Is Your Church Ready for a Disaster?

Earthquakes on the East Coast with incoming hurricanes have excited the news media in recent days. No doubt in the coming weeks many pastors and teachers will be tempted to turn to Matthew 24 or begin a new study on the Book of Revelation. The truth is, though, that hurricanes are a seasonal reality and earthquakes are possible in every corner of the United States. Plus, there are numerous other disasters that can occur such as floods and tornadoes. How should the church respond to such potential disasters?
1. On a practical level, every church should evaluate their own facility. I was on the Board of Trustees for a church in Louisville, KY, during a year that Louisville faced record ice storms, tropical storm force winds and a minor earthquake. We had to deal with roof damage and well as structural damage to one corner of the foundation. Who keeps track of the structural integrity of your church facility? Do you have adequate insurance? Is your church in a flood plain? How vulnerable is your church? It is not just a matter of maintaining a building, but also of securing the safety of the congregation.
2. Is your church ready to help in the case of a disaster? The SBC Disaster Relief is one of the best organizations in the world for meeting physical and spiritual needs in the aftermath of natural disasters. Your church can sponsor a chapter or members join in the association's Disaster Relief chapter. Disaster Relief has teams that handle everything from food preparation to physical clean-up to child care. There are other ways to help beyond Disaster Relief that are available to your church. Back during the Y2K scare, I was the bi-vocational pastor of a small country church. The majority of my church was unconcerned because country folk are survivors, but there were a few nervous people. During the months leading up to the Y2K event we collected canned food in case computer armageddon occurred. When Y2K fizzled out we donated all the collected food to a local food bank. Stockpiling food in your church or collecting for a local food bank are excellent ministry opportunities. Look for ways your church can aid the community in light of a disaster as well as meeting normal community needs.
3. Be spiritually prepared. In this fallen world disasters and tragedies are going to occur. Proper discipleship will prepare church members to deal with those events in their own lives. Don't wait till a major flood or wildfire to address the difficult questions of why do bad things happen to good people. In times of disaster people become focused on their own mortality and their minds turn to matters of eternal consequence. Church members need to be reminded of Jesus' words in Luke 13:3,5 "unless you repent, you will likewise perish". Church members need to be trained to minister their neighbors in times of crisis. Mature Christians should be ready to minister to broken hearts and anxious minds in times of tragedy. This reality was well demonstrated in Japan when Christian missionaries were able to bring hope to the frightened in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated the nation. In 1977, a dam in Toccoa, GA, collapsed unleashing a wall of water through a small Christian college. According to the book Dam Break in Georgia, the 39 people killed in the disaster were all Christians. Remarkably, the victims of the dam break had such hope and certainty in the midst of the disaster that they ended up ministering and witnessing to the emergency personnel and relief workers that came to their aid. Christians should be ready not only to face their own mortality, but also to share the hope and joy we have in Christ to others who suddenly come to the realization of the brevity and fragility of life.
There will be more earthquakes and hurricanes. There will be blizzards and tornadoes. Disasters are a reality on this side of the Second Coming. Are we, as the Church, prepared to meet them physically and, more importantly, spiritually?