around the door to help set it out.
5. The easiest and cheapest way to do this will be to place greeters outside the doors, to hold them and greet people before they even come through the door.
4. Get creative on the inside of the doors as to set up a welcoming table or booth, or have inside greeters there to help individuals as they come through.
5. Give it three months and evaluate what needs to be changed or adjusted.
There are going to be aspects to these steps that will look different as you apply them to your church, if you have a large wrap-around parking lot, you may need to establish two or three entrances. However it works itself out, it is our duty to ensure that your building is utilized as effectively as possible to be welcoming, and also safe.