ORAU Specialist Provides Crisis Lessons to Area Churches
A crisis can occur anywhere—even in the holiest of places. That was the message sent by ORAU ’s Senior Technical Specialist Ron Edmond, during a recent presentation at the First Baptist Church of Clinton, Tenn.
Titled “Crisis Communication for Church Ministries and Church-Affiliated Organizations,” Edmond’s work attracted members from both First Baptist and the Faith Promise Church in Knoxville, Tenn. The churches sent ministers, trustees, child care coordinators, and other officials to participate in Edmond’s presentation on how to handle a disaster.
As an act of community service, ORAU sponsored the event in hopes of sharing information using technology developed specifically for governmental agencies, but at the local level.
Edmond pointed out that churches aren’t exempt from catastrophe and could be faced with a wide-range of emergencies, including fire, kidnapping, church shootings and even death. “Most churches are not prepared with a plan for emergencies but can improve through teamwork, preparation and pro-activity,” he said.
Throughout his presentation, Edmond:
- Provided church officials with guidelines on how a spokesperson can address the public appropriately during a crisis.
- Stressed the importance of working to earn trust and credibility
- Discussed how to work with the media and conduct news conferences.
- Provided suggestions on how to strengthen emergency plans and procedures
- Offered ideas for testing congregations’ responses to emergency situations.
Tim Stallings, financial and counseling pastor at Faith Promise, found Edmond’s presentation to be very informative, and his church plans to incorporate some of his ideas into their administration.
Jo Anne Swann, church administrator for First Baptist, also praised Edmond’s demonstration and said First Baptist will benefit from it “for years to come.”
Additional information on ORAU's crisis communication capabilities is available in the National Security and Emergency Management section of this site.
