Guest Services

By Casey Ross / Director of Ministry Services / Browns Bridge Community Church

“Be prepared.”

It’s a valuable phrase for any church’s Guest Services to live by. In addition to parking, traffic flow, greeters, ushers, etc., a church’s Guest Services leaders typically are the first people who respond to any number of situations on a Sunday morning. One of the situations every church needs to be prepared for are medical emergencies.

It does not matter how many people attend your church, a medical emergency can happen this Sunday. You cannot prevent something like this from happening. But how you respond when it does happen is vital. In the most extreme circumstances, it can mean life or death. In many circumstances, it can communicate to a guest that the church cares about them and is prepared to help them.

At a church the size of Browns Bridge, we have a Medical Call List. Every Sunday, medical professionals we have identified check-in at our Information Center and are given a pager. If their pager goes off, we have a system in place that gets them to the emergency as quickly and easily as possible. While a staff member stays in charge of the scene, the medical professional is allowed to use the skills and abilities God has given them to assist the guest.

But the size of your church does not matter. Identify who the medical professionals are in your church. Ask them if they would be willing to make themselves available. Come up with a way to know where they are and how to communicate with them. And determine a plan for when a medical emergency does happen.

Be prepared.