Ministry Continuity Plan Template

The below Ministry Continuity Plan begins with a title page to track last update information, then will guide you through developing your ReadyChurch Ministry Continuity Plan on the subsequent pages.

Ministry Continuity Plan for -

Sample Overview of Processes, Locations and MTPDs

*To be activated in an emergency

In the event of an actual Ministry disruption,

proceed to Page 10 immediately for recovery requirements and tasks

Table of Contents

1. Plan Invocation and Notification Procedures

   1. Invoking the Plan

   2. CET Members

   3. CET Conference Bridge Details and Instructions

   4. CET Meeting Location and Alternate Location for Meeting

   5. Ministry Process Call Tree

2. Recovery Tasks and Requirements

   1. CET Invocation and Recovery Process Flow Diagram

   2. Detailed Recovery Tasks

3. Critical Process Contacts

   1. Internal Contacts (Other NCNU contacts that are necessary to recover)

   2. External (Vendor) Contracts

4. Technology, Real Estate and Personnel Requirements

   1. Technology and Real Estate Requirements over time

   2. Personnel Requirements over time

5. Plan Distribution, Exercise History and Maintenance Log

   1. Plan Distribution

   2. Exercise History

   3. Plan Maintenance

6. Appendix

   1. Ministry Process/Procedures and Workflow

   2. Legal/Regulatory Requirements

   3. Alternate Site Information and Activation Instructions

   4. Event Tracking Forms

Leadership Approval Statements and Signatures

This plan has the following gaps:

Leadership Approval:

I have reviewed this Ministry Continuation plan, concur with its content and support its invocation in the event of an interruption. By signing this page, I am indicating that:

1. The plan supports the approved strategy for the Ministry process(s).

2. The impact for not performing the non-critical functions or discontinuing for a certain period, have been assessed and acknowledged while developing the recovery strategy.

3. Agreements to perform work or accept staff at alternate site(s) are signed by responsible leaders at both sending and receiving locations, if applicable.

4. Responsible leader(s) have signed approval for Technology infrastructure and Support Group functions required to support recovery of the Ministry process.

5. Impact on their Ministry process(s) is acknowledged by leader(s) responsible for other Ministry process(s) affected by activation of this plan.

Purpose and Scope

Ministry Continuity Management (MCM) is a holistic management process that continually identifies potential impacts and threats to the organization and establishes a framework and process for establishing appropriate resilience capabilities to safeguard the interests of members, reputations, and identity.

A Ministry Continuity Plan, or MCP, is the element of MCM which deals specifically with the resumption of specific tasks necessary to recover critical processes or sub-processes in the event of a disaster, including personnel, essential records, equipment supplies, workspace, communication facilities, technology and shared services. This CET includes the strategies employed, procedures, critical contacts, and requirements for recovery of critical Ministry activities.

During a disaster or unplanned incident, a Ministry continuity plan is used to:

1. Provide an organized, coordinated and consolidated approach to managing response and recovery activities to avoid confusion and reduce exposure to error;

2. Provide prompt and appropriate response to unplanned incidents, thereby reducing the impacts resulting from Ministry interruptions;

3. Recover critical and essential Ministry operations in a timely manner, therefore increasing the ability of the church to recover from an unplanned incident.

The CET documented on the following pages is specific to the Ministry organization (division, department or Ministry component) and local geography identified on the first two pages. This document may be used in conjunction with other Ministry continuity or site-specific response plans such as Church Security & Emergency Operations Plan or Disaster Recovery plans. It should be recognized that the actions identified within this document may necessitate response or actions to be taken by parties (internal or external) beyond those represented within this plan.

Ministry Continuity is one component of an overall emergency preparedness program. Components are both independent and dependent upon each other. This diagram depicts all of the components and their high-level activities at time of crisis. It is important to reinforce that Christian Emergency Network will handle all communications with the media at time of crisis. Refer all requests for information to your PIO (Public Information Officer) or public relations personnel.

