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Church Readiness Check
Seven questions, about two minutes. Get a score, a printable gap plan, and one concrete next step for every area that needs work.
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Tools for churches who want to be ready.
Practical, printable resources for church leaders — no signup required. The best time to decide who calls whom is an ordinary week, not the morning after a crisis.
Pillar guide
Church Disaster Response: A Practical Guide
What church-led disaster response is, how it works, and practical steps before, during, and after a disaster.
Read the guideFlood recovery guide
A wise first 72 hours
A people-first guide for churches after flooding: safety, first-call leadership, care lists, communication, and coordinated volunteers.
Read the 72-hour guidePreparedness
Before the Storm: 7 Decisions
Seven decisions every church should make now — leadership, care lists, assets, communication, and relationships.
Read the articleHosting guide
How to host flood volunteers
What a church can actually offer, who should lead the building, and how to brief teams without turning hospitality into chaos.
Read the hosting guideThe long road
After the first week
Named follow-up, volunteer rotation, and staying present after the first surge of flood help — without burning out the same six people.
Read the week-two guideYour part
How to choose your place
Neighbour-care or mud-out? Pray, give, or stay on a roster? A clear chooser so your yes helps without getting in the way.
Read the chooser guideFor Sunday
A script churches can read
A short announcement that points people to neighbour-care, physical cleanup, or prayer, giving, and a future roster — without sending a crowd.
Read the Sunday guideAt the door
What to say after a flood
A short visit script: your name, one honest question, the need in their words, and a next step you can actually keep.
Read the door scriptAfter the visit
The five-line note
Date, first name, their ask, who follows up, and when. Pass it to one coordinator the same day.
Read the note guidePrintable checklist
First 24 hours — church response
Once it is safe to act, the most helpful first response is usually relational and specific. Use this as a starting point.
- Confirm leaders are safe and name who is coordinating.
- Check on vulnerable people first — before posting a broad call.
- Listen for actual needs: food, water, transport, shelter, medication.
- Share verified information only — say what you know and what you don't.
- Coordinate with nearby churches before duplicating efforts.
- Protect dignity — offer help without turning crisis into content.
- Document who you've checked on and what follow-up is needed.
Printable checklist
First 72 hours — church flood recovery
A people-first sequence for the days after flooding. Use it with the full guide, not as a substitute for official safety direction.
- Name a first-call leader and a backup before posting a public ask.
- Follow official safety guidance — do not enter unsafe buildings or closed roads.
- Check on vulnerable neighbours first using a simple care list.
- Write down verified needs separately from rumours and good intentions.
- Coordinate with nearby churches before duplicating a service already in motion.
- Gather volunteer skills and availability before sending a crowd.
- Protect dignity — no photos or stories of people in crisis without consent.
- Set the next update time, even if the update is simply, “We are still listening.”
Read the full 72-hour flood recovery guide, then join the volunteer roster if you can serve.
Printable template
Care list — who to check on first
Build this list in peacetime. In a crisis, you will know exactly who needs an early call.
- Seniors living alone
- Families without transportation
- Medically vulnerable neighbours
- Newcomers without local support
- Single parents with young children
- People with mobility limitations
- Households with language barriers
- Anyone recently bereaved or isolated
- Other: _________________________________
Printable briefing
Volunteer briefing card
Read this aloud before teams leave the parking lot. Five minutes of clarity protects neighbours, hosts, and the people serving.
- Who is in charge today, and how to reach them.
- Where you may go — and where you may not.
- Follow official safety guidance. Do not enter unsafe buildings or closed roads.
- Do not self-deploy into neighbourhoods without an assignment.
- No photos or stories of people in crisis without clear consent.
- Affected neighbours come first. Volunteers eat, rest, and leave on time.
- Bring only the gear you are qualified and invited to use.
- Know the day's end time and how leftover food, tools, or people get closed out.
Use with How to Host Flood Volunteers at Your Church. Extra willing people can join the volunteer roster instead of walking into the neighbourhood uninvited.
Printable note
After a flood visit
Fill this in before you drive away. Give it to one coordinator. Leave addresses, photos, and insurance details off the page.
- Date: _________________________________
- First name, or the assignment label: _________________________________
- What they asked for, in their words: _________________________________
- Who follows up: _________________________________
- When: _________________________________
Read The Note You Write After a Flood Visit. If they declined, write that, and that you left.
Printable script
Sunday announcement for Lincoln
Read it as written, or paste it into a bulletin. It names the two published doors and asks people not to self-deploy.
Friends, Lincoln, Ontario is still in flood recovery. The water has gone down. The work has not.
If you can do neighbour-care — meals, check-ins, errands, or a quiet visit — register with Lincoln Community Aid.
If you can do physical cleanup — mud-out, debris, and the hard work of making a home ready to dry — register with Samaritan's Purse.
Please register before you go. Do not drive into affected streets on your own.
If you cannot be there this week, you can still pray, give, or join the future response team at kingdomresponse.com.
Carry each other's burdens. That is our part.
The homepage also has a one-tap copy at kingdomresponse.com.
Printable checklist
After the first week — stay present
A calmer rhythm for churches once the first surge of help thins out. Use it with the full guide.
- Keep one recovery lead and a backup — week two fails when everyone thinks someone else is coordinating.
- Write the open list: homes still unsafe, families still displaced, meals and rides still needed.
- Invite volunteers for a defined window, then thank them out loud when it ends.
- Ask who is already coordinating before launching another collection or crew.
- Keep the care list alive — week-one names are not finished business.
- Watch for secondary shocks: mould, insurance delays, kids out of routine, late grief.
- Leave margin in the building so the church can host again with dignity.
- Send extra willing people to a coordinated roster instead of uninvited streets.
Read After the First Week, then keep names on the volunteer roster.
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Practical guides across preparedness, recovery, discipleship, and more — all written for churches who want to be ready.