LESSON 3: Extra Usher Responsibilities

Emergency Procedures
In the event of an emergency, the safety of the church members is every usher’s first responsibility. Most emergencies are for medical attention or some kind of disturbance with an individual. In these cases, please follow the instructions listed below.

1. Clear the area to allow assistance.
2. Always assign one person to call emergency response units.
3. Check for breathing and heartbeat.
4. Station one person to help emergency personnel to the person who needs help. Have another usher make sure the isles are clear for emergency personnel.
5. Keep either an usher or experienced medical person from the church, next to the afflicted person at all times.
6. Encourage others to pray.
7. Assign one person to remain close to the family members and friends.
8. Monitor and make sure the area is not crowded by on-lookers.

Evacuation Procedures
Ushers should maintain order to the best of their ability in the event of any kind of evacuation. It this case, the ushers should start with the last pew or row in the sanctuary and procedure to usher people out to a nearby exit. If the church has front exits, an usher will escort people from the front rows while others are going out the back rows.

Ushers should be assigned to help others in the building at the same time, such as children church, youth department, checking the bathrooms and nurseries, etc. to ensure an evacuation is conducted in a safe and timely manner. It is good for all ushers to check remaining rooms to make sure everyone has evacuated. Once outside, the ushers can determine with others whether anyone is missing.

It should be also emphasized that the evacuation groups should congregate away from the church building in case of a fire or other dangers. It is good for the ushers to have a plan to take people to a place of safety prior to any kind of emergency. In cases of fire, it is always best to county or police emergency when in doubt. The longer the delay, there is a greater risk to the building and others. On a very small fire that can be put out with an extinguisher, put out the fire, and monitor it. Determine whether it was an extremely small fire to not disrupt the service but in most cases evacuations are the best solution. Again, safety comes first and it is always best to be safe.

In putting out a small fire, do not place your safety or the safety of others at risk! If the fire grows too large or aggressive to control by an extinguisher, time and safety are compromised. Exit the building immediately.

Disturbances
Disturbances by mentally ill, distraught persons, or people who wish to disturb the service to gain something else other than respecting the house of God, require discernment on the part of the head usher and other ushers present. In some cases, the pastor may deal with issues but for the most part, it will be the responsibility of the head usher and other ushers to carry out the procedures.
1. Determine whether a person needs to be taken out of the sanctuary.
2. Determine how you wish to do this. Most of the times, it can be handled through a gentle but yet firm statement to come with the usher. If the disturbance is overbearing and causing further trouble, it may take a couple of ushers, one on each side, to gently encourage the person to another place. If they still refuse to be removed, then contact a senior elder or senior pastor for further assistance.

3. Determine a safe place to deal with this person and firmly state this type of behavior is not wanted or accepted in our services. Please distinguish between the person and the behavior. Most churches welcome everyone but not the disruptive behaviors.                                                                                                                                                                           4. Determine whether the person will stop or will have to be asked to leave the building. If they refuse, you may have to call the police department for help to remove this person.
5. If an individual is distraught due to grief, please ask them to step out and gently escort them out of the sanctuary. Ask the grieving person, “How can we help?” or “We have someone who will pray with you, please come with me.” Please do this in a loving and tactful manner. Have another usher to recruit senior elders to come
pray with them.

6. On disturbances of custody battles where one person attends church and another comes into the church to see their children or spouse, please escort the troubling person out of the sanctuary or area where the spouse or children are. In today’s times, there are so many legal issues of restraining orders, custody battles, etc. and unfortunately, there are times when others will try to take advantage of picking up a child they could not previously see or have a setting they think they can freely talk to their spouse.

Please escort this person to a safe area to discuss the matter and quietly try to solve the issue. Explain that the sanctuary is not the place to conduct personal business. If there are restraining orders against such person, you must be very clear to explain to them this is a personal issue, not a church issue, and as such, they will have to leave. If they do not wish to leave, call the authorities to have this person escorted off your property.

Tactfully state that this is not what the church wishes but has no other alternative but to call for assistance. Tactfully state that this is not a function of the church and personal matters have to be settled outside of the church. This is
why they have courts and other agencies to do so. Be sure to explain to the spouse who is inside of the church what has happened and at all costs, do not have children leave with the disgruntled bio parent.

Church leaders should be aware who brings the children to church and only those who bring them should be allowed to pick them up unless there are prior arrangements made. If a parent is inside the church and another parent, that is unknown to church leaders, wants to pick up their child, please ask the person inside of the church to step out of the sanctuary and asked them whether it is okay for the other parent to kick up their child. In some cases, another parent who has lost custody privileges has found out where the child is and wants to take advantage of church or setting thinking that others will not know their situation. Use wisdom, love, and tactfulness in the delicate matters.

Head Usher’s Check List
Tasks before worship:
[ ] Check the temperature of the sanctuary. If heat is needed, please set thermostats to 68. Use good judgment in using air conditioning.
[ ] Check sanctuary for cleanliness. Make sure there are offering envelopes, Bibles, and pencils.
[ ] Meet with pastor for special instructions for the service.
[ ] Make sure you have enough ushers for the service.
[ ] Distribute name tags or vests to the ushers.
[ ] Communicate pastor’s instructions to all ushers.
[ ] Conduct a pre-service prayer

Tasks during worship:
[ ] Oversee usher’s duties, greetings, seating.
[ ] Receive regular and special offerings.
[ ] Count number in attendance.
[ ] Communion when served.

Tasks after the service:
[ ] Straighten up sanctuary if needed.
[ ] Go through the building before leaving, making sure no one is left inside the building, making sure doors and windows are locked.
[ ] Turn on church alarm

Usher’s Check List
Tasks before worship:
[ ] Arrive at church 30 minutes early. Work with head usher for assignments ( if you have one).
[ ] Check the temperature of the sanctuary. If heat is needed, please set thermostats to 68. Use good judgment in using air conditioning.
[ ] Check sanctuary for cleanliness. Make sure there are offering envelopes, Bibles, and pencils in every pew.
[ ] Have one usher ask the pastor for any special instructions for the service.
[ ] Make sure you have enough ushers for the service.
[ ] Distribute name tags or vests to ushers.
[ ] Gather bulletins to give to people coming into church.
[ ] Conduct a pre-service prayer.

Tasks during worship:
[ ] Greet everyone coming into the church with a warm smile. Provide seating when
needed. Be alert for issues that need your attention.
[ ] Receive regular and special offerings.
[ ] Count number in attendance.
[ ] Communion when served.
[ ] Hall monitor.

Tasks after the service:
[ ] Straighten up sanctuary if needed.
[ ] Go through the building before leaving, making sure no one is left inside the building,
making sure doors and windows are locked.
[ ] Lock church and turn on church alarm