Last updated Thursday 2 July at 16:02
- New FAQ Can we have worship outside? in Prayer and worship section
- Updated Churchyards document
Whilst Government guidance has been revised to allow certain activities to take place in church buildings, it is still vital that the necessary hygiene and social distancing precautions are kept in place in order to protect the NHS and save lives.
The information on this page is regularly updated, so please check back to ensure you have the latest guidance. When major changes are made, we will publish update through the Church of England Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Please read the detailed guidance below to ensure all activities are conducted in a safe and hygienic way.
FAQs
Prayer and worship
- Can churches open for individual prayer?
- Can churches hold services of worship?
- What guidance is available for Holy Communion?
- Praying and live streaming from church buildings
- Copyright licence details for live streaming
- What liturgical resources are available?
- Can organists enter church buildings for organ practice and maintenance?
- What do we need to do legally if we are not opening for public worship after the 4th July?
- Can we have worship outside?
Life events
- Can funerals still go ahead?
- Can weddings still go ahead?
- Can baptisms still go ahead?
- Can ordinations still go ahead?
Community Support
- Can food banks remain open?
- Can the building still be used for blood donations?
- Can the building still be used for a night shelter?
Fabric and building maintenance
- What advice is there for access to buildings?
- Can clergy, staff and volunteers enter church buildings to prepare for re-opening?
- Do we need to get permission to put social distancing or hygiene measures into a church building?
- What advice is there for keeping the church clean?
- Can construction work be carried out?
Finance and governance
Schools and nurseries
- Can members of clergy and foundation school governors enter a school building?
- When schools re-open can church buildings be used by schools as a place of worship or gathering?
- Can nurseries and early years childcare provision operate in churches?
General
- How should we complete a risk assessment ahead of re-opening our church building?
- What guidance is in place for clergy, church workers and volunteers who are deemed to be at additional risk?
- What is the safeguarding advice relating to remote working?
- What advice is available if domestic abuse is suspected?
- Should we still deliver printed communication?
Documents
Guidance
- Conducting public worship
- Legal questions on conducting public worship
- Individual private prayer
- Holy Communion
- Baptisms
- Funerals
- Ordinations
- Weddings
- Confirmation services
- Churchyards
- Keeping church buildings clean
- Opening cathedral and church buildings to the public
- Opening church buildings for works to the building and interior (This combines Access to church buildings for building maintenance and Church and cathedral building access for construction work into a single guidance document)
- Permissions for temporary works in churches and cathedrals
- Pastoral support in the community including care homes
- Mental health and wellbeing
- Personal risk factors to clergy, church workers and volunteers
- Safeguarding FAQs
Resources
- Church reopening poster (Word | PDF)
- Risk assessment template for contractors and construction workers
- Risk assessment template for reopening church buildings
Further reading
- Churches’ community action
- Crisis, scacrity and Christian ethics – a note for chaplains
- Responding to Human Need by Loving Service – The Third Mark of Mission
- Spiritual communion
- Wellbeing of clergy and lay ministers
The below Marking our communities resources have been prepared by The Liturgical Commission:
