ChurchHacks.com

My wife is the Zen Master of cleaning. She can wield a dust mop and work a pair of rubber gloves like Spiderman slings a web or Chuck Norris works over a band of thugs. I don’t think of it as cleaning as much as she’s practicing the art of Clean-Fu. Our house gets messy and cluttered from time to time but it doesn’t take her long to work her magic and get the place in shape. When we’re expecting visitors, step aside because you’ll see some moves that will impress the most severe germophobe. I’m never worried about how our house will look when we’re planning to entertain friends or if someone drops by with little notice because my wife keeps the house up with black belt skill. I lend a hand from time to time when I’m able but I’ve found it’s best to just step back and be a spectator in this clean-fu match of woman vs. mess.

We’ve been married for eleven years and I’ve come to appreciate her, her hard work, and the clean house as a result. There are times when I walk into someone’s house, an office, a store, or even a church and notice the standards of cleanliness are less than what I enjoy at home. Those places are by no means on the verge of being condemned or overrun by germs, dirt, and clutter but it is apparent that the standards are different; not terrible, just different.

Unless your church meets in a mud hut or in the littered alley behind your local grocery store, you should have certain standards for the cleanliness of your building in preparation for worship on Sunday morning and other uses throughout the week. It’s possible you have little or no control over the cleanliness of the environment because you worship in a school or another public or rented space. Whatever your situation, whether you are paid or volunteer cleaning staff, you should have principles for cleaning, standards of cleanliness, and a schedule.

• The leadership needs to communicate standards.
  The pastors and the leadership have expectations. Learn what those are and follow up with them on a regular basis to ensure those are being met.
• Keep a schedule of weekly room usage.
  The church calendar and bulletin are your best friends. Using a computer or paper calendar, write down each event coming up for the next few weeks so you’re not blindsided when 30 mothers will preschool-aged children start showing up at 9:30 on Tuesday morning for a special event. Regularly write down meetings that take place on a weekly basis: prayer groups, Bible studies, staff meetings, and committee meetings.
• Develop a system for ministries and individuals to reserve rooms and spaces.
  Two objects cannot occupy the same physical space at the same time. This is why we have air traffic controllers: to ensure two or more planes do not attempt to occupy the same space at the same time. Think of yourself as your church’s air traffic controller. Control your space by setting up a system so those 30 mothers with ankle-biters in tow do not try to bust in on a staff meeting.
• Place a priority on spaces that get used throughout the week.
  High traffic, frequently used rooms should be at the top of your list early in the week. Rooms that are only used and seen on the weekend can wait until the end of the week.
• Develop a routine.
  Put yourself on a schedule of when to accomplish certain tasks. For example, plan to vacuum and clean the office area on Monday evening while no one is in the office. Establish regular times when you will clean certain spaces or do a certain type of cleaning (dusting, vacuuming, etc) to ensure everything gets done and stick to that schedule each week.
• Don’t multi-task. Understand the power of focus.
  If you try and do too many things at once, nothing will get done and you’ll wonder what happened to the week. This is one of my wife’s downfalls. She’s in the middle doing something and sees something else that needs cleaned and she diverts her focus. Then, she notices the laundry is piling up but then realizes the bathroom is dirty. Trying to do everything, she gets lots of things almost done, feeling like she’s accomplished nothing. Stick to one project or task until it is completed. If you see something that needs taken care of while occupied with another project, write it down and get to it as soon as your current task is done.
• Close off rooms that have been cleaned and prepared for Sunday morning.
  Nobody likes to duplicate work if they don’t have to. If you’ve cleaned the sanctuary in preparation for Sunday morning, put a sign up saying that room is off limits.
• Designate rooms children of volunteers and staff can use throughout the week.
  I can’t count how many total hours our kids were hanging out at church while we were involved in some sort of volunteer ministry. It was a blessing to have space for our kids to relax and play while were were in worship team rehearsal or volunteering in the office. Having designated areas for children of volunteers and staff to play will make ministry for the adults more enjoyable and the rest of the building will sustain minimal damage.
• Ask ministry leaders to take responsibility for some maintenance.
  We’re always telling our kids to clean up after themselves. It teaches them responsibility and it demonstrates respect. Ask those involved in leading ministries to return the room to its original condition after use, especially if it’s not a part of their normal use. However, don’t spend much effort enforcing this. It’s more important for the leaders to be involved in people ministry rather than trash ministry.
• If the cleaning isn’t getting done, considering hiring additional staff or recruiting volunteers.
  As the church grows, the demands on the building will increase, ultimately resulting in more work for the cleaning staff. Budget for additional staff as the church budget increases and solicit volunteers to get involved.

Return this Friday for specific standards and suggestions to get your worship space ready for Sunday. Do you have any additional ideas? Share them in the comments below.

Tags: Facilities