Sample · Readiness Assessment Report

Riverside Fellowship Church

Single-site congregation · approx. 380 weekly attendance (fictional example)

Report date: Illustrative example

Prepared by: Safer America

Assessment type: Foundation walkthrough

Executive summary

Riverside Fellowship's greeters and ushers are attentive and its main sanctuary is easy to see across, but the building has no written plan for what happens after someone notices a problem. Two entrances lack any way to lock down quickly, the children's wing check-in process relies on volunteers recognizing faces rather than a system, and no one has a defined role for calling 911 versus handling a situation quietly. None of this is unusual. Almost every congregation we walk into looks like this the first time. Four of the six findings below cost nothing to fix, and we've flagged which ones.

Facility overview

Buildings on site	One sanctuary building, one education wing, connected breezeway
Public entrances	Four, one staffed during services
Weekly programs	Sunday services, midweek youth group, preschool (weekdays)
Existing security measures	Volunteer greeter team, exterior lighting, no cameras or access control

Findings

Area	What we found	Priority
Children's wing check-in	Volunteers release children by recognizing parents' faces. No matching tag or code system.	High
Rear fellowship hall doors	Propped open during setup for events and often stay that way through the service.	High
Emergency communication	No agreed-on way to alert the children's wing or the sound booth if something happens at the front.	High
Greeter team roles	Greeters are welcoming but no one has been assigned who calls 911, and who does not.	Medium
Parking lot lighting	Adequate near the main entrance, dark along the east fence line used for evening drop-off.	Medium
Written plan	No document exists. What staff know lives in conversation, not on paper.	Low, but foundational

Training recommendations

Start with the greeter and usher team, since they're first to any door. The children's ministry module should follow immediately after, given the check-in finding above. Leadership should sit in on at least one session so the plan isn't only understood by volunteers.

30/60/90-day action plan

First 30 days

Stop propping the fellowship hall doors; assign someone to close them after setup (no cost)
Agree on one phrase greeters use to signal a problem without alarming guests (no cost)
Assign who calls 911 and who does not, in writing (no cost)

31–60 days

Introduce a matching tag or code system for children's check-in
Schedule the first greeter and usher training session
Add lighting along the east fence line before evening events

61–90 days

Put the emergency communication plan in writing and post it where staff can see it
Run the children's ministry training module
Schedule the annual re-score to document progress

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