Place of Worship Weekend Service Setup Checklist

Weekend services at churches, mosques, synagogues, gurdwaras and temples are run almost entirely by volunteers: greeters, tech crews, children's teams, cleaners and safety teams. Many serve once a month, and the people coordinating them change over time. A shared checklist keeps every service consistent and safe, whoever is on the rota.

The Week Before

• Confirm the rota for every role: greeters, tech, children's ministry, refreshments, safety
• Send reminders to volunteers
• Confirm guest speakers, musicians or special events
• Check supplies: cups, refreshments, cleaning products, children's materials

Building Opening

• Unlock and turn on heating or cooling early
• Turn on lights, including car park and entrance lights
• Walk the building for hazards: spills, trip hazards, blocked exits
• Check restrooms are clean and stocked
• Open accessible entrances and confirm ramps and lifts work

Main Room Setup

• Set seating and leave clear aisles and exit routes
• Prepare the stage or front area
• Set up readings, books or materials
• Check reserved seating for people with access needs

Tech and AV

• Power on sound, screens and projectors
• Run a sound check with speakers and musicians
• Check microphones and spare batteries
• Load slides and test them
• Check livestream setup and internet connection if you stream services
• Record or stream only according to your consent and privacy policies

Children and Youth

• Check rooms are clean and safe
• Confirm volunteers are on the approved list for working with children, in line with your safeguarding policy
• Prepare check-in and check-out procedures
• Make sure a first-aid kit is available
• Keep the minimum number of adults required by your policy in each room

Safety and Security

Many places of worship now have a volunteer safety team. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) publishes free security resources for faith-based organisations, including guidance on emergency planning.

• Confirm the safety team is in place and knows the plan
• Check fire exits are unlocked from the inside and clear
• Know where the first-aid kit and AED are
• Agree how to contact emergency services and who does it

Welcome

• Greeters at every entrance
• Information for first-time visitors
• Help for people with mobility needs or families with young children

After the Service

• Reset seating and the main room
• Shut down and store AV equipment
• Clean refreshment areas and kitchens
• Check restrooms
• Complete children's check-out
• Walk the building and lock up
• Note issues for the building or operations lead

See event venue setup checklist and how to create an emergency action plan for a small business.

How MyTeamTasks Helps

Volunteer teams rotate, so the routine has to be written down. In MyTeamTasks, each role can have its own checklist assigned to whoever is on the rota that weekend, with photo tasks for room setup and text tasks for notes. Coordinators can see at a glance whether the building was opened, the safety checks were done and the doors were locked afterwards.