Your facility team is an important part of your church. Whether you have one facility tech or a full team of technicians and a facility manager, they need support just like every other ministry area. I’ve worked in churches, government facilities, colleges, nonprofits, and the private sector, and I can tell you—every organization struggles with balancing expectations and resources for their facility team.
The good news is that there are simple, practical ways you can help them. Here are five that make a huge difference.
1. Build a Volunteer Maintenance Team
Creating a volunteer maintenance team gives your church an incredible support system. But you want to make sure you set it up well from the beginning. When it’s organized—with clear expectations, safety guidelines, and communication—it can pay huge dividends for years.
A maintenance volunteer team does two important things:
- It lightens the load on your facility staff.
Even one or two volunteers can help with basic tasks that free your team to focus on higher-level work. - It gives volunteers a sense of commitment and ownership.
People love serving where their gifts fit. You probably have people in your congregation who can fix things, build things, or troubleshoot issues—but no one has ever asked them.
If you want more details on how to set up a volunteer maintenance team, watch our training on it here.
2. Use Contractors to Fill in the Gaps
Sometimes it’s unrealistic to expect your team to complete everything. Churches often assume staff can do every repair, every inspection, and every recurring maintenance task—but that’s not always doable or safe.
That’s where contractors can help.
Depending on your building, you might hire:
- A lawn care company
- An HVAC company for monthly maintenance
- A roofer for inspections
- A plumber or electrician when needed
Contractors can fill in the gaps and take a huge amount of stress off your team—especially when you don’t have a large staff. Even if your team is great at their job, they may not have the time or tools to safely handle every system in the building.
Contractors don’t replace your staff. They support them so your church stays safe, efficient, and well-maintained.
3. Provide Clear and Simple Job Descriptions
This is something I see all the time: people assume their facility staff knows exactly what’s expected of them. But that’s not always the case.
Someone might know how to do their job, but not what’s expected of them each day. Without clarity, people either under-perform or over-perform—and the second one often leads to burnout, especially if they’re the “go above and beyond” type.
If your team is constantly exceeding their job description just to keep the building running, that’s a sign expectations need to be clarified. A good employee will push themselves until they’re exhausted—and that leads to turnover.
A clear job description protects your staff and sets them up for success.
4. Make Sure They Have the Right Equipment
This one seems simple, but it makes a huge difference.
For example, if your church has stairs, and your janitorial team is trying to haul a heavy upright vacuum up and down each step while balancing the hose, that’s not just inefficient—it’s unsafe. A backpack vacuum would make that task so much easier and drastically reduce the risk of injury.
The same idea applies to your maintenance staff. If they’re using old, corded drills that require finding outlets or dealing with unreliable power, they’re already starting every task at a disadvantage. Good battery-powered drills save a ton of time and frustration. Your team also needs proper cleaning supplies, PPE, and tools that aren’t worn out or faulty. Outdated or broken equipment slows everything down and makes simple tasks harder than they need to be.
Encourage your team to tell you when something isn’t working or when they need new equipment. A lot of facility staff don’t want to bother anyone or don’t want to sound like they’re complaining, so they stay quiet. But the right equipment makes their job safer, more efficient, and far less stressful. It’s one of the easiest and most meaningful ways you can support them.
5. Create a Customized Facility Maintenance Plan
One of the biggest ways you can support your facility team is by having an organized, customized facility maintenance plan. Without a plan, your team walks in each day and just reacts to whatever problem hits first. Some days that might be an HVAC issue, other days a plumbing leak, or maybe janitorial emergencies. When there’s no structure, every day becomes a blur for your staff. They do a little of everything, respond to emergencies, and try to keep up—but they never really know what they’re supposed to be doing next. That kind of constant reaction is exhausting.
A well-built maintenance plan gives your team direction and consistency. They can see upcoming preventive tasks, know which inspections need to be done daily or weekly, and understand what’s coming the next day or even the next month. This helps them stay ahead of problems instead of constantly being behind.
Of course, emergencies still happen. No one can predict every issue. But when the normal workload is organized and the daily expectations are clear, the emergencies don’t feel overwhelming. Your team finally has a roadmap. They know what success looks like, and they can focus on giving your church a safer, more efficient, and more welcoming building.
Take Time to Support and Encourage Your Team
Your facility team is a big part of what keeps your church running properly. Thank them. Equip them. And put systems in place that help them do their job without feeling like they’re drowning in responsibilities.
A little support goes a long way, and it can keep your team serving your church for years to come.
If you want help building a volunteer maintenance team, choosing contractors, or creating a customized facility maintenance plan, we’d be happy to talk through what your church needs.