Ministry Continuity consists of three key activities that are addressed in this plan:

1. Invoke Ministry Continuity Plans

2. Initiate recovery actions

3. Coordinate with 3rd Parties and teams

Roles and Responsibilities

CET Administrator:

• Acts as the overall Ministry process lead
• Invokes the CET
• Initiates the conference bridge and calling trees
• Obtains updates from the EOC and communicates the information to the CET and Ministry Staff
• Assesses the overall situation as it relates to the Ministry process
• Tracks the recovery status and resolves any communication issues resulting from messaging

CET Alternate Administrator:

• In the event the CET Administrator is not available, the CET Alternate Administrator is responsible for executing the aforementioned responsibilities

CET Member:

• Participates on the conference bridge
• Participates in the initiation of the Ministry process call tree
• Helps with disseminating information down to the Ministry staff and departments
• Helps make key decisions for the Ministry process

Ministry Staff:

• Supports and carry's out CET Administrator and CET Member's requests

Church Emergency Team (CET) Main Roles:

Administration Leader - Responsible for the leadership of an Emergency Team within a Christian organization; recruiting and training volunteers for activation; and for accomplishing the mission of the Ready Church. The Administrator is also the liaison with the Ready City. The Admin leads any church emergency response and is the incident commander unless otherwise designated.

Operations Leader - Responsible for developing and maintaining the church Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) and insuring support systems are in place for the implementation of an EOP.

Public Information Officer (PIO) - Responsible to communicate both internally and externally for the CET. The PIO guides the emergency prayer response and works with the Emergency Prayer Team Leader.

Logistics - Responsible for the human and material resources to accomplish the EOP; maintaining relationships within the broader Christian and church community in order to connect them to the services of the members of the CET and others in their community; and to connect with national the Christian Emergency Network for supportive mutual aid.

Prayer Leader - Responsible for developing prayer networks within the church and working with the PIO to develop and communicate prayer prompts during crises. The Prayer Coordinator assists the Care and Share Coordinators.

Care Leader - Responsible for developing the emergency related compassionate care activities of the EOP and helps to connect with the Share Coordinator for transformational opportunities.

Share Leader - Responsible for developing the outreach related activities of the EOP. Coordinates closely with the Prayer and Care Coordinators; insures worship services have a Gospel sharing component, assimilates seekers in crisis, and insures the overall mission is celebrated within the local church.

Financial Leader - Responsible for ensuring funding and initiative alignment, models and leads in transformational giving and ensures all accounts are current.

Safety and Security Leader - Responsible to assess risks, mitigate risks, practice drills, establish security protocols, and conduct training of security team.

1. Plan Invocation and Notification Procedures

   1. Invoking the Plan

The following people can invoke this plan and initiate the CET Conference Bridge:

2. CET Members

3. CET Team Conference Bridge Details and Instructions

4. CET Team Meeting Location and Alternate Location for Meeting

In the event of a disaster, the team will need to know where to meet, prior to the disaster. The objective of this section is to pre-designate a primary and alternate location for your team to meet.

5. Ministry Process Call Tree

If a disaster should occur, the CET Administrator will activate the Ministry Process call tree in order to ensure people within their Ministry process are accounted for. The CET Administrator will activate the Ministry Process call tree by notifying the CET on the conference bridge or by dialing them directly. It is then the responsibility of the CET to call the staff that fall under their "tree".

Note: Refer to Section 5 for other internal and external contact information

Recovery Tasks and Requirements

1. CET Invocation and Recovery Process Flow Diagram

Recovery tasks within your CETs should be organized by recovery strategy, then by sub-process if necessary. Tasks will need to be documented and fit within the required recovery timeframe documented in your Ministry Impact Analysis (MIA). Once the EOC has notified the CET Administrator and the decision has been made to activate the CETs, recovery tasks should be initiated. Either one or multiple recovery strategies may be activated. Make sure to prioritize tasks accordingly in the event multiple strategies are activated. The following is a business model that mirrors what a church should have.

2. Detailed Recovery Tasks

Appendix

1. Ministry Process/Procedures and Workflow

add any information that is appropriate here

2. Legal/ Regulatory Requirements

add any information that is appropriate here

3. Alternate Site Information and Activation Instructions

add any information that is appropriate here

4. Event Tracking Forms

The following log sheets are for event tracking.

• Event Tracking Log
• Issues Management Log
• Expense Log
• Event Tracking Log

Department:                                                                 

Signature:                           

Issues Management Log

Department:                                                                 Name: Page  of   Pages

Signature:                                                       

Expense Log

Department: