Word Count: 391 – Est Read Time: <2 Minutes
What’s Up
Your church is one crisis away from a PR nightmare. Your church needs a crisis management policy for damage control … NOW!
So What
Last week, a local church staffer got arrested for stealing political signs. It blew up on social media. The church had no plan and things quickly spiraled into a public relations nightmare. Don’t let this be you.
The Point Is
You Need a Crisis Plan
Hope is not a strategy. If your church doesn’t have a crisis communication policy in place, you’re already behind. Crisis isn’t a question of if, it’s when. Without a plan, you’ll be making it up as you go, and that rarely ends well.
Assign One Voice Only
When things hit the fan, someone will speak for your church. Choose now who that will be. Spoiler: it needs to be someone with facts and a calm head. If it’s not you, Pastor, then pick your most level-headed leader and empower them.
Make Your First Calls Fast
You need a pre-set contact list for damage control. Your denominational exec. The board chair. Then staff and key influencers in the church. Notify them in that priority order. Silence breeds suspicion.
Create the Party Line
When the crisis hits, everyone not named Spokesperson gets one job: repeat the Party Line. Same words. Every time. No interpretation. No add-ons. Just repetition. The goal isn’t to be evasive. It’s to protect your church while the facts are still coming in.
And … ?
No one could’ve predicted a church staff member going full outlaw stealing political yard signs. But that’s not the point. You can predict that at some point, your church will have a moment of chaos, conflict, or crisis that lands on someone’s Facebook feed before you even get a phone call. That’s when the clock starts ticking.
Public trust takes decades to build and seconds to lose. A crisis doesn’t just expose bad behavior, it spotlights weak leadership. Most pastors aren’t trained in public relations, but this isn’t about spin. It’s about protecting your church, your witness, and your ability to serve your community. Create a policy. Make a plan. Practice the plan. Pray you never need the plan. But don’t operate without it!
Action!
Conflict is coming to your church. Get equipped with the Conflict CPR Training.
