Looking after your church

Places of worship are not just heritage sites, nor just revered spaces. They are often the finest buildings in their neighbourhood and a landmark in their community.

All churches were built by devoted people to the glory of God and we all want to hand on to future generations our church buildings in an even finer condition than they were in when we inherited them.

Many of our churches are of great historical or architectural importance and even greater care is needed to preserve them, while retaining and expanding the life of the active church which the building serves, so continuous maintenance is essential.

In the Church of England, the responsibility for maintaining the church falls on the Parochial Church Council, or PCC. The Churchwardens are required to carry out an annual inspection of the church building and its possessions and declare what they find to the PCC (a report subsequently going to the Annual Parochial Church Meeting). Every five years, there is a more detailed and complete "Quinquennial Inspection" carried out by a qualified expert in Church matters.  These inspections will often highlight early signs of trouble and save a lot of money by trying to prioritise a problem to be tackled before it becomes more serious.

Putting safety first

It is the time of year when many churchwardens are inspecting their churches prior to the delivery of their fabric reports. This is provides an opportunity to identify potential safety hazards and to review risks.

A recent letter issued by the Church Buildings Council reminds incumbents and PCC members that they are responsible for the safety of people in their churches or churchyards, and that it is important in all cases that risks are properly managed for the care of all those who use a church, including visitors.

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